But we’ve also noted that, ironically, the glut of video choices–more specifically the glut of streaming exclusivity silos–risks driving users back to piracy. Studies predict that every broadcaster and their uncle will have launched their own direct-to-consumer streaming platform by 2022. Most of these companies are understandably keen on locking their own content behind exclusivity paywalls, whether that’s HBO Now’s Game of Thrones, or CBS All Access’s Stark Trek: Discovery.
But as consumers are forced to pay for more and more subscriptions to get all of the content they’re looking for, they’re not only getting frustrated by the growing costs (defeating the whole point of cutting the cord), they’re frustrated by the experience of having to hunt and peck through an endlessly shifting sea of exclusivity arrangements and licensing deals that make it difficult to track where your favorite show or film resides this month.
With all kinds of series and IPs moving around from company to company these days, it’s getting impossible to keep track of where and how to watch both new and old series. It used to be quite simple – Netflix and your local streaming service for us Europeans – and you’d be pretty well set. Maybe add in HBO for Game of Thrones – usually one person in your group of friends had HBO here in Europe – and everything was covered.
Now, though, things are rapidly falling apart in countless different silos, each at anywhere between EUR5-10/month, which is becoming unjustifiable. Piracy is definitely going to make a major comeback if this continues.
This is also where something like the Web Monetization API (proposed W3C standard) can come in and save the day. But then again, we’ve been waiting for micro-payments on the web for over two decades now.
And maybe, same thing will happen with games.
Steam, GOG, Origin(EA), Microsoft Store, Epic Games Launcher, Ubisoft Launcher, Rockstar Games Launcher(with free GTA San Andreas this week)…
Every company seems to want to create their own launcher, and free games are given to foment that specific company launcher. And some of them are creating “launcher exclusive titles” too.
The difference is that with computer games you don’t have to pay a monthly fee
I’m sure there is also more than oner option to do that.
You’ve never heard of Game Pass I take it.
I was talking about PCs, not consoles.
So was I.
Yeah, but how much you have to pay if you want to play an AAA game? And after that, how much for the subscription to play online in some cases?
The whole point is: Some game industry big players are forcing games to acquire games on their shitty launcher/platform, and that will also make piracy increase
With games it’s not that clear cut. The manufacturer and the publisher is not necessarily the same. So a lot of game makers are selling their games in multiple stores. Although Valve (Steam) and CD project (GOG) are actually making games but they’re also selling other companies games too. So does Epic.
Plus the big fish is still Steam if you wanna sell games you have to put it on Steam. The only one competing with it is the Epic store.
As far as film piracy goes, it usually doesn’t get mentioned but it become really user friendly in the last years. Ever since Popcorn time was released all users have to do is watch a list of films, click on the poster, wait a little and watch. No paywalls, multiple registration or geo-locking.
It’s not just that there’s too many streaming services, it’s that many of them expect way too much money for the catalogue they have.
Ten All Access, the Australian version of CBS All Access (since CBS owns the Ten Network in Australia) – it has a catalogue of, according to their site, all of 116 shows. That includes ancient shows like the original Twilight Zone (and two other versions), Perry Mason, original Macguyver, and stuff currently available for free on catch-up TV services.
They’re charging $10/month for that.
There’s also Foxtel here, which charges absurd rates easily in the hundreds of dollars for their service.
Thankfully Netflix and Stan (Stan is kinda analogous to Hulu in terms of catalogue) are reasonably priced, but as Disney and CBS splinter the licensing futher they’ll become less so.
As usual, the problem is either availability, or price (which makes things effectively unavailable)
Of course, in Australia, there’s also a lot of content that’s still simply impossible to get through streaming, thanks to ancient crusty licensing agreements preventing it. I imagine some stuff in the US and Europe is in the same boat.
In many cases, it’s not even the cost, just the annoyance of signing up for everything and maintaining all the accounts.
It’s probably not a model any of them want, but some cross licensing would be nice.
Like, maybe I pay Netflix an extra $5.00/month and I get access to HBO on the Netflix platform.
There’s just no way I’m subscribing for more than one video streaming service.
This is where Amazon Prime Video is nice, I just add showtime and HBO and CBS through it. So I don’t have to set up a bunch of different accounts.
Yamin,
This would be an excellent time to use a federated network. You could pay for the service, but instead of installing a plethora of clients you’d only need one (similar to the way email is federated). You could access all your subscription content through this one interface. Streaming radio is similar and works very well. The barriers to this aren’t technological but bureaucratic. And I think they may be insurmountable because modern corporations have done everything in their power to avoid federated networks and instead rope users into using their silos adding significant barriers to competition. Alas, the corporate business models are fundamentally incompatible with the user desires to combine catalogs across services.
My prediction is that corporations are never going to give up their silos, you either need regulation to make services play well together (which won’t happen), or as the article suggests piracy can offer a better experience.
It kind of sucks for people who are willing to pay, but want the better experience of piracy outside of silos.
I wonder which industry will crash from over saturation first? Streaming services, or cryptocurrencies?
Streaming services by a long shot. Streaming services have to make money for the company.
Cryptocurrencies, on the other hand, are all about speculation, and people love to gamble.
JustWatch.com is a convenient site/app to find content. Search for content, and it tells you which streaming service has it. If you’re searching for a specific movie, it makes it easier than searching through three separate catalogs.
It is not the number of services, but rather the *exclusives* causing the problem.
If we have multiple media stores that compete on features, quality and price it would be okay. In fact, it would be better than okay, since the consumers would have real choice.
However what we now have is completely separate “islands” of content, with little to no overlap. That is no competition. It is almost similar to what we have in the cable market. One neighborhood is Comcast the next one is AT&T and you have no choice but to accept low quality service at high prices. Now instead of dividing people into neighborhoods, the same content companies will divide the content into services.
Initially when there was “the big three: Netlifx/Hulu/Amazon” there was little amount of exclusive content (a bit Doctor Who there, a little originals there). I would find a large overlap in all three services.
Now, not so much.
And, we will be forced to buy new televisions every 2-3 years, because the app of some service we bought a deal for one year will decide that the TV I have is old, and is no longer supported.
Dumb TV + dedicated streaming device, which doesn’t cost too much to upgrade after a few years of usage.
You really just need the dedicated streaming device… There are few options for “dumb” TVs so I have a “smart” TV but don’t use the smart capabilities and it’s not connected to the net.
I have been pleasantly surprised that LG has been updating my WebOS TV. The samsung one though, they update like once a year then ignore it. Then again… it is a TV, having to update it sounds counterproductive.
You sure? I’ve read a few times about makers who have their tv wifi search for *any* network to connect to, to send “telemetry” home. Even with wifi disabled in the settings. At this point I don’t trust any “smart” tv. I’d be perfectly physically removing the wifi device if possible.
Streaming tv has been destined to fail since every network and their mama decided to set up their own paywall service. I personally watch just a couple shows each on about 8-10 different networks. There’s no way in hell I’m going to bother subscribing to that many paywalls. If streaming means I have multiple logins with multiple extra bills to pay each month and no savings for dumping cable or satellite then there’s no point. The grass isn’t always greener.
Given I’ve worked and lived in multiple SE Asian countries I can tell you piracy never left, and even though offerings have improved the biggest problem is staggered release dates and geo-blocking of content rather than source diversity. It’s just inexcusable, and the irony in mega-corporations like Google and Facebook supporting such activity is not lost on many consumers! In my experience when a service like Netflix or Amazon offer global release most hard-core fans will subscribe, that want what they want in FHD/4K or whatever the moment it’s released, and they won’t tolerate some highly compressed pirate version. But if the release is globally staggered they resort to piracy as the immediacy of their desire overcomes whatever quality they get!
Having said that, I still go to the theatre to watch whatever latest reprints of Apocalypse Now become available, so maybe I’m not the best person to comment!
There’s nothing ironic in it, it’s just sad. I still use netflix since there is still a lot there I like to watch, and I subscribed to hulu recently when they offered a $2.99 for 6 months gig, but there’s no way I’d subscribe to a service for 1 or 2 shows especially if they are aired on a weekly basis, requiring many months of fees. I know you could subscribe at the end and watch then, but I’m not doing that. I think these people at all these services count on viewers loyalty towards a service, but I don’t think that’s something real, I’d say people watch shows and not channels/services (that’s why new ones want to air weekly, to “force” viewers paying long term). But when streaming services end up replicating cable tv (i.e., gazillion services in parallel) at higher total cost than expensive cable used to cost, what’s the point? Why do they think viewers will just pay? This whole thing is crap. I’d be really interested to hear some closed door discussions at these companies how/when they decide on their streaming models, since I can’t think all of those people are stupid, but they must have some acceptable reason that we fail to decode.
Anyway, piracy never disappeared, and never will. Maybe it fell a bit when streaming was easy (not too many services), accessible (not too many apps/ways to access) and affordable ({1,2,3} x few bucks might be OK, but everyone and their dog starting a new service for $5-10, major no-no), but that can turn around very quickly.
I was discussing this exact same thing with some people the other day, who readily admitted they’d already given up on streaming because good piracy solutions are actually offering a superior service.
In my family we currently pay for 3 services, one of which I personally pay for because it’s sport. That I’ll keep until the end of the seasons of the sports I’m interested in, one of the other two will get dropped pretty soon.
A couple of years back, streaming HD media was no easy technical task .. Companies producing media did not want to allocate high budgets for creating their own infrastructure ..
Moving forward until now, and doing this is no longer a difficult task (i.e it’s manageable). Cheaper technology, plenty of streaming tools to choose from .. Why would they keep paying a license for the content they are producing to other 3rd parties when they can do it by themselves now …
Why are you people so shocked by this? What the hell do you think crap like Bitcoin and the rest of that garbage is for? THIS.
It for NICKEL-AND-DIMING those who can least afford it (you’re already seeing this with direct deposit and the various money cards and the ATMs Walmart and the online outfits use) and suckers like you people to death.