Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

On dialup 1p a minute then a free service that was hard to connect to then I moved to £10 a month dialup and then finally 600K Cambridge cable before NTL bought it.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

When will Virgin Media stream be made available on multi room?

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

The constant buffering or connection lost on Disney+.:(

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Something I've never had with Disney+.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Nor Me

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

I never get buffering on Disney+ (Samsung TV app and 900Mb BT FTTP)

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Just cancelled Netflix as im not going to pay £18 a month for something I hardly use, I really need to do this with Virgin TV too but the stress of phoning up is too much for me! Lol 1 day I'll figure out how it's done via WhatsApp as I have no idea.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

In the end l ended up using the LG TV app and there was no problem at all.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Sounds like it could be an implementation issue on Virgin’s part. Performance can differ across different devices - I used to get problems on Prime TV on the TV app while the Amazon Firestick was fine. Prime TV on Samsung is much more robust now. Oddly it’s iPlayer that’s now buggy. It can suffer from awful ghosting if it’s not the first app you use after restarting the TV.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

I'm going to be cancelling most of my streamer subscriptions and returning to the high seas.
Netflix is not worth £18 a month to me, I do not need 4 streams at the same time but have to pay that ridiculous amount to get 4k and HDR/Dolby Vision, if anyone at Netflix reads this you need a plan at a more reasonable cost that includes 4k!
I will also be cancelling Disney+ when my year is up, the price rise is too much for the use I get out of it.
I have just cancelled Paramount+ as the annual cost has doubled and there is no way to switch to a monthly plan.
As much as I hate praising Apple I shall probably keep ATV+ going when my free 6 months via EE expires, I think I get more use from this service than the others combined and think its a steal at £6:99 a month.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

I pay for Amazon Prime but may cancel that next year if I decide free shipping is not worth it as I can use my MS 365 sub for Photos instead. I have a 6 month free trial for om my Playstation 5 for Apple TV, I've already cancelled that from billing me.

Just ordered a new TV QLED 55QN95C which is very close to the best oleds without the worry of burn in and other annoying issues they have so hoping things will still look awesome on it if I just use my BeeTV app which gets me 1080p upscaled as it currently looks great on my old 49KS9000 TV.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

DAZN and Sky will again share the rights to Italian top-flight football, each securing packages equivalent to their current holding.

https://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2023...eid=3598503789

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

That’s quite the drop.

An extra year, high amounts of inflation and still coming up with less cash.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Heck, maybe DAZN Italia will break even! ;)

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Since I ended my virgin account, then changed it to my wife's name and bank account, paying £15 a month for 6 months then £33 after for 250 BB, I signed up to Sky Stream, which is £25 a month for 3 months for SKY Entertainment TV and Sky Cinema, plus Netfix Premium for £8 extra, then £50 a month until 24 months is up, which includes UHD, no Advert's too.
Also, with Sky I get Paramount+, Discovery+, and apple+, (for 6 months) for free, I have a Lloyds bank account that gives me Disney+ for free.

I was paying £100 for Virgin TV and Sky cinema and also paying for the above streaming services separately.
I'm very happy with my new set up.
The picture on Sky Stream is amazing, Great TV channels look like HD.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Looks the Apple TV app is getting a revamp
https://9to5mac.com/2023/10/24/repor...-tv-show-apps/

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Looks like another price hike to

https://www.cordbusters.co.uk/apple-...-hike-hits-uk/

They are going to have to add quite a bit before I pay that.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

The individual components of Apple’s offering are all going up around £2 a month each, but if you get the Apple One bundle, the bundle price is only going up £2 (to £18.95). I use arcade a very little, but I do make good use of News and the cloud storage integration is seamless across my devices. Naturally we hammer Music like there’s no tomorrow - our Echo devices are all logged in to it as is everyone’s phone, the living room TV and my iPad. We also have family sharing set up so we actually use the premier bundle, going up £4 to £36.95.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Amazon set to charge $2.99 to remove ads from prime video, adverts will be rolling out next year on the service, as we all know by now what happens with these services in the US tends to come to the UK shortly afterwards too https://cordcuttersnews.com/amazon-w...video-service/

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Looks like Prime will get cancelled next year then for me.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

I get good enough value out of just the deliver tbh

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

I've not worked out how much value I get out of free delivery to be honest, but still thinking of cancelling but I'll see how it goes when my Neo QLED gets delivered tomorrow when I test 4K content.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

My deliveries have cost me less than 30p each in the last 12 months

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

So that would give you 316 deliveries to cover the cost of a full price UK subscription, do you make that many? Lol

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

If you read your facebook PMs you will know how hahaha

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

I don't really use FB anymore, not logged in for months but still got messenger, cheers for info.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

The people prophesising doom for Netflix had better think again. The other streamers are doing pretty well, too.

https://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2023...-growth-slows/

[EXTRACT]

Disney+, Paramount+, Netflix and Apple TV+ all achieved strong subscriber growth, according to the latest Kantar Entertainment on Demand (EoD) data on the global video streaming market.

Netflix continues to continues to dominate, and is present in two-thirds of streaming households, whilst 49% of these households consider Netflix to be their primary streaming subscription. Whilst this percentage has dipped from 53%, compared to the same period last year, the platform continues to perform strongly despite half of Netflix households subscribing to four or more services last quarter.

However, it is Disney+, Paramount+ and Apple TV+ that have emerged as leaders in new subscribers. Kantar estimates up to 30% of Disney+ users are sharing their accounts with others. In response, Disney+ announced a forthcoming password-sharing crackdown, set to commence in Canada on November 1, 2023.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

That's quite the spin on an article headlined:

Netflix and Disney+ outperform as Prime Video growth slows

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Prime seems to be an exception, possibly because they’ve not added much good content recently. All the others seem to be OK, and it’s nice to see Apple+ doing well. Some of their content is pretty interesting. The Silo is the latest to generate my interest.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Don't get over confident old chap, you'll see.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

BREAKING:

DS Forum is reporting that Apple TV + app has been added to TV360 Boxes (And maybe Virgin Media Stream boxes).

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

It’s on my Virgin Media Stream box

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

MY5 and pluto tv are set to merge https://rxtvinfo.com/2023/my5-and-pluto-tv-to-merge/

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

NASA to launch an on-demand streaming service.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

DAZN Women's Football is testing ahead of its launch soon on Virgin UK Channel 554 according to Media Boy on Twitter

https://x.com/MediaBoyUK/status/1720...334450400?s=20

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

I'm not quite sure what they are saying as they already have streaming apps. They state that NASA+ will be added to the existing apps. As the apps already carry live TV streams and on demand video, it's difficult to know what they will be adding.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

I still have an older V6 box - will Apple TV be available on that also ?

Thx.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

No, they aren't adding subscription only apps to V6 TiVo platform anymore.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

To be honest we have Netflix on the Standard with Ads and to be honest it’s not bad at all , the ads at the moment are spread and don’t last long at all. I respect some don’t like Ads at all but for us at £4.99 it seems ok at the moment and represents value for money.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

The future is streaming huh? Lionsgate+ is to close in the UK https://www.cordbusters.co.uk/lionsg...tting-down-uk/
In an unexpected turn that’s set to reshape the British streaming scene (again), Lionsgate+, the premium streaming service, is set to shut down its operations in the UK in early 2024.

Lionsgate+, which has been operating in the UK in some form since 2019, is a streaming platform known for hits like Outlander, The Great and Power Book III.

This decision was first hinted at in a memo to staff by Starz CEO Jeffrey Hirsch, which mentioned the closure of Starz’s operations in the UK and Australia.

However, while the memo did not explicitly outline the fate of the Lionsgate+ streaming service in the UK, Cord Busters can now confirm that the service will indeed be exiting the British market early next year.

This move is part of a larger corporate reorganisation, with Starz looking to streamline its operations and potentially sever ties with Lionsgate through a sale.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Another one bites the dust.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Would imagine all the good stuff will be offered to other streaming services anyway. We do not need so many, dunno why they don't just sell access to Amazon Netflix or Disney save them and the consumer money in the long run

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

According to this, Lionsgate + will continue its operations in the UK.

https://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2022...-major-market/

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

That link is from November 2022

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Ah, thank you, TimeLord! I didn’t notice the year!! I wondered why reports seemed to be contradicting one another!

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

And there will be a few more with the neverending price rises which seem to be happening willy nilly.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

And this is still before a recession!

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

I think it’s inevitable that there will have to be some consolidation of the streamers, but that doesn’t detract from the obvious fact that streaming is the future for TV.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Not if none of them are making any money it's not.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

It's only right that someone called TimeLord spotted this! :D

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Cordbusters are very reliable also very good for someone like yourself who is interested in how streaming is developing etc.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

You’re right there. I saw ‘4 November’ and assumed that it was current!

---------- Post added at 18:35 ---------- Previous post was at 18:32 ----------

They will make money in the end, but that is a bit difficult while they are building up their programme libraries.

Consolidation and experimentation with what works will improve the economics of providing streaming services.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

The UK streaming market is very saturated people only have so much money to go around.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Agreed. That’s why consolidation and some reimagining is required.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

The awful PQ and buffering on the Virgin 360 box with the Amazon Prime app last night trying to watch the Liverpool game.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

EE TV launches with custom Apple TV box
https://www.theguardian.com/business...e-tv-box-uk-bt

Also you can add one or two extra EE TV Box Minis without paying extra.

BT TV Pro box has now been updated to the EE software version aswell with
New Apps - Discovery + and Apple TV

Apple and Paramount have reportedly discussed bundling their streaming services.
https://advanced-television.com/2023...unt-to-bundle/

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

What they'll do is bundle, just as "Sky multi channels" tied together channels you don't watch with those you do. It generated the biggest pie to be sliced up for the content providers.

Channels always had the opportunity to go it alone on Sky and various cable platforms. We even briefly had "top up tv" on DTT.

The reality is the pay-tv market is a crowded one in the UK and streaming as a technology marginally, but not significantly, lowers the barrier to entry for content providers who want to take end to end control. Netflix and Amazon have hoovered up what new revenue exists in this space.

If you want to come in and "blow Sky out the water" for football rights it's going to hit your profit margins for the whole period of the contract.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

The Channel 4 app has today launched on Sky Q

https://www.channel4.com/press/news/...ptimum-viewing

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

I think I'm a couple of days late with this, but Paramount+ have reintroduced their half price (£34.95) for 12 months offer.
I think this must be meant for new customers because I had to sign up with a new email address to get the offer despite my subscription lapsing last month so I lost my profiles and shows saved to them,
however if like me you use the Kodi addon to watch the service everything previously bookmarked still works with the new account.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

It is also available to current subscribers.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

The End Of Peacock On Sky: Streaming App Shutting Down on January 9th

https://www.cordbusters.co.uk/end-of...-app-shutting/

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Another streaming service bites the dust...

On the week Sky reveal that Peacock will close in the UK.

Lionsgate+ UK is shutting down on February 29, 2024.

https://www.cordbusters.co.uk/lionsg...-date-refunds/

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

It wasn't really a app , It was just a branded area of Sky's on demand service.

Peacock brand (nickname for NBC) doesn't mean anything outside the US unlike Universal.

Universal Studios have confirmed plans for it's first UK Attraction

https://news.sky.com/story/universal...ld-it-13034123



---------- Post added at 15:59 ---------- Previous post was at 15:26 ----------

They announced this yesterday in Latin America
https://variety.com/2023/streaming/g...te-1235843667/

Remains unclear about Outlander , as the only Starz/Lionsgate+ region where it was available outside the US was the UK.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Amazon might buy it back I suppose, though if they have any sense they’ll offer a reduced rate. I wouldn’t hold out much hope of the proposed prequel actually getting made though, unless they have already made significant progress with it.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

i never really got peacock....wasn't it just Now TV?

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

No.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

In the UK it was just a streaming service unique to Sky and Now TV. A similar approach to the one Sky took with its linear channel Atlantic except that has far stronger content.

In the US, Peacock is Comcast's answer to Disney + so has all the Comcast content on it.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Amazon bought up all the rights to Lionsgate stuff for most of Europe this year for their MGM+ service. This excluded the UK. I saw this as a possible prelude to Amazon buying Lionsgate, but even if this doesn't happen, it would make sense for Amazon to buy the UK rights to Lionsgate stuff too.

Lionsgate has been trying to split itself, separating the studio from the streamer. If they're successful, then the studio bit will be attractive to someone like Amazon.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Starz & MGM+ bundle was also launched on Prime in the US aswell in February....

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Looks like Amazon were not interested as Screaming Eagle Acquisition Corp bought the studio.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Not sure I would say they bought the studio, doesn't sound like it to me.
https://deadline.com/2023/12/lionsga...ny-1235680683/

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

I've always just seen the peacock stuff in now tv itself? i subscribe to now tv and its always just been embedded into now tv? So whats the future. Will now tv content just shrink?

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Sky updated the wording recently on its closure
https://www.sky.com/help/articles/using-peacock

Also new Universal/Focus/DreamWorks movies along with Live Sports play a major part of Peacock in the US and those go in Sky Cinema & Sky Sports here.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

In a nutshell yes although not by much though.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Amazon Prime users (in the US) apparently got this ;

No doubt the UK service will follow suit.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Yup, already been confirmed. £2.99.

https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/a...-b2469955.html

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Things like this will just make me cancel prime and use BeeTV 100% of the time when my subs or free trials run out.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

I dont have Prime for the Video, its for the delivery service (shared with my wife).
I get all the prime TV series from "other" sources, so I wont be paying the extra £2.99.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

BeeTV can't deliver you a roll of tape next day haha

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Lol true, I'm not sure how much value Prime delivery is to me anyway.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Amazon are offering refund to customers who have annual subscriptions with no penalty
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/ne...eo-ads-charge/

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

I think you have always been able to cancel prime, I know Ive done it in the past.
I even cancelled a 1 week 99p offer once, after I'd made a prime order, and got my 99p back !

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Yes you normally get offered a part refund on the annual depending how far into the sub you are.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Looks like WWE is moving to Netflix in the UK
https://deadline.com/2024/01/netflix...tv-1235801673/

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Yes expect more too as Netflix intend to eventually go for Smackdown aswell as AEW and TNA too.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Smackdown is also set to join Netflix.

I feel

*WWE Network (Outside USA) will close and be added to Netflix.
*AEW will move from ITV/DAZN to TNT Sports
*TNA will stay on DAZN UK.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Netflix £7.99 basic tier to be discontinued for all
https://www.cordbusters.co.uk/netfli...asic-everyone/

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Time to pony up, streamers. The low cost future you were sold were a lie.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

They may end up regretting this.
It needs at least 50% of current basic plan users to switch up to the higher plan, otherwise they will lose out on income.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

But, but, but…

"It’S ThE FuTuRe!"

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Netflix said they get more revenue per subscriber on ad tier
than Standard tier because of advertising revenue.
https://variety.com/2023/digital/new...al-1235674327/

Amazon could reportedly generate over $3 billion this year from advertising
https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/ama...st-1235888805/

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

That is in 2035 exactly.:)

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

We'll see as Paramount+ is up for sale, Lionsgate+ recently closed and Disney+ id merging into HULU.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

I've been watching Freevee for a while now as there are some good shows to binge on it.....but omg today it's throwing 1 minute commercials at me what feels like every 5mins which is just ridiculous, last week it was 10 seconds commercials every 20mins or so which I'm ok with.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

It’s the future unfortunately. You know the old addage, if you are given something for free you are the product.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Do ad blockers stop them? I don't use Freevee so can't check. I wonder is there's an equivalent to the VPN Albania trick I use on Youtube?

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

This is on a TV via the Prime app so they won't.

---------- Post added at 19:48 ---------- Previous post was at 19:45 ----------

The timing and lengths of the commercials vary alot, today I had 1 15sec commercial after 36mins where as yesterday I had several 1min long ones in a single episode of the same series, it also varied which TV I used, when I moved to the bedroom I just got a few 10sec ads yesterday.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Would putting the vpn on router work:confused:

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Be interesting to know if one is an older app. I've experienced similar with apps that can't run adverts on the original Chromecast.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Varied again Sunday only a few 30 second ads on the bedroom TV(fire stick).