I don't care if the streamer drops episodes one a week, I'm not starting any new show until ALL the episodes drop. It's too hard to remember what happens from one week to the next.
I cycle through services because there are only so many hours in the day. Why would I pay for 12 months of AMC+ just to watch the 2 shows I like? I still haven't watched Ted Lasso because there are just too many shows on and I can't watch everything. If I retired today and watched TV 24/7, I wouldn't live long enough to watch everything in all my queues now, even if they never made another new show.
More than a universal interface, I would like some to build a website that allows me to enter a show and find out where it is available as part of the normal streaming world. Not as a pay per view. You guys have all of the channels, so eventually you can figure it out and you will be able to watch that show. Normal people can spend considerable time looking and following multiple false leads, ultimately find out that show is not on a service you subscribe to and now you are just frustrated. I can enter an old movie in to a google search and it appears that show is everywhere, because maybe it was on Netflix once, or more likely it is available for a fee almost everywhere. I would like to see a defined list of which streaming services have it available right now. Perhaps followed up with a list of future showings, finally a list of pay as you go options.
Do the execs actually listen to real people who watch TV? Most people I know are clamoring for series that are longer then 10 episodes and that don't go a full year (or more) between "seasons." I enjoyed the first season of Rings Of Power alot. But when S2 finally came out I realized I had zero memory of what had happened, where we left off or even who most of the characters are. So, I haven't even bothered. And it's like that for alot of shows for alot of people. It seems telling that the shows with high retention rates have alot of episodes available and short season turnarounds.
The other issue...ads. I am GenX. I grew up with 3 networks and ad breaks. So it doesn't really phase me to have ad breaks. What does piss me off is a streamer who literally interrupts a scene with an ad. They used to build pauses into tv shows for a reason! Watch a show made in the 90s. You can tell exactly where the ads go. And Disney+ still can't figure the ad breaks even then! Doctor Who was virtually unwatchable because of this.
I think it's inevitable that the different individual streamers die one by one and it consolidates back to a big 3: Netflix, Amazon and Hulu/Disney with the old framework of licensing deals for content. Or the industry as a whole dies completely, taking half of Hollywood with it.
I have no doubt the next thing coming down the pike is "annual" 12 month subs being pushed on subscribers and doing away with the monthly option. These companies would rather do that than invest in good writers and produce 12 months of content that isn't 80% shite.
Agreed. I have a cornucopia of streaming channels. I am like a couch potato too or having it on in the background while I sleep/do chores. To have the choice of yearly only, is something in no way can I fit within my upfront budget. Thus, they are losing a huge consumer of streaming channels for my viewing options.
It sounds to me like this was a completely predictable problem, especially once they started hammering people for sharing accounts. My daughter had Hulu as part of a bundle and I actually liked it a lot. But did I like it enough to order it for myself? No!
You know, Sonny, I have this question, exactly. I dropped Netflix after - jeebus - 20-odd years? They said they’d never do commercials. Hmmm. And, not much interesting to watch anymore. Amazon Prime? Crap AND commercials, and like Amazon shopping, Prime TV markets a wad of other services, no doubt for a fee.
I’d have loved to have watched Shogun, but not enough to do Hulu. So, I’ve gone with Apple TV. Not a world content, but shows that are REALLY worth watching: Ted Lasso, the movie ‘Greyhound’, Slow Horses. I don’t need the rest. In fact, our older model 80 inch TV just might need to yield its place in the living room to… not a TV! 📺
I don't care if the streamer drops episodes one a week, I'm not starting any new show until ALL the episodes drop. It's too hard to remember what happens from one week to the next.
I cycle through services because there are only so many hours in the day. Why would I pay for 12 months of AMC+ just to watch the 2 shows I like? I still haven't watched Ted Lasso because there are just too many shows on and I can't watch everything. If I retired today and watched TV 24/7, I wouldn't live long enough to watch everything in all my queues now, even if they never made another new show.
More than a universal interface, I would like some to build a website that allows me to enter a show and find out where it is available as part of the normal streaming world. Not as a pay per view. You guys have all of the channels, so eventually you can figure it out and you will be able to watch that show. Normal people can spend considerable time looking and following multiple false leads, ultimately find out that show is not on a service you subscribe to and now you are just frustrated. I can enter an old movie in to a google search and it appears that show is everywhere, because maybe it was on Netflix once, or more likely it is available for a fee almost everywhere. I would like to see a defined list of which streaming services have it available right now. Perhaps followed up with a list of future showings, finally a list of pay as you go options.
I use JustWatch for that. I don't know how popular or well known it is
It looks promising, thank you for the suggestion.
How about, rather that giving discounts for the first month, give long-time subscribers discounts for sticking with a service.
Do the execs actually listen to real people who watch TV? Most people I know are clamoring for series that are longer then 10 episodes and that don't go a full year (or more) between "seasons." I enjoyed the first season of Rings Of Power alot. But when S2 finally came out I realized I had zero memory of what had happened, where we left off or even who most of the characters are. So, I haven't even bothered. And it's like that for alot of shows for alot of people. It seems telling that the shows with high retention rates have alot of episodes available and short season turnarounds.
The other issue...ads. I am GenX. I grew up with 3 networks and ad breaks. So it doesn't really phase me to have ad breaks. What does piss me off is a streamer who literally interrupts a scene with an ad. They used to build pauses into tv shows for a reason! Watch a show made in the 90s. You can tell exactly where the ads go. And Disney+ still can't figure the ad breaks even then! Doctor Who was virtually unwatchable because of this.
I think it's inevitable that the different individual streamers die one by one and it consolidates back to a big 3: Netflix, Amazon and Hulu/Disney with the old framework of licensing deals for content. Or the industry as a whole dies completely, taking half of Hollywood with it.
I have no doubt the next thing coming down the pike is "annual" 12 month subs being pushed on subscribers and doing away with the monthly option. These companies would rather do that than invest in good writers and produce 12 months of content that isn't 80% shite.
Agreed. I have a cornucopia of streaming channels. I am like a couch potato too or having it on in the background while I sleep/do chores. To have the choice of yearly only, is something in no way can I fit within my upfront budget. Thus, they are losing a huge consumer of streaming channels for my viewing options.
It sounds to me like this was a completely predictable problem, especially once they started hammering people for sharing accounts. My daughter had Hulu as part of a bundle and I actually liked it a lot. But did I like it enough to order it for myself? No!
You know, Sonny, I have this question, exactly. I dropped Netflix after - jeebus - 20-odd years? They said they’d never do commercials. Hmmm. And, not much interesting to watch anymore. Amazon Prime? Crap AND commercials, and like Amazon shopping, Prime TV markets a wad of other services, no doubt for a fee.
I’d have loved to have watched Shogun, but not enough to do Hulu. So, I’ve gone with Apple TV. Not a world content, but shows that are REALLY worth watching: Ted Lasso, the movie ‘Greyhound’, Slow Horses. I don’t need the rest. In fact, our older model 80 inch TV just might need to yield its place in the living room to… not a TV! 📺
Cheers!
Streaming has become the North Pacific Garbage Gyre of content.