Netflix to process on weekends

As if Netflix needed additional customer incentives after posting a 45 percent profit increase last quarter, the rental-by-mail service said it may begin weekend distribution, Video Business reports.

The move would help answer customer’s calls for more deliveries early in the week by processing orders on Saturdays and Sundays. It’s uncertain how many of the company’s 58 distribution centers would stay open, and plans aren’t set in stone anyway.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Postal Service wants to drop a day of mail delivery to save costs. Postmaster John E. Potter told Congress that up to $3.5 billion could be saved in the coming year by ceasing Saturday deliveries. The postal service already lost $2.8 billion last year and could lose up to $6 billion this year if things don’t change, Potter said.

Netflix Spokesman Steve Swasey told Video Business that any postal service changes won’t affect whether Netflix keeps its distribution centers open on the weekends. Presumably, the centers could still process orders and get them ready to ship for Monday morning.

What’s not clear, though, is how this would benefit Netflix from a business perspective. Perhaps with Blockbuster and Sonic Solutions teaming up to add streaming video to Blockbuster’s existing mail order service — something Netflix has already done with great success — this is just a way for Netflix to claim dominance. Weekend distribution may seem like a draw for current subscribers, but it could tip the scales for new customers debating between the two services.