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> "Piracy is almost always a service problem and not a pricing problem" Maybe so, but if media companies invested in fixing the service problems, the pricing p

> "Piracy is almost always a service problem and not a pricing problem" Maybe so, but if media companies invested in fixing the service problems, the pricing problems would remain, and those keep people away just as effectively, so they're not going to do it. People don't want to pay what the media companies want to charge, at any level of service.

area51org 1y ago
Not necessarily true, as the success of streaming shows. The problem comes when the unbounded greed of the billionaires in charge leads them to inflate prices beyond their customers' ability and willingness to pay.
- frollogaston 1y ago
  Streaming was cheaper than what existed before, and still is. Inflation-adjusted, movies and TV were insanely expensive back then, yet people willingly paid. And the movies were better. Who's greedy, companies wanting to offer nonessential entertainment for a price, or people who want it for free?
  - the_af 1y ago
    Most people do not want it for free. It's just that they are fed up with streaming platforms fragmentation and anticonsumer practices.
  - simianparrot 1y ago
    Nobody I ever talk to cancel Netflix because it’s too expensive. They cancel it because it runs out of content they care about. Including me. I’m not keeping a sub for that one week a year I find something I enjoy. It’s absolutely a service problem.
    - padjo 1y ago
      What you described is the same as cancelling because it’s too expensive, you’re just describing the value side of the equation.
      - the_af 1y ago
        That's one way of framing it (pro provider). A pro consumer way of framing it is that it's a service problem. Since I'm a consumer, not a provider, I side with consumers. Streaming sucks today -- I should know, I'm subscribed to most platforms.
        padjo 1y ago
        Really voting with your wallet there. Anyway I’m not taking platforms side just stating that “I don’t get enough value” and “it is too expensive” are the same thing.
        the_af 1y ago
        > Really voting with your wallet there. Sadly, you're right. But it's a Catch-22 here, if I pirated everything people would accuse me of being part of the problem, etc. I enjoy the moral high ground of paying for everything yet still supporting piracy (with caveats, and not for everything): it makes my position unassailable. And I disagree with your last statement, as I said it's a framing issue and framing matters. I'm pro consumer, and therefore, it's not the same thing .
      - simianparrot 1y ago
        Yeah, it's too expensive because the _service_ is too poor. If the service was good, it would be a fair price.
        nlawalker 1y ago
        … if it was offered for the same price as the current service.
    - thiht 1y ago
      It's both. I canceled when they increased their pricing again (a few months ago), because there's no way I'll pay more when neither the service nor the catalog gets better. I would have kept my subscription if they hadn't increased the price, regardless of any changes to the catalog.
    - HDThoreaun 1y ago
      > Nobody I ever talk to cancel Netflix because it’s too expensive. Frankly this says a lot about you and not much about everyone else
the_af 1y ago
This is absolutely not true. I pay an ungodly combined amount of money to various streaming services, but must still occasionally resort to TPB. Which "just works", unlike said streaming services. Within reason, it's not a money problem (within reason; media conglomerates would love for me to sell my kidney in order to watch their premium shows, but that's not going to happen).I would rather just pay for the problem to go away, but Netflix, Disney et al just disagree.

area51org 1y ago

Not necessarily true, as the success of streaming shows. The problem comes when the unbounded greed of the billionaires in charge leads them to inflate prices beyond their customers' ability and willingness to pay.

frollogaston 1y ago
Streaming was cheaper than what existed before, and still is. Inflation-adjusted, movies and TV were insanely expensive back then, yet people willingly paid. And the movies were better. Who's greedy, companies wanting to offer nonessential entertainment for a price, or people who want it for free?
- the_af 1y ago
  Most people do not want it for free. It's just that they are fed up with streaming platforms fragmentation and anticonsumer practices.
- simianparrot 1y ago
  Nobody I ever talk to cancel Netflix because it’s too expensive. They cancel it because it runs out of content they care about. Including me. I’m not keeping a sub for that one week a year I find something I enjoy. It’s absolutely a service problem.
  - padjo 1y ago
    What you described is the same as cancelling because it’s too expensive, you’re just describing the value side of the equation.
    - the_af 1y ago
      That's one way of framing it (pro provider). A pro consumer way of framing it is that it's a service problem. Since I'm a consumer, not a provider, I side with consumers. Streaming sucks today -- I should know, I'm subscribed to most platforms.
      - padjo 1y ago
        Really voting with your wallet there. Anyway I’m not taking platforms side just stating that “I don’t get enough value” and “it is too expensive” are the same thing.
        the_af 1y ago
        > Really voting with your wallet there. Sadly, you're right. But it's a Catch-22 here, if I pirated everything people would accuse me of being part of the problem, etc. I enjoy the moral high ground of paying for everything yet still supporting piracy (with caveats, and not for everything): it makes my position unassailable. And I disagree with your last statement, as I said it's a framing issue and framing matters. I'm pro consumer, and therefore, it's not the same thing .
    - simianparrot 1y ago
      Yeah, it's too expensive because the _service_ is too poor. If the service was good, it would be a fair price.
      - nlawalker 1y ago
        … if it was offered for the same price as the current service.
  - thiht 1y ago
    It's both. I canceled when they increased their pricing again (a few months ago), because there's no way I'll pay more when neither the service nor the catalog gets better. I would have kept my subscription if they hadn't increased the price, regardless of any changes to the catalog.
  - HDThoreaun 1y ago
    > Nobody I ever talk to cancel Netflix because it’s too expensive. Frankly this says a lot about you and not much about everyone else

the_af 1y ago

This is absolutely not true. I pay an ungodly combined amount of money to various streaming services, but must still occasionally resort to TPB. Which "just works", unlike said streaming services. Within reason, it's not a money problem (within reason; media conglomerates would love for me to sell my kidney in order to watch their premium shows, but that's not going to happen).I would rather just pay for the problem to go away, but Netflix, Disney et al just disagree.