To Netflix or not to Netflix?

So, Netflix just recently became available in South Africa. We currently have a DSTV subscription (like cable TV), and we are paying almost R900 (more or less $57 with the current exchange rate) per month. Netflix works out much cheaper per month so we are thinking of cancelling our DSTV subscription and subscribing to Netflix. But I would first like to know if it is worth it. With data charges etc? And do they really have a wide variety of shows and movies for kids and adults?

I personally love Netflix and my subscription costs me $8 a month. I still have cable TV though but I am not the one that pays for that. I believe that Netflix has a good variety of shows for kids and adults. It does not always have newer movies but I think they are getting a little better about it now. If this would be an issue with you then it might not be worth it you. I am not sure about how much the data charges would be as I use wi-fi while we are home so I do not have this. You could always sign up for the free trial of Netflix, if it is available to you, to determine if this would be a good option for you before you cancel your tv service.

I also love my Netflix subscription. My husband and I decided to get rid of cable and use Netflix and our Hulu subscriptions as our way of watching television. Netflix has a lot of great shows and movies. However; most of the television shows and movies on Netflix are not the most current ones that you see on cable. To have an option of watching television shows that are currently airing on television we decided to also get a Hulu subscription. Hulu has many of the current television shows. The only difference is that the shows on Hulu may air couple of days later than it aired on cable.

Awesome! I am definitely going to see if the free trial is available to me. And then I would also be able to see what the data charges are. I think I saw that there is a 30-day free trial, so that's a month of data that I can monitor to see what's happening. Thanks for your comments!

I agree with others that recommend Netflix. Ever since we had our little one it's been a lot harder to go to the movies and things like that - having to organize a sitter and everything can be a pain! But that's where Netflix has been great. Plenty of movies and even TV shows that we can just watch at home. We actually save money on entertainment I think, by mainly using that as our TV/movie entertainment source!

I am not currently subscribed to Netflix for financial reasons, but I will sign up again once I can afford it. I loved Netflix when I had it. I like being able to binge watch TV shows whenever I want, and no commercials. They also have a wide selection of documentaries. I much prefer it to any cable/satellite service.

Morted said:
I am not currently subscribed to Netflix for financial reasons, but I will sign up again once I can afford it. I loved Netflix when I had it. I like being able to binge watch TV shows whenever I want, and no commercials. They also have a wide selection of documentaries. I much prefer it to any cable/satellite service.

Oh but binge watching is the only way in my eyes! I hate waiting a week for the next episode. That's what I'm dealing with now. And the no commercials...bonus, bonus, bonus!

In my experience Netflix has been a wonderful alternative to traditional television or cable here. It is all about what you want though. For me I realized that I really was not watching much that I could not get online or over the air for free, so it just made sense to save some money. If you can work it out then by all means it is a cheaper alternative.

rz3300 said:
In my experience Netflix has been a wonderful alternative to traditional television or cable here. It is all about what you want though. For me I realized that I really was not watching much that I could not get online or over the air for free, so it just made sense to save some money. If you can work it out then by all means it is a cheaper alternative.

Are there some shows on Netflix that you have to pay extra for? On top of the monthly subscription?

I only have Netflix, and have no desire to add any other options. The only downside I see is that I cant watch current TV programs. However there are so many choices on Netflix that I have never ran out of good choices to watch. Plus I only pay $8 a month.

We just got Netflix a year ago. We received a gift card for Christmas for Netflix and thought we'd try it out. It's great since we've gotten to try it out and if we didn't like it we'd just cancel the subscription once the money on the gift card ran out. Turns out we will not cancel the subscription, for $8 a month my kids use it to watch their favourite series like Star Wars the Clone Wars, The Amazing Spiderman etc. My husband and I use it to watch documentaries and movies. We love it. It's cheaper than going to the movies or renting DVD's.

I have subscribed to Netflix for years, starting when they sent out DVDs.Once they started their streaming service I was hooked, We used to have cable service and then DirecTV (satellite), but it all got too expensive. When you compare how much you are paying for your service to how much time you actually watch each month you will soon realize that you are spending WAAAAY too much. Then add in how many channels you watch and subtract those you don't watch. We cut the cord and I have never been happier with the savings and the flexibility. Binge watching my favorite TV shows, gorging on thrillers or my favorite actor WHEN I want to for a fraction of the cost is well worth the $8/month.

I would say enjoy the free trial and join the cable free crowd! 🙂 We get our locals over the air using a digital antenna. As my mother-in-law use to say, once a show plays 1 time its a rerun. There is so much free TV on that it really makes no sense too pay too much for reruns.

We actually had our ADSL line installed this week and I am subscribing to Netflix before the end of the week. I subscribed to ShowMax today (it's like the SA version of Netflix), and I'm so excited to try it out...I'm just trying to figure out how to connect my wireless mouse...the stupid thing won't work on my laptop, so I'm probably going to have to buy a new one. I didn't want to subscribe to Netflix before I had my uncapped data plan active, I know myself and how I can binge watch, and I was just way too scared of a huge data bill. Now that it's up and running...let the binge watching begin!

I agree with some of the above posters, definitely get Netflix. Especially if you love to binge watch and not have to deal with the commercials is a definite plus!
I have Netflix and have fallen in love with several shows while browsing around and checking out various shows. I can also rewatch shows that I haven't seen in forever because they are on Netflix because buying all the seasons of various shows can get so expensive. 🙁

I just finished watching Fuller House and I have fallen in love with the show! I am so glad that it has been picked up for a second season and can't wait. I used to love watching Full House when I was younger and was so happy they decided to do this reboot. Love seeing DJ and Stephanie all grown up. I felt so bad for Stephanie in the episode where she was dating Hunter Pence. Poor thing, having to break up with him because they all blamed her for his slump. 🙁

midorisour said:
I agree with some of the above posters, definitely get Netflix. Especially if you love to binge watch and not have to deal with the commercials is a definite plus!

I have Netflix and have fallen in love with several shows while browsing around and checking out various shows. I can also rewatch shows that I haven't seen in forever because they are on Netflix because buying all the seasons of various shows can get so expensive. 🙁
I just finished watching Fuller House and I have fallen in love with the show! I am so glad that it has been picked up for a second season and can't wait. I used to love watching Full House when I was younger and was so happy they decided to do this reboot. Love seeing DJ and Stephanie all grown up. I felt so bad for Stephanie in the episode where she was dating Hunter Pence. Poor thing, having to break up with him because they all blamed her for his slump. :(

I saw Fuller House on Netflix and actually wondered if it had something to do with Full House. I will definitely have a look at that show. I just finished Sense 8, loooved it!

The only downfall I see with Netflix, is they don't have all the newer series like The Player, Flash, Zoo, The Big Bang Theory etc. I would have loved it if they had all these shows as well because these are the shows that we are currently watching on DSTV until our subscription expires with them.

Does anyone know where I can find these shows to stream?

We don't have regular TV but do use Netflix, I love that you can choose what you want to watch when. In my opinion this is where the we're trending at in general!