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> according to Lionsgate’s President of Worldwide Television & Digital Distribution, Jim Packer, it’s just part of the company’s “commitment to remain at the cu
by tronje 10y ago
> according to Lionsgate’s President of Worldwide Television & Digital Distribution, Jim Packer, it’s just part of the company’s “commitment to remain at the cutting edge of innovation in delivering content to online audiences around the world.”
He says that, but renting a Lionsgate movie through Steam for 48 hours costs about half as much as a 1-month Netflix membership? I kind of don't think this was a particularly game-changing move on Steam's or Lionsgate's behalf.
- MichaelBurge 10y agoI don't use Netflix, but my guess is that they don't carry the Lionsgate films.
- tronje 10y agoYeah, probably. But I think most people looking for some light entertainment will look for 'a movie', not 'this particular Lionsgate movie', and in any case, with Netflix being so wildly popular, and average Steam users probably being fairly well-versed in today's online entertainment options, I just can't believe that this is very significant at all.
- alistairSH 10y agoThat's my experience. Since dropping cable and going to 100% Netflix, my watching is very much "what's on Netflix this month?" And with full seasons of TV shows posted at once, I can binge watch one of those if I don't see an interesting movie.
- mistagiggles 10y agoAlternatively, you can now rent a blockbuster film using money you have made while playing games. Trading cards, skin drops, crates/cases etc can all be acquired without putting money into the system but can be sold for credit on the steam marketplace. Personally, I have used profits from selling trading cards and unwanted tf2 weapons to buy games, why not rent films?
- tronje 10y agoOh yeah, that's a good point I hadn't considered. I supposed it remains to be seen if enough people use it that (or another) way to make it a profitable endeavor.
- TeMPOraL 10y ago> Alternatively, you can now rent a blockbuster film using money you have made while playing games. Trading cards, skin drops, crates/cases etc can all be acquired without putting money into the system but can be sold for credit on the steam marketplace. But where you can earn enough money? The total value of all items I've earned on Steam probably doesn't even sum to 1 Euro...
- jon-wood 10y agoYou might be surprised, when I first discovered you could sell trading cards I listing all the ones I'd collected and made ~£30.
- cmrx64 10y agoI had a similar experience, and over the years I've bought 3-4 games using trading cards that I'd gathered.
- knd775 10y agoWell, I guess it depends on how you use steam. If I sold all my CS:GO skins, TF2 items, and trading cards, I'd have several hundred USD.
- etimberg 10y agoYeah, with enough time and consistent playing you can make some money. I play CSGO pretty consistently and I've made enough to cover all the DLCs so far. Usually my strategy is: buy the DLC and play a lot right after it comes out. You're bound to get a few drops from the new set. Selling those immediately can easily make some money.
- 10y ago
- yummybear 10y ago"around the world" and 11 titles in UK vs. 100 in US is a bit disappointing.
- tronje 10y agoThat too! I'm not located in either of those two countries, and I can only imagine how atrocious options over here will be, with a start like that. I also prefer watching movies in original language, because even professional dubs are often terrible; it wouldn't surprise me if they offer limited language choices as well...
- yAnonymous 10y agoIt's £3.49. How much cheaper do you want it to be?
- tronje 10y agoFor all I care it can be a million pounds, I probably won't use it either way. My point is that it's not a competitive price. For around £8 you can get a Netflix or Amazon Prime subscription (don't quote me on that, I'm not from the UK, but a few pounds don't weaken my argument, I believe). These subscription-based services offer unlimited content for a month, whereas these £3.49 give you maybe 2h of entertainment. I'm just saying I don't believe it's a great business model in this day and age. I remember iTunes allowing you to rent movies for similar prices years ago, but that never became very popular, did it?
- jamespo 10y agoAmazon, Playstation Network also allow you to rent films at this price point, they seem to be doing OK. You're simply not in the target audience. Netflix is not unlimited, it is a buffet where you might not like what's on offer.
- mnem 10y agoI suspect more people watch specific films rather than just have them on as background anything-but-the-silence-of-my-brain fillers. If that's an accurate suspicion then the Lionsgate approach isn't so odd.
- kristianc 10y agoThat logic hasn't worked out so well for Tidal. Why is film any different to music?
- MatthewMcDonald 10y agoWhen I play music it's usually the background for another activity (coding, exercise, parties, etc.). When I play a movie, it is the activity - I actively minimize distractions so I can focus entirely on the movie. It's easier to use a substitute for something that isn't being focused on.
- ctdonath 10y agoNetflix doesn't carry all movies, and rarely streams recent big budget ones. Typical rental of a recent (or obscure) release from the convenience of wherever you happen to be is typically about $5, the price you're complaining of. Nice to see a major studio delivering their goods practically direct to viewers. About time! The licensing wars are irritating.
- tronje 10y agoThat's also a perspective I hadn't considered, but it doesn't explicitly say anywhere that they'll publish newer releases right away, and then there's the localization thing where UK gets a grand total of 11 movies. That's still in stark contrast to Mr. Packer's statement, which promised “commitment to remain at the cutting edge of innovation in delivering content to online audiences around the world.”
- oblio 10y ago> and then there's the localization thing where UK gets a grand total of 11 movies My, my, the irony is jarring. The UK has localization problems? Then the rest of the world is screwed :p
- trelltron 10y agoI wouldn't be surprised if for lots of the content like this the UK is actually in the worst group. The example that is currently annoying me: Sky has an exclusive deal with HBO for some of their shows, so I can't legally watch some of the best TV currently being made without paying for a mountain of other stuff I'll never watch.
- pluma 10y agoLocalization doesn't just refer to translation but more importantly to distribution rights. Even the publisher can't give away distribution rights in regions where they previously already promised exclusivity. This is the anachronism that results in paradoxical situations like being able to only offer Lord of the Rings part 1 and 3 but not part 2 because some obscure TV channel has the exclusive rights in your country for the next five years.
- nsgi 10y ago£3.49 is about standard for pay-per-view
- hawski 10y agoIf you are watching 2-3 movies a month (a little more than once in two weeks), than you pay the same as for Netflix, but you can choose from all available PPV platforms. It works for me. I sometimes watch movies from Google Movies, because they have better selection of titles in my country than Netflix and are cheaper than watching at cinema (not same experience, but if you just want to watch a nice movie with your wife it's a bargain). For me at this point Netflix is for TV series and some classics that I missed, because it's convenient.
- Joof 10y agoI thought it was for purchasing the movies and still thought "meh, overpriced". If it's just renting for 48 hours, that's even worse.
- Ntrails 10y agoI think the thing is I wouldn't rent games from steam. That isn't what I want it for. I want it as a repository of things I've bought and can access again at will without storing media. I'd almost certainly buy films in the steam sale when they're 60% off because I'm an idiot and can't help myself. There's no way I'm going to consume media as rentals. I look forward to seeing whether this makes way for steam as a more general media platform though - it's super exciting.
- jfoster 10y agoThey've got a lot of catching up to do to Google Play. Multi-device, convenient, big selection, etc. It seems inconceivable that they could catch up. What do they have going for them that Google doesn't have multiple times over? It's certainly not audience, capital, or technology.
- giancarlostoro 10y agoWell it may take time, but they will work their way up. I really hope they eventually allow you to "buy" movies. The convenience of Steam for me has always been that I can download things I own and not take up a ton of space with CD's that will eventually be scratched and possibly break.
- Keyframe 10y agoIn some countries, Netflix is barely worth it / if at all. Limited and lousy selection.
- ghaff 10y agoNetflix streaming isn't really for movies unless your use case is along the lines of "I'll watch whatever is available." The primary value is TV shows. If the only thing on Netflix streaming were its movies, I'd drop it in a moment. I still use Netflix DVD for this reason.
- vlunkr 10y agoIf they really want to be at the cutting edge they would sell movies DRM free so you could watch them on ANY platform. The movie industry is taking way to long on this.
- yuzi 10y agoWhich is still much cheaper than renting a 48 hour movie from Apple iTunes which seems to still have a market. Sure this is not a game changer per say, but fits the criteria of "remaining" on the cutting edge in delivering content.
- deleted 10y ago[deleted]