[drather19]

As far as how much control Netflix retains over its internal vision/strategy in the long run, I'm not sure if there is anyone or any group in a position dominant enough to to swing the the company in a direction counter to its internal mission (http://ir.netflix.com/long-term-view.cfm). I think dedication to staying easy, convenient, ad-free, etc. is pretty critical to keeping the user base happy (beyond just being part of their core vision), and I don't see that changing for any reason for the time being.

It's an interesting thing to watch evolve over the next few years, but I know it sucks for most of the global market with the current catalog disparity. It's hard to say which of the platform or the content are the cart and the horse, though. Do you need the platform to deliver before you ramp the content, or do you need to ramp the content before you open up the platform?