How to Tell if You’re Netflix Subscription is Worth It
January 31st, 2009, Posted in UncategorizedIf you’ve ever wanted to know if you’re getting your money’s worth out of your online DVD rental subscription (and really, who among us has never calculated their usage and done a quick cost-benefit analysis?), FeedFlix is a great little service that you might like.
FeedFlix is free of charge, and functions by gathering XML feeds from Netflix to generate usage statistics for all of FeedFlix’s users. With it you can see in objective terms how much value you’re getting out of Netflix.
Getting started with the FeedFlix service is easy and very fast (I mean one minute fast). After going to FeedFlix, you’ll see a large “Connect to Netflix” icon. FeedFlix is an independent web site, meaning it is in no way associated with Netflix, but it does access the Netflix programming interface to access your RSS feed. To authorize this, you’ll need to generate a token on the Netflix site Don’t worry, this is handled automatically for you.
Once you do this, FeedFlix will start analyzing your usage data. Within a few minutes, your home page should be filled with some interesting numbers. It’s probably easiest to watch the video above to see what this looks like, but here are some stats you’ll find:
- Average rentals per month
- How long you hold movies on average
- Average cost per physical rental
- Your total average cost per rental, including streaming video
- Trend chart of your weekly rentals
- How your numbers compare to other FeedFlix users
You’ll also find some interesting aggregate information about users of the Netflix service in general. For example, how your usage and return rates compare to others, what the most requested movies are, which movies are stocked in the largest quantities, historical rentals and favorites, and more.
What makes the service so interesting is its singular focus. It will tell you at a glance if you really are getting your money’s worth out of Netflix.
For more information about FeedFlix, You might want to look at this detailed FeedFlix review.
Being an active and longtime online DVD rental fan, I have some detailed perspectives on both Netflix and Blockbuster. Check out my Blockbuster and Netflix review if you’re thinking about joining one of these services. It is the most detailed, objective review available for these two services.