8 ms·

I sometimes pirate things that are on services I'm paying for just because I don't want to have to remember which one has the thing I want to watch, every time

• jasomill 5y ago
  The only thing that really tempts me to piracy are shows only available for streaming via iOS apps that disable picture-in-picture viewing during commercial breaks. This particular behavior should really be banned by App Store guidelines, as it generates no revenue for Apple, and I can't imagine a single provider willing to forgo ad revenue from iOS users as a whole over such a rule. Show commercials, if you must, but trying to force me to pay attention to commercials via technological means is where I draw the line. Instead of actually bothering to pirate the show, however, I generally just do something else. I'm honestly curious why (AFAIK) major content producers haven't looked beyond existing revenue streams and experimented with freemium (or at least "low-costium") models, along the lines of Microsoft studios releasing current AAA titles through Game Pass — which, while not free, is arguably inexpensive — but charging extra for optional in-game purchases and DLC. In other words, make base versions of shows available for free or at a low cost, then charge a few bucks per season for premium features like early access to episodes, 4K/HDR, and bonus content. For major franchises, at least, I imagine there are at least enough fans willing to pay, say, $10-20 per season for such features to make such a venture worthwhile.