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"On the other hand, streaming shows — by which here I mean the original series that Netflix, Amazon and their ilk release all at once, in full seasons — are mor

"On the other hand, streaming shows — by which here I mean the original series that Netflix, Amazon and their ilk release all at once, in full seasons — are more than simply TV series as we’ve known them." The unacknowledged: the costs of transmission, have been passed from TV stations/producers/advertisers to the consumer.

icebraining 11y ago
Being fed ads was already a form of paying for those costs; they simply changed the currency. Besides, cable had already done that. Also, in many developed countries, you can watch streaming video with the lowest connection plan, so unless you'd give up on Internet access if not for video streaming, the marginal cost is zero.
- bootload 11y ago
  "Being fed ads was already a form of paying for those costs; they simply changed the currency. Besides, cable had already done that." Good point about costs. While I can still get free to air and public TV at HD1080, there is no way stupid network TV is better. The problems with patchy Internet access is such that unless you live in an area where cable, fiber is found, you can be stuck with ADSL or Sat speed. The future isn't evenly distributed.
  - toomuchtodo 11y ago
    Samsung predicts producing 128TB SSDs by 2018-2020. Yeah, its a few years off, but you'll be able to have Netflix's entire library in something the size of a Tivo in your home. In the meantime, push for municipal fiber rollouts.
muddi900 11y ago
If there is an impression that ads are going away, it's the wrong one. In the US alone, it's an almost $200B industry. That sort of money doesn't go away.
- will_pseudonym 11y ago
  The biggest streaming service renowned for no ads still sells ads. Hulu has ads between scenes, but Netflix has a fair amount of product placement in the shows they produced. I just want to pay money to avoid seeing ads for stuff I don't want to buy. It's painfully obvious I'm in the minority.
  - muddi900 11y ago
    The only Netflix show that obscene amounts of product placement is House of Cards. That show has more problems than that. You are not in the minority. But to reach that sort of revenue at current Netflix subscription rate, it would require 16 billion subscribers. Hulu just launched an ad free model.

icebraining 11y ago

Being fed ads was already a form of paying for those costs; they simply changed the currency. Besides, cable had already done that. Also, in many developed countries, you can watch streaming video with the lowest connection plan, so unless you'd give up on Internet access if not for video streaming, the marginal cost is zero.

bootload 11y ago
"Being fed ads was already a form of paying for those costs; they simply changed the currency. Besides, cable had already done that." Good point about costs. While I can still get free to air and public TV at HD1080, there is no way stupid network TV is better. The problems with patchy Internet access is such that unless you live in an area where cable, fiber is found, you can be stuck with ADSL or Sat speed. The future isn't evenly distributed.
- toomuchtodo 11y ago
  Samsung predicts producing 128TB SSDs by 2018-2020. Yeah, its a few years off, but you'll be able to have Netflix's entire library in something the size of a Tivo in your home. In the meantime, push for municipal fiber rollouts.

muddi900 11y ago

If there is an impression that ads are going away, it's the wrong one. In the US alone, it's an almost $200B industry. That sort of money doesn't go away.

will_pseudonym 11y ago
The biggest streaming service renowned for no ads still sells ads. Hulu has ads between scenes, but Netflix has a fair amount of product placement in the shows they produced. I just want to pay money to avoid seeing ads for stuff I don't want to buy. It's painfully obvious I'm in the minority.
- muddi900 11y ago
  The only Netflix show that obscene amounts of product placement is House of Cards. That show has more problems than that. You are not in the minority. But to reach that sort of revenue at current Netflix subscription rate, it would require 16 billion subscribers. Hulu just launched an ad free model.