3 ms·

I see the point; most of the streaming service (Netflix, HBO Max, Paramount, and Disney (except a handful of new feature pre-releases during Covid)) have taken

I see the point; most of the streaming service (Netflix, HBO Max, Paramount, and Disney (except a handful of new feature pre-releases during Covid)) have taken the cable bundle approach thus far (even more true as they add ads) ; that is, you buy the service, you get access to the whole catalog. Disney differentiated with some pre-releases/theater times with $$ ups like Jungle Cruise during Covid, -- and should probably do more of that. But with the catalog system, I had 0 desire to see Ant Man and the Wasp knowing I could watch it at home in ~ 1 month. Amazon / Fandango / Apple are struggling to keep their high margin rental models precisely because every other vendor gives you the whole catalog; and the user just has to rotate. Giving the whole catalog (the HBO/Netflix) model is a subscription as a service -- which just as in software is attractive until you realize that your marginal income per user based on usage (and support/infrastructure) is below your revenue per user -- much more, below your previous income per user.

hedora 3y ago
> you get access to the whole catalog This isn't true for any of the services you mentioned, though there's substantial consumer confusion about what is and is not included. Studies have shown that people will simply pirate content that isn't readily commercially available. I suspect that this result generalizes to situations where the customer paid for access to a catalog, but something from the catalog is missing from the streaming service. I'm not sure where the cliff is, exactly, but to the extent that the services withhold some content from their catalogs they encourage people to just pirate the thing they thought they already paid for.
- garciasn 3y ago
  Those who really want the content and are technologically capable of pirating will; everyone else will just opt to go elsewhere.
  - TheOtherHobbes 3y ago
    Or not bother. The list of big name "content" I think I really should watch/finish/whatever seems ever-increasing. In reality I spend most of my screen time watching undemanding random and niche vids on YouTube made by individuals with fairly small followings.
    - HeyLaughingBoy 3y ago
      I really don't think it's sunk into these executives' heads just how much high-quality free content is readily available.
      - hedora 3y ago
        Or how powerful survivor bias is. Something over 99% of the best movies were made over a year ago. I guess that's why recent remakes are usually available for free on streaming, but you have to pay to watch the originals.
madamelic 3y ago
> Disney differentiated with some pre-releases/theater times with $$ ups like Jungle Cruise during Covid, -- and should probably do more of that. But with the catalog system, I had 0 desire to see Ant Man and the Wasp knowing I could watch it at home in ~ 1 month. It's what I don't get about these sites; I mean I do, but it baffles me. They have the perfect opportunity to re-invent and broaden consumption of their product except they dig their claws deeper into the media business of the 1980s refusing to imagine a world other than multi-year cable contracts with channel upsells. These companies, especially Disney, should just have a yearly Day 1 Streaming pass that gives you release day streaming access like they were doing during COVID. I don't recall but I remember the single movie passes were pretty steep, like $30 per movie and apparently it worked. Anyone who buys such a pass is already unlikely to go to the theater, so they aren't cannibalizing. What they would do is bring them into the movie sooner so you have more time to market to them from that movie (buy our plushies, buy a copy, come to the park, etc)

hedora 3y ago

> you get access to the whole catalog This isn't true for any of the services you mentioned, though there's substantial consumer confusion about what is and is not included. Studies have shown that people will simply pirate content that isn't readily commercially available. I suspect that this result generalizes to situations where the customer paid for access to a catalog, but something from the catalog is missing from the streaming service. I'm not sure where the cliff is, exactly, but to the extent that the services withhold some content from their catalogs they encourage people to just pirate the thing they thought they already paid for.

garciasn 3y ago
Those who really want the content and are technologically capable of pirating will; everyone else will just opt to go elsewhere.
- TheOtherHobbes 3y ago
  Or not bother. The list of big name "content" I think I really should watch/finish/whatever seems ever-increasing. In reality I spend most of my screen time watching undemanding random and niche vids on YouTube made by individuals with fairly small followings.
  - HeyLaughingBoy 3y ago
    I really don't think it's sunk into these executives' heads just how much high-quality free content is readily available.
    - hedora 3y ago
      Or how powerful survivor bias is. Something over 99% of the best movies were made over a year ago. I guess that's why recent remakes are usually available for free on streaming, but you have to pay to watch the originals.

madamelic 3y ago

> Disney differentiated with some pre-releases/theater times with $$ ups like Jungle Cruise during Covid, -- and should probably do more of that. But with the catalog system, I had 0 desire to see Ant Man and the Wasp knowing I could watch it at home in ~ 1 month. It's what I don't get about these sites; I mean I do, but it baffles me. They have the perfect opportunity to re-invent and broaden consumption of their product except they dig their claws deeper into the media business of the 1980s refusing to imagine a world other than multi-year cable contracts with channel upsells. These companies, especially Disney, should just have a yearly Day 1 Streaming pass that gives you release day streaming access like they were doing during COVID. I don't recall but I remember the single movie passes were pretty steep, like $30 per movie and apparently it worked. Anyone who buys such a pass is already unlikely to go to the theater, so they aren't cannibalizing. What they would do is bring them into the movie sooner so you have more time to market to them from that movie (buy our plushies, buy a copy, come to the park, etc)