This year, thanks to the global pandemic, Netflix has proven to be a much-needed distraction for those stuck inside. During the second quarter, the company added more than 10 million new subscribers worldwide. And now one lucky person could end up winning 1,000 free months of Netflix service. That works out to more than 83 years of service. You read that right. Who knows? COVID-19 might be eradicated by then. Netflix calls it the “immortal account.”
To win the contest, you need to play a Netflix original game based on its new action film “The Old Guard.” This is the motion picture version of a graphic novel written by Greg Rucka. Starring Charlize Theron, the film is about a team of “noble mercenaries” who just cannot die. And this immortality is the reason why Netflix is giving away 83 years of service. As the streamer asks, “But how long is immortality, really? Netflix can’t promise a truly eternal subscription to its service, but it can offer the closest alternative: 1,000 months of service, which comes out to a bit over 83 years.”
The grand prize winner must ring up the highest score while playing Netflix’s “The Old Guard” video game. You must be at least 18 years of age and reside in one of the 50 U.S. states or the District of Columbia. The contest ends at 8 am PT on July 20th which means that time is a-wastin’. You can play the game as often as you’d like until the contest ends, and the top 10 scores will be posted on a leaderboard.
The grand prize winner will receive a special code good for 1,000 months of free Netflix service covering two screens. The person who achieves the second-highest score wins the second prize consisting of a code good for one year of free Netflix service for two screens. And the entrant who manages to get the third-highest score playing the game wins a code that can be used to obtain six free months of Netflix for a pair of screens. The codes must be redeemed within one month of their activation which is expected to take place on July 20th. The ARV (Approximate Retail Value) of all of the prizes adds up to $10,169.82.
“The Old Guard” video game mirrors the events of the movie and in the game, you play the lead character looking to fight off your enemies using a one-handed Labrys. The latter is a giant, double-bladed ax. Netflix hints that getting killed in the game slows you down, so to ring up a high score, you need to defeat enemies quickly, without getting hit.
While Netflix is the most popular subscription streamer in the world, the company’s estimate for new subscribers during the current quarter was 2.5 million. That is less than half the 5.27 million expected on Wall Street and the company is blaming the shortfall on short-form video app TikTok. Netflix told stockholders that “TikTok’s growth is astounding, showing the fluidity of internet entertainment. Instead of worrying about all these competitors, we continue to stick to our strategy of trying to improve our service and content every quarter faster than our peers. Our continued strong growth is a testament to this approach and the size of the entertainment market.”
If the U.S. government gets its way, TikTok will be banned in the states because it is owned by Chinese firm ByteDancer. The U.S. is concerned, as it is with all apps and products owned by a Chinese company, that ByteDancer is secretly collecting information that it sends to a server in Beijing. The company has denied this and no evidence to support the allegations has ever surfaced.
Besides TikTok, a number of new streamers could prove to be competition for Netflix. Disney+, launched last November, is off to a strong start. HBOMax and NBCUniversal’s Peacock are also available to iOS and Android users.