Quick, Quickflix: It's time to give yourself the flick

Now, Quickflix is in a holding pattern, trying to restructure its business and renegotiate contracts to work out a way to make money. Well, that and try and persuade people not to update to iOS 9 because they weren't able to update their iOS app in time, that is.

Ultimately, Quickflix is doomed.

Money for nothing

The saddest thing about the closure of Ezyflix.TV last month was the fact that nobody cared. While Ezyflix was a rental service like iTunes more than a streamer like Netflix, its closure went largely unremarked in the Australian technology scene.

(It's worth noting that Quickflix here is trying to play both the streaming and the premium rental/purchase game).

Here was a service that actually pioneered UltraViolet in Australia. Admittedly, UltraViolet is littered with issues, but EzyFlix tried to push the envelope, launching a disc to digital service, and challenging streamers like Stan by offering the first season of Better Call Saul to own for $10.

But in the end, the realities of the market proved too much and the platform just ended. No build up, no formal press announcement, no hand-wringing from a stressed out CEO… just a service that no longer existed.

It's unlikely Quickflix could pursue the same end, given its listing on the stock exchange and still-marginally-successful DVD rental business.

But the fact remains that the company has no hope of succeeding in the streaming market, and should stop trying.

The overwhelming consensus within the industry is that the Australian market support more than a couple of streaming services. A combination of our small population size, our average internet speeds and the challenge of content exclusivity will ultimately result in our current glut of services being whittled down, one by one.

With that in mind, Quickflix should be the first to go. But rather than reach a point where the company doesn't have a choice, it should end its attempts at streaming with its head held high.

Admittedly, Channel Nine's shares in the company could make that troublesome - the whole "opportunistic" part of the HBO share buyout came from the clauses which guaranteed the TV network a $10.5 million payout in case of a "liquidation event" for Quickflix. That includes everything from takeovers to mergers and a disposal of assets.

The question now is whether that payout is going to hold back the inevitable bleeding of money Quickflix has already experienced? When the company announces its final numbers for the 2014/15 financial year, is it going to come anywhere near a profit? Hell, will it come close to being less than a $10.5 million annual loss?

I'm guessing no.

So quick, Quickflix. It's time to drag yourself out of the jacuzzi and let us enjoy the services that are not just giving us what we want, but improving with every passing month.

It's time to give yourself the flick.