It’s hard to compete with a free service, as Netflix have been finding out lately, and Popcorn Time has been getting more and more popular among mobile users. Even though the app is based on a somewhat illegal platform, this hasn’t stopped thousands of people from downloading and using it every day, and its popularity keeps growing all the time.
The basic idea is that the app gives users access to TV shows and films which are provided by torrent sites; the app streams the content directly from the torrents, instead of downloading it from a centralized server. Therefore there’s no need for a content hosting server, making the app practically free to operate for its administrators, and free for its users.
The only problem for users is that torrents are not entirely anonymous and their download can be traced, so those living in a country with strict anti-piracy laws may not want to use Popcorn Time without a proxy. On the other hand, there have been various solutions on the app market coming out lately to address this issue exactly, and right now it’s pretty easy to circumvent the restrictions for using Popcorn Time to its fullest potential.
Big media companies have tried fighting the app, but to no avail – taking down its domain proved fruitless as it was soon back at another website, and the developers made it clear that they’ll always keep fighting back as long as they have the resources to do so.
Netflix are apparently well aware of the huge competitor that they have in the face of Popcorn Time, though they don’t really know what to do about the situation, according to statements given by the company. It’s not like they can do much anyway, as even though Netflix offers superior streaming quality and in some cases better availability, it still costs money to use.
Is Popcorn Time going to be around forever though? Cartoon HD was initially quite popular as well, but it was quickly met with a takedown after it got too popular for its own good. Popcorn Time may sooner or later be removed from its various sources as well, but the app can always be revived on websites, custom app installation packages and in other similar ways. It will take a lot of effort to take the app down for good.
Netflix could probably look into offering interesting new incentives for people to use its service as opposed to free ones based on pirated material, like Valve did with their Steam platform – there is certainly a lot of potential in there, they just have to realize it and play their cards smartly right now.