California-based Netflix has decided to take a bold step by absorbing a formal nemesis and integrating it into its service. Reports indicate a $11.5 million deal where Netflix and Popcorn Time will combine and try to introduce the latter as a Spotify-like free-tier augmentation complimenting the full Netflix premium package.
Ever since the last year, one of the hottest topics of video industry has been the rise to fame of Popcorn Time. There are various iterations of the project that have become a major success. Presently, Popcorn Time band is on a collision course with creators and distributors worldwide while facing numerous threats of legal actions.
The service was so popular that Popcorn Time was dubbed as the ‘Netflix for Pirates’. No doubt this moniker finally resulted in the California-based Netflix considering Popcorn Time to be a serious competitor in early 2015. It was the first time that Netflix had an interaction with its pirate doppelganger, resulting in a final announcement.
TorrentFreak reveals that Netflix struck a shocking deal with the PopcornTime.io makers, one of the primary Popcorn Time forks. As a result, it’s all co-operative development from now and no more litigation threats. Reports indicate that Netflix has a lot of major plans involving Popcorn Time that have already been tried and tested in the music industry. So, don’t be too surprised with the modest $11.5 price tag. Presently, Spotify has 60 million free users while more and more choose to upgrade every month.
It seems like Netflix has caught the drift and plan to lure customers with Popcorn Time’s ‘cool reputation’ and make users pay for its premium service. According to an official statement from Popcorn Time team, Netflix has acquired their company for $11.5 million. According to them, it will come as a surprise to many users but the developers asked users not to worry regarding any new changes.