Incidentally, some speculation on some investing Web sites that I also frequent suggests that the real motive behind this split was to pave the way for the acquisition of either the streaming service or the DVD-by-mail service (but not both) by a potential suitor. Apple, Amazon, and Google all have enough cash on hand to acquire Netflix whole, for example, but might be interested in just the streaming service. I don't know what other companies are out there that might be interested in just the mail-order service.
Obviously, it's all rumor, but this narrative is plausible to me for the main reason that it could explain some of the characteristics of this split that appear to be completely amateurish from a marketing and customer-satisfaction perspective, and which Netflix is usually good about avoiding. I'm not even just talking about the name "Qwikster." The separation of the queues, billing accounts, databases linked to the popular recommendation engine--that is all a much sharper divide between the two new companies than would be necessary for related entities. That clean, sharp break might be attractive to a potential acquirer--and I certainly can't see how it's attractive to any significant number of customers, so I'm easily convinced that this reorganization wasn't designed with them primarily in mind.