Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Is there any correlation between time of day/day of week and length of ad reel? I too have noticed there can be quite a significant difference but it’s only due to the missus watching Neighbours and I’m never paying enough attention to have noted what might be causing it.

---------- Post added at 11:41 ---------- Previous post was at 11:39 ----------

If you find a country they don’t have an ad policy for, probably. But a VPN in your router would affect internet traffic for all devices in your entire household and may end up being more trouble than its worth.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Ublock Origin on my Windows 10 pc doesn't block The Freevee ads, it does however block the ads on YouTube, ITVX, UKTV, Channel 4 and Channel 5.
I'm not sure about Netflix as my account only just switched over to the ad tier on Saturday and I've just used my TV's Netflix app so far, that wasn't too bad I only received one 40 second ad in two hours of viewing and the 1080p picture quality was much better than I expected it to be.

There's a chance the Amazon and Netflix Kodi addons might block the ads but I don't use those so cannot say one way or another.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

All my viewing was compared Saturday and Sunday evening at the same times.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Paramount Plus in the UK have removed a whole heap of shows, including many big names, many that were exclusive to Paramount, and ones that were only just added...

No Escape
One Night
Minx
The Chemistry of Death
The Thing About Pam
The Doll Factory
The Burning Girls
The Serial Killer's Wife
Accused
The Killing Kind
Quantum Leap
Fool's Paradise
...and others.

Their X profile is basically just them fending off questions with a boilerplate 'XXXX has left Paramount+ UK & Ireland.

https://twitter.com/ParamountPlusUK/with_replies
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/bu...nt-1235811253/

Welcome to the new streaming future where you have about one or two months to watch certain shows before they change their mind, I guess.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Who do you think has bought the rights? Sky? Amazon?

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Not all of them are Paramount owned titles though, Paramount still sell content to both Sky & UKTV amongst others aswell shows they produce for other streaming services.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Only a matter of time before a regulator steps in and tells these streaming services they have to offer transparency to end users around what they are actually buying and where content is time limited to include that in available data to prospective buyers.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

I doubt that. You often have only one opportunity to watch a programme on a TV channel (unless you record it). No-one complains about that.

However, I do think it would be advantageous to viewers if the streamers could flag up the date on which content is scheduled to be withdrawn, as the BBCi-Player does.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

These weren't scheduled removals though, Paramount+ UK had the rights to season 1 of Quantum Leap from NBC Universal until July 2026, the originals were 2033 to 2038.

Were removed as part of cost cutting by Paramount Global.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

They aren’t selling you one thing and giving consumers another. You may care little for consumers getting swindled by big media conglomerates and tech companies, but others will take a different view.

They’re promising massive libraries of content to watch at your convenience and naming many of these series in their advertising.

Sky telling you, for example, “that the final series of Succession starts in March” carries with it expectations that consumers clearly know and understand.

The emperor didn’t advertise that he had no clothes.

---------- Post added at 10:46 ---------- Previous post was at 10:44 ----------

As actors, producers, writers claim ever increasing amounts in ongoing royalties we are only going to see more of this to keep costs down in streamers back catalogues.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

These were cynical removals. If they'd been customer focused they would have given subscribers sufficient notice that they were leaving the platform. And Paramount + encouraged subscribers to pay annually with a generous discount if they did - so it's not as if all discontented subscribers can just cancel their monthly direct debits.

I've no issues with companies balancing the books as they won't be around if they don't. But Paramount's approach verges on the unethical and tarnishes the reputation of the streaming sector.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

US channels have dropped shows for decades without notice , nothing new. That's why I used to wait for reruns:rolleyes:

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

A show being dropped because it’s cancelled is one thing, moving to another network less common. But owning the rights and not broadcasting it to save on royalties is completely wild.

It also raises significant competition concerns if these services are buying up content, not using it, simply to prevent an alternative streamer picking the rights up. Another area I’m sure the competition regulators in the US and EU will take note of. The UK regulators, are rule-takers in the global market - will no doubt sheepishly concur once one of the big boys act.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Has been suggested, at a friend's party ( he worked, stress worked) in TV that the writer's guild strike has some bearing on the decision to cutback . He said download , record anything you can, or just stick to films!

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

This is not the first time Paramount+ have had a mass cull of content in their short lifespan, if I hadn't secured a deal to get their service for less than £3 a month I wouldn't still be a customer of theirs!
This streaming future is rapidly becoming worse than the old ways of paying for channels you don't want to get the ones you do want!

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

It’s certainly a massive risk for trustworthiness of streamers if they are unreliable for content, reducing choice and reneging on their promises of “no ads”.

In an increasingly fragmented market, with rising prices across the board, I’d be completely unsurprised if the consumers in the market ultimately coalesce around trusted brands like Sky (or Virgin). They’ll ultimately have a presence in many households anyway, therefore having the advantage of bundling with fixed line broadband and mobile.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Watching Good Omens on Amazon and the ads have kicked in. Not too bad so far, 40 seconds of ads before the show and 1 20-30 second ad part way through. I can cope with that if it stays that way.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Also noted here that the previously announced second series of 'The Flatshare' on Paramount Plus will no longer be going ahead:
https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a...led-paramount/
Seems a pretty massive 'scaling back' on ambitions for P+.

More details:
https://www.geektown.co.uk/2024/02/0...-paramount-uk/

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

I thought Amazon said they'd have the least ads of any streamer?
That's far worse than I've experienced on Netflix so far, in 4 hours of viewing since my Netflix account switched to the ad tier I've only had two 40 second ads.
The high seas are beckoning me to return :)

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

On average Amazon say expected to be 2-3 and half minutes of ads per hour , in some programs an ad will appear before it begins playing.
https://9to5mac.com/2024/01/29/amazo...e-video-ads-3/
Flag

Netflix say an average of about 4 mins of ads per hour may vary depending on the title
https://help.netflix.com/en/node/126831

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

You seem to approach every post with a curve ball!

I have seen programmes advertised on TV channels, and then there’s a programme change. It happens on TV channels as well as on streamers.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

It seems that the curve ball is real and actually being thrown by Paramount!

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Nobody is claiming football never goes to extra time, or Royals don’t die. The principle is that a broadcaster makes a promise you can see content by subscribing to their platform. Which it would do so at a rearranged time.

It’s an entirely different scenario that a streamer, for no reason other than to save money on royalties, removing content from it’s library.

---------- Post added at 17:27 ---------- Previous post was at 17:24 ----------

Indeed.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

In November Paramount introduced a change of control severance pay for their top executives, says it all really.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

I might be over-using a C word in this thread, but that again sounds cynical to me.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/polit...cs/ar-AA1keJ4w

I wonder if the severance is a multiple of base salary, or includes share options and bonuses?

For instance, in March ‘23, Bakish’ 2022 compensation included a base salary of $3.1 million (unchanged from the year before ); stock awards of $15.9 million (versus none in 2021); and non-equity incentive plan compensation (like a cash bonus) of $12.9 million versus $16.82 million the prior year.

https://deadline.com/2023/03/paramou...on-1235303522/

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

It’s an entirely different scenario that a streamer, for no reason other than to save money on royalties, removing content from it’s

Perhaps people are too use to Netflix leaving shows on for ages. Unless someone can show proof that any streamer offer a promise of keeping a show on for x number of weeks. Don't be surprised that they chop and change their shows. Perhaps I am cynic, but it didn't surprise me. Never pay in advance if you can help it was, what I was always told. Guess that was good advice for streaming providers :shocked:

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

The proposition that some have been peddling, for the best part of a decade, is exactly this though. A seemingly limitless library of content available at the touch of a button.

It’s sounds very much limited to me if random content disappears without warning into the abyss of the black hole caused by the average streamers debt.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

It’s not a different scenario at all, but such an attempt to put the TV channels in a better light than the streamers is an act of desperation to my mind.

As long as you’re happy…

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

The only thing desperate is your pretence that Paramount pulling content and other commencing adverts is somehow consistent with what you’ve been telling us for ages. A customary search for the word “linear” sorted by old to new would be a reasonable starting point for anyone who wanted to compare the high cost, low quality, limited, general entertainment streaming offerings with your pie-in-the-sky claims.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Who, apart from you just now, who has said anything about ‘limitless’ library of content?

You twist everything out of context. It is important that any library is refreshed from time to time to keep it relevant. You don’t sign up to see a specified list of content, you sign up to the content they happen to present. Things change from time to time, (except, possibly in your house). My only issue with pulling content is that they should give a few months’ notice that it’s going to be pulled so you have a chance to view it first.

---------- Post added at 19:39 ---------- Previous post was at 19:34 ----------

What nonsense. You do realise that the content on the streamers includes the same content that would otherwise have been destined for the TV channels, don’t you?

And if you compare the cost of signing up for all the channels you want to see on Virgin and what the same content will cost you on Virgin Stream, you will notice a huge difference and you will also get more choice by signing up to the appropriate streamers instead.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

The biggest change in this thread is your persistent lowering of the bar in terms of what you expect from streaming services.

100% on a like for like basis what I’d pay Virgin for my TV package is more on Stream than TV360. I’m one of these “except sports” viewers remember that plough billions a year into the UK TV market.

I say all of this while subscribing to four overseas streaming services and Now TV.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Accused was literally dropped mid series, with episodes still remaining in the current series, that was being added weekly. Until it suddenly wasn't, and all of the series was removed.

Quantum Leap season two was announced as coming to Paramount Plus later in February. Until it wasn't, and the existing series was yanked off at the same time.

There are shows that they removed which were initially added less than two months ago, where the trailers are STILL UP on their YouTube channel, advertising the shows.

https://youtu.be/znFsvnss4T0
Trailer published 15th December. Show added at same time.
Trailer still up. Show removed from service after about six weeks, total.

https://youtu.be/lxErMisNKBw
Added end November. A 'Paramount Plus Original'. Gone already, so now impossible to watch.

https://youtu.be/3k0-7Lhvj1Y
Same as above, added end November as an 'original', now gone already and impossible to watch anywhere.

This is a far cry from 'line up subject to change'. This is literally advertising 'subscribe to Paramount Plus, we have all these shows, in fact why not buy an annual subscription to save money?', quickly followed by 'we've worked out a loophole to save money in our accounting, sorry but we've removed all those shows we sold you on earlier, would you like to watch Geordie Shore instead?'

---------- Post added at 20:36 ---------- Previous post was at 20:25 ----------

Some platforms are actually still showing adverts for the shows that are no longer available. It very much looks like the order to remove them came from 'on high', leaving the UK team scrabbling around having to continually apologise and sort the advertising out 'in the field' on the fly:

https://x.com/shamingjezebel/status/1754565777032724744

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

To quote William Gibson, and to apply it to streaming ;)

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

An episode being postponed due to a global situation (eg plane crash) is understandable. And streamers culling content is not new. But this is pretty unprecedented with no warnings and with a series (Accused) being dropped mid series. As Geek Town commented:
https://www.geektown.co.uk/2024/02/0...-paramount-uk/

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

You have a very vivid imagination, jfman. I have never said that content displayed on streaming platforms would be there forever.

What are you on?

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Indeed, OB's contention that it's somehow comparable with short term changes to a linear schedule because of major events is ludicrous.

It also ignores that the world only exists with this binary in his eyes. In reality where there is disruption to schedules content can and will be made available on demand through catch up services in addition to the newly scheduled broadcast slot.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Neither did he…

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Well of course it is. It's all content and linear is only short term due to the way it works.

Also, remember The Warner Channel that never appeared despite being shown temporarily in the listings? Or the UKTV channels that were taken off Virgin when a deal couldn't be done?

You are creating differences that aren't there to make a point that doesn't exist.

---------- Post added at 08:21 ---------- Previous post was at 08:12 ----------

He didn’t say ‘forever’, oh pedantic one, and perhaps he didn’t mean it :rolleyes: but he heavily implied it by protesting about programmes taken off the library.

Incidentally I certainly don’t agree with providers taking off programmes mid-series, although cancelling future series is not a new phenomenon that started with the streamers.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

A channel not appearing and a content dispute between a platform operator and channels is a completely different set of circumstances from a rights holder and direct retailer of content wilfully changing their product at short notice (while still owning the rights!

Come off it, OB. You know massive back catalogues are a key selling point of these services. If they start wilfully withholding their own content to save on royalty payments, changing the product offer at short notice, end users will understandably be annoyed.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

More of the same old goalpost-shifting from OB I see. Of course many posters here will remember him opining that one of the many reasons streaming is superior is because the streamers have vast back catalogues and there’s no danger of ever running out of things to watch. It was supposed to be a fundamental differential between streamers and linear broadcasters. Now, we’re used to the idea that streamers rent other studios’ content for a limited time, but now suddenly they’re removing stuff, without warning, while they still hold the rights to it. They’re removing stuff mid-drop. *

Looks like another aspect of OB’s paradise has gone the same way as ‘streamers will never introduce adverts’.

I’d stick to the day job OB (whatever that is), because your career as a crystal-ball-gazing tech futurologist is not working out.

*Nu Quantum Leap is a bit meh to be honest, but it’s the principle of the thing … I was about 2 3rds of the way thru it. Now I’ll never know if Dr Song’s next leap will be the leap … home :D

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

So, in summary…

You said he said something he didn’t say.

I pointed out he didn’t say that.

You admit he didn’t say that, but I’m a pedant for pointing that out.

OK, then…:erm:

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

I'm in the "including sports" category so am ploughing in even more money.
After its initial years of being very much a third class service due to its many technical faults imho Now TV is emerging as the best streamer we have on these shores.
For £30 a month I get sports, entertainment and movies with them and if I so wished I could share that cost with two other people.
For another £5 a month (added to my mobile phone bill) I also get TNT Sports and Discovery+ to add to this.
Of course it remains to be seen if these US owned but UK based companies carry on treating our market differently to the US or they eventually follow the American streamer model of "hook 'em in then raise the price"!

Even though it was only 30 quid for the year I feel a bit of a sucker paying for Paramount+ then finding many of the programs I was interested in being withdrawn with no notice,
USEing the NET I replaced all of their now missing shows in short order but many people don't have options like that and given the way these US mega corporations treat us I may well end up using this distribution method much more than I have for the past few years.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Could just be my memory or my parents not wanting me to watch it. Seem to recall shows vanishing mid season in my childhood so nothing really new:shock

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Apologies I typed my "except sports" referencing a caveat OB makes to the streaming future being different for sports rights. Like yourself and millions of others (generating billions in revenue) sports is a key reason for me to have pay-tv full stop.

I also think Now presents excellent value for those who would prefer to stream.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

I totally accept that this is the perception , however can ( I am not saying it doesn't exist) any one show where any streamer said that this was the case. Perhaps this is a case of hope over experience. Or just stupidity.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Both you and jfman are being argumentative for the sake of it. Streamers remain a vast library resource, but I never said that would remain with the same old content supplemented by new stuff. If not enough people are watching it, of course they won't keep it forever. Netflix have been taking out old stuff periodically for years.

As for taking content off mid series, I have said already I don't approve of that, but I have never addressed this point before, so that's not a U-turn on my part either.

Yes, I said that Netflix would not entertain having advertisements, but that was based on what the CEO himself said, and I had in mind that we were talking about premium + ads. Cheaper options with ads were not what we were talking about at the time.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

From geektown ,for those that haven't read it


Home TV News Why Are Shows Vanishing From Paramount+ UK?
TV News
WHY ARE SHOWS VANISHING FROM PARAMOUNT+ UK?
Paramount+ UK removes content from streaming service
written by Dave Elliott February 5, 2024
2 comments 1


Over the past week, subscribers to Paramount+ UK came in for a bit of a surprise, as many booted up the service to discover series which they were halfway through had suddenly vanished from the system… Was this a glitch? Or was there another reason? We reached out to Paramount+ to ask.

The response, unfortunately, was not good. It seems there has been a “strategy shift” at Paramount Global, as the media company attempts to cut costs. The result of this is that they have ditched a number of international acquisitions, along with their own original series.

On the acquisition side, the most notable shows were FOX’s US remake of BBC drama ‘Accused‘, which was only added to the service in January, and still had five more episodes to be added; And NBC’s reboot/remake of ‘Quantum Leap‘. The entire first season of the latter had aired on the streaming service, however, Season 2 was slated to launch later in February, but now no longer has a UK broadcaster. CBC’s comedy ‘Son of a Critch‘ has also gone, despite a 3rd Season recently launching in its home country of Canada.

From their own Paramount+ Originals show, ‘The Burning Girls’, ‘One Night’, ‘The Killing Kind’, ‘The Serial Killer’s Wife’, ‘Chemistry of Death’ and ‘The Doll Factory’ have all been taken off the service.

Here is a list of what we know Paramount+ UK has removed so far:

Accused
Quantum Leap
Minx
Son of a Critch
The Thing About Pam
No Escape
The Killing Kind
The Burning Girls
The Doll Factory
The Serial Killer’s Wife
The Chemistry of Death
One Night
The Sheikh
Death’s Roulette
Rise of the Billionaires
Fever Pitch
Love Rats
Blowing LA
The Gold
Hauntings
Hot Yachts
Strip
Sadly, streaming services pulling content is nothing new, as we saw last year when Disney+ yanked a stack of its original series from the service such as ‘Willow’, ‘The World According To Jeff Goldblum’, and ‘Dollface’ from their service in an attempt to cut costs. WBD’s MAX streamer in the USA also did something similar with a number of its original shows. What was rather shocking with Paramount+ was that the removal came with no warning or announcement, meaning that people who were halfway through watching these series suddenly found them no longer available.

How does removing content from a streaming service save them money?
You might think it saves on paying residuals (i.e. the money actors, writers, etc… get when a show airs) to the people involved, and that is true… Although, as we’ve heard a lot recently during last year’s strikes by the actors and writer’s guilds, the residuals are a tiny, tiny, part of that cost.

The bigger cost is license fees. As ridiculous as it may sound, even if a show is made by the studio arm of a company for its own streaming service – e.g. 20th Television making something for Disney+ – the streamer still has to pay a license fee to the producing studio for the content if it is sitting on the service. Yes, it is essentially stirring money around in the same big pot, but in order to look profitable, and to give the illusion of fairness, that is the way it has to be done.

Look at it this way – if a streaming service got given all its content for “free” by other subsidiaries of its parent company (i.e. Paramount+ getting all CBS Studios content for free because they are both owned by Paramount Global), the streaming service would look to be racking in the cash… But, the studios making that content would be seeing a massive loss as they aren’t getting “paid” for their work.

So, to save money, the streaming service looks at its catalogue of shows, sees what is underperforming (i.e. no one is watching), or, in the case of acquired shows, what is expensive to license, pulls them from streaming, and takes something called an “impairment charge”. That means the streaming service is saying “we don’t think this is worth the money we paid for it” and can “write off” the cost of that show. The show is “impaired” for a specific length of time (e.g. 12 months), where it can not be added back to the service. After that, it could be impaired again or added back on.

So, where does that leave things?
Shows such as ‘Accused’ and ‘Quantum Leap’ are not made by Paramount but acquired from outside producers. With Paramount+ removing them, it seems likely the UK broadcast rights to those shows will revert back to the producers. That means there is potential that the producers/distributors of those shows could sell them on to another UK broadcaster. As to who, when and where? That’s anyone’s guess at this point…

For the Paramount+ Originals which were removed, Paramount could also opt to sell those to someone else, at which point they then subtract the money they make from selling it from the impairment charge. Or they could just leave them in a dark hole never to be seen again

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Not happened to me.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

I said he implied it. Stop being such a pedant.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

(Snipped due to long quote)

It’s a bad day for the streaming business model if they’re having to apply creative accounting to give the impression of greater profitability.

Fundamentally there is the opportunity cost of not selling the rights to a third party and eventually the parent company will wake up to it.

I’m going to be bold here and call it now - by 2035 the vast majority of streaming services in the market won’t exist. The model is fundamentally flawed, drives up costs to consumers and introduces unpredictability into the revenue streams of the major conglomerates.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

You inferred what he implied with insufficient evidence, then casually employed casuistry when contradicted with actuality… ;)

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Oh for gods sake, move on people.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

I am remembering my childhood in Batonrouge no idea what happened in UK :dozey:

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Just received an email from BritBox. I'm on the old stand alone BritBox which I signed up to a few years ago on an offer of £30 for the year but it keeps renewing at £30 so I hope it stays like that.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Another one bites the dust.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

It states you'll move to an "ITVX Premium subscription" which cost £60 a year - so that'll likely be your renewal price.

---------- Post added at 21:51 ---------- Previous post was at 21:48 ----------

As best I could tell, the main reason seems to be that BritBox was a partnership between ITV and BBC, and the BBC has pulled out, leaving just ITV, so they are moving it to ITVX as it makes more sense than ITV running two services. Britbox was more expensive than ITVX.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Almost. The joint venture with the BBC continues for overseas subscribers. New subscribers in the UK have been forwarded to ITVX for many months to subscribe to the premium service. Although stand alone subscriptions have remained available through Amazon Prime.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

All Dr Who going on iplayer probably killed Britbox.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Nobody buying it probably didn't help either.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

The other way round. BritBox being absorbed by ITVX was announced two years ago! I suspect the BBC didn't want to have its flagship series on ITVX so put them onto iPLayer before this happened.
https://www.pocket-lint.com/tv/news/...ter-this-year/

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

I found The Bill (Before 1998) has moved from BritBox to UKTV Player.

I am watching Series 5 right now.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Is that a problem? They are simply joining the two streamers together. Britbox content is still there on ITVX, and there's a bigger library of new shows including new original material being added all the time for Britbox subscribers.

What's not to like?

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

I’m quite happy for streamers with no viable business model to go, they’re artificially reducing choice and increasing costs across the board so wholly unwelcome.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

We have much more choice than before Netflix was born. Check out the figures.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Under "non sequitur", the dictionary says "see Old Boy"… ;)

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Ah yes the content is still there on ITVX although I'm not sure that the library will get bigger as a subset of ITVX. Never mind though at least, with ITVX Premium, you get to see all of the ITVX content ad free. Unless, of course, it happens to be one of the programmes which mysteriously continue to show ads "due to licensing restrictions".

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

And, of course, until the American fashion for removing box sets from streaming platforms to save themselves money finds its way into ITV Towers. Which it will.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

I guess thats what a strike gets you.
Since they were forced to pay more for additional streaming, they decided to stop additional streaming.
Its just an additional cost, they dont really get anything back from it, so why pay it.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

That’s a misconception - the rights paid to performers were minuscule, and are now merely tiny. The real problem in Paramount’s case is it’s losing money hand over fist and needs savings to make itself attractive to a buyer; more widely the problem is the way media companies are structured so one subsidiary makes content whilst another broadcasts/streams it. They have to cross charge each other even though they’re part of the same company or else it makes the studio look loss-making while the distributor makes seemingly massive profits. It creates tax complications that are solved all too easily by simply taking stuff offline. For similar reasons, more than a couple of long-form movies have been made recently and then just cancelled, instead of released to cinemas. It’s a joke.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Presumably, the rights to films already finished will be snapped up by other outlets.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Nope, that’s the whole point. The tax write-off is guaranteed money in the bank, plain and simple. Untangling the various rights that come with many films (production credits, distribution rights in different territories) is unlikely to be worth the effort for a risky return.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Very much not the case. Looking at WB, for example, having dumped the already completed 'Batgirl' and a sequel to animated movie 'Scoob', they're now seeming to want to do the same with 'Coyote vs Acme', despite interest from multiple sources:

https://www.theverge.com/2024/2/9/24...ers-theatrical
https://www.thewrap.com/coyote-vs-ac...s-warner-bros/
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/batgirl-ca...171712006.html

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

And where is Snowpiercer season 4? Another one on the shelf gathering dust.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

The producers Tomorrow Studios have been trying to find a new U.S Home for It, thankfully WBD don't own it.
https://deadline.com/2023/09/one-pie...ew-1235544012/

Netflix would make the most sense since they aired it outside the US as a 'Original'.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Not sure what that link has to do with Snowpiercer ?
This seems more relevant : https://deadline.com/2023/01/snowpie...fs-1235221699/

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

From that link. . . The move is believed to be part of the tax write-offs for content at WBD

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Unlike most material caught up in the industry’s tax wheeze, Snowpiercer already has extensive international reach and it seems even within the USA there’s hope of someone, somewhere, screening season 4. The article is ambiguous but seems to suggest its international release will still happen. ITV Studios apparently handles distribution. In the UK it’s shown on Netflix.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Granted its a long article but there specifically Q&A about Snowpiercer in it

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

The article is heavily skewed towards discussing its screening within America. The fact that international distribution is already handled separately (by ITV Studios) is a throwaway line at the very bottom of the article. They can’t just withdraw those rights unilaterally, unless they want a big lawsuit on their hands. If they have already sold the international rights, they can only control who/when/if the show screens in America.

It looks as if they won’t allow season 4 out of the can in America unless a buyer takes the 3 seasons already screened as well. This will be to push the price up, but it potentially makes the property less valuable to a broadcaster less interested in stuff that’s now several years old.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Amazon has confirmed it’s not a mistake — your Amazon Prime Video subscription no longer includes Dolby Vision HDR or Dolby Atmos surround sound. That’s on top of the ads that Amazon injected into the service on January 29th. Now, when you pay $2.99 a month to remove those ads, you can get Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos back as well.

---------- Post added at 10:23 ---------- Previous post was at 10:21 ----------

https://apple.news/APCeSwIWTQP-4EEeLCUemPA

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Do you really think they would want to sue over a single show . Me I would not bother :p:

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

You’re not a global media distribution company ;)

Yes, if the producing studio refused to supply the content ITV Studios has bought distribution rights for, and which it has financially planned to sell on at a profit, you would absolutely expect the distributor to sue for redress.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Sorry disagree, would more likely except a refund, plus some "costs" really want to chance no future deals .

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

It's a breach of contract and the company can be sued for it, it has happened many times before.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

That cuts both ways. Your ability to sell your content is dented if potential distributors start to doubt you’ll actually deliver what you say you will.

It’s also unlikely ITV would just accept an initial offer, because the producer’s interest is in minimising its financial exposure whilst the distributor’s interest is in talking up how much it could have made by selling the rights on. Sure, it might not get to court, but it would result in lawyers. Lots of lawyers. Much simpler for the producer to negotiate a delay releasing the rights to ITV rather than actually trying to withdraw them.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Our great streaming future

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

I've been binging the second season of Reacher on there (don't judge me!) since last Friday and the first 6 episodes were ad free with Dolby Vision and Atmos, then suddenly last night on the final two episodes I got pre-roll ads, only one each episode and no Dolby Vision or Atmos.
This wasn't too bad, the adverts were only for 40 seconds and I still got a UHD/HDR picture with Dolby 5:1 sound, if this is the extent of their changes then its certainly something I can live with, but does anyone think it will be all? I certainly don't!

In one aspect on the whole streaming subject I agree with OLD BOY that sooner or later streaming will be the dominant entertainment delivery method, but how long before we're back to the old ways of being forced to pay for services we don't want and have minimum term contracts forced on us?
The new shiny future is rapidly becoming just like the past!

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

It's business. TV channels are not immune from them.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

No, but none of them advertise a massive back catalogue. Viewers accept that’s the way it goes - streaming services are fundamentally misrepresenting the proposition.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

It’s quite hilarious how OB’s brave vision of a streaming future, built from all the box sets he’s added to his favourites list for more hours of great viewing than he could ever have dreamed of, is suddenly susceptible to business pressures that eat away at the very thing that was meant to make those streaming services fundamentally better than broadcast channels.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Utterly disgusting.

Do we really want our broadcasting to be completely taken over by these greedy American tech giants? It's rapidly going that way and once it's all gone, it's gone.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Once they get control they’ll just price gouge us worse than Sky or any of the cable operators did since there will be virtually zero regulatory oversight.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Don't worry you've always got the British Broadcasting Corporation. Until the licence fee goes, then you can expect the same crap everywhere.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Its not just broadcasting, we're allowing American big business to take over many aspects of our corporate, cultural and sporting economy, with nearly all takeovers being unmitigated disasters for consumers and fans, but that's a subject for a completely different thread.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Well, they're already doing it and it will get worse, once there are only a few left.

As someone who doesn't exactly rate the quality of the BBC these days, I have mixed feelings on the licence fee.

Oh, I agree, but this isn't the place for that. Otherwise, I'll rant for ages on this.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

i'm still not getting adverts on prime?

it renewed on the 5th February for 8.99? no option to go ad free either? Any ideas?

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Make the most of it while you can ? :D

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

Does this work for you? https://arcus-www.amazon.co.uk/gp/he...YJIUGQMY13QQdi

I think they will add more and more ads - and it seems Dolbly picture and audio has been downgraded too.

Re: Streaming services news, offers and general chit chat
 

I’ve started buying 4K Blu rays and feel so much better actually holding something for my money. I can watch it when I want and I can share it with my family.