Yet Another Netflix Announcement: No More Qwikster

DVDs will be staying at netflix.com

Netflix customers were greeted today with an email announcing yet another change in Netflix’s plans for the future.

A few weeks ago, Netflix announced a split in the company. Online video streaming would continue under the Netflix brand, and a subsidiary named Qwikster would take over the DVD side of the business. Each brand would have distinct operations and a separate website.

In a rare case of a big company actually listening to its customers, Netflix’s announcement today was in direct response to customer complaints about Netflix’s proposed plan. Two distinct services with two distinct websites would not be user-friendly for customers of both brands.

Thankfully, Netflix relented of its awful plan. In case you didn’t receive it, here is a copy of the email:

It is clear that for many of our members two websites would make things more difficult, so we are going to keep Netflix as one place to go for streaming and DVDs.

This means no change: one website, one account, one password…in other words, no Qwikster.

While the July price change was necessary, we are now done with price changes.

We’re constantly improving our streaming selection. We’ve recently added hundreds of movies from Paramount, Sony, Universal, Fox, Warner Bros., Lionsgate, MGM and Miramax. Plus, in the last couple of weeks alone, we’ve added over 3,500 TV episodes from ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS, USA, E!, Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, ABC Family, Discovery Channel, TLC, SyFy, A&E, History, and PBS.

We value you as a member, and we are committed to making Netflix the best place to get your movies & TV shows.

Respectfully,

The Netflix Team

Will this change in Netflix’s plans have an effect on your subscription? Is Netflix’s quick about-face the sign of a company dedicated to customer satisfaction? Or is it the sign of a lack of clear direction and leadership — a lack of confidence? Leave your comments below.