It's a shame. But having watched a few companies shut down APIs (including my own work at Google) I've learned the hard way that unless an API is central to a company's business success, it's eventually going to become a business problem.

This doesn't surprise me, but it does make me sad because I think it's a short-sighted move that will hurt Netflix in the long run.

Full disclosure: my side-project (which I have woefully neglected of late: http://moviepresto.com) uses the Netflix API to determine if a movie is available on Netflix Instant or as a disc rental and then links accordingly. The title, description, basic info, and background image come from themoviedb.org. Personally, I'd prefer for my "what do I want to watch tonight?" decision start with the set of everything that's been released and then follow to "where is that available?", instead of starting with "what is available to watch on platform X?". My cynical side tells me that Netflix doesn't just want to be the center of the online streaming universe; they want to BE the universe.

Even more sadly, I think Netflix won't even realize what they are missing out on: potential user interface improvements that they could incorporate into their own products, ideas for integration they never would've thought of, potential great hires, etc.

In what world can they describe a complete discontinuation of their developer platform as a change in policy?

It seems like a strategy these days. Start out by giving out API's to get as many other companies to use it and therefore promote your service, then when you're big enough and don't think they are needed anymore, cut them off.

Crap...

Just today I was talking with someone about integrating Netflix data in to their app, and I almost registered for an API key, but waited until I got home. Then I stopped off, got home late, did some work, and now this. :/

I guess if this is how they run it, then they might revoke access to then-current API-key holders in the future with little warning anyway...

If anyone has ever bothered looking at any Netflix talks / slideshares [1] about APIs, they would have surely seen the various graphs detailing how their API usage started and grew.

TL:DR 3rd party usage of the APIs used to be big, but then became pretty much a statistical irrelevance compared to usage by Netflix's own software / tv apps / etc.

So it would seem the business case to keep developing a 3rd party friendly API is not really there anymore.

[1] http://www.slideshare.net/danieljacobson/techniques-for-scal...

I think of APIs as open-source business development, and unless companies get a lot of value out of their apis, they shut them down for the same reason they shut down BD departments: They aren't providing any value.

My best guess: this is to lock out any additional competitors in the set-top game so they can resurrect a Netflix branded set-top. Netflix streaming alongside netflix-vended rentals? I can see it happening.

Netflix forums have been dead for years now... So it is not a surprise. But still I am sad to see the oData catalog shutting down which mean that my 4 stars iOS/Android/Kindle app will have to be removed from their respective stores.

It is always a trade off when you are relying on API: on one side you can focus solely on the project core values knowing that the underlying data will be provided, on the other side if you build everything including what an API provides you are ending building up a different business.

What is the coolest thing to come out of Netflix's API?

I use the OData interface to power streamingcriterions.com, which is totally niche but still get a couple hundred hits a day. I built it to scratch my own itch, but I guess it'll stop working pretty shortly. Bummer.

Sounds like something they were forced to do in a contract with a studio

Never build a business that depends on an api.