To Subscribe Or Not To Subscribe, That Is The Question: Paid Streaming Services

[Mabinogia]

On 4/24/2022 at 1:17 PM, Dani said:

Netflix seems to have decided to produce a ton of shows that they cancel after only 1-3 seasons and that is pissing of viewers.

This is why I dropped Netflix. I have tried many of their shows and didn't care for them. The few shows I really did like have all been cancelled and replaced with new shows I'm afraid to watch because I might end up really liking them only to have them also cancelled on me. They have just pulled the rug out from under me too many times. Add to that the price increase (which I get, prices always increase, but if the quality of the programming decreases at the same time, there is no point in paying more), and all the other options out there, and I just didn't see any benefit to keeping it. It's had it's moment and that moment, at least for me, has passed. 

[proserpina65]

16 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Do you activate and pay for HBO independently of any cable service? I’m wondering if I do sign up for HBO to see a season of a show that already ran its first episode tonight (Sunday) whether I’d be able to still watch that episode or not?

No, I get HBO through DirecTv when I get it.  (Which reminds me, I need to cancel it since my 3-month free promo ends today.)  HBO does usually repeat episodes later in the week if that helps.

I just realized I've been watching a show on Amazon, not on Hulu.  I did get the stupid Kardashians on my home screen when I turned on Hulu last night.  Took the advice of posters here to dislike it, so hopefully they won't show up again.  Thanks, everyone, for that advice.

[shapeshifter]

Trevor Noah mentions another reason why Netflix subscriber numbers are down:

 

[peachmangosteen]

5 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

HBO Max is also one of the few streaming channels that lets you watch "live."  So if it's an HBO channel show, like Barry, you can immediately start watching it on HBO Max the minute it starts airing on broadcast TV. You don't have to wait a day until it goes live on the streaming site like I think you have to do with many Hulu shows that air on network TV.

Oh wow, I didn't know that. I will likely never watch any of their shows live anyway but that's nice lol.

 

[RealHousewife]

53 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Trevor Noah mentions another reason why Netflix subscriber numbers are down:

 

Iol! I love Trevor.

I really enjoyed Bridgerton and am still planning on catching season 2. But another theory I have for ratings being down is a lot of us are going back to normal life and not home as much. I don't remember the last time I watched Netflix. 

[Bastet]

6 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

HBO Max is also one of the few streaming channels that lets you watch "live."  So if it's an HBO channel show, like Barry, you can immediately start watching it on HBO Max the minute it starts airing on broadcast TV. You don't have to wait a day until it goes live on the streaming site like I think you have to do with many Hulu shows that air on network TV.

Discovery+ makes some of its shows available at 12:01 a.m. the day it will air on TV, so you can actually watch it early, and without commercials.  But that's only some shows -- on the flip side, there are some that don't get added to the streaming service until after the whole season is over (but in the meantime you can stream [with commercials] on the network app if you have access to the network via a cable or satellite provider subscription).

[Anela]

On 4/17/2022 at 8:11 AM, shapeshifter said:

I'm considering geting HBO Max for $14.99/mo. long enough to watch 3 up-coming seasons of series. 
Or possibly with a Roku account?
Does anyone:

• have HBO Max (or had it in the recent past) and have any other wisdom to inpart?
• know if there a reason to get the HBO subscription through Hulu or Roku?
• know how difficult it is to cancel HBO Max?

I saw a on one of the Hulu pages about this yesterday that it could be canceled at the "next billing cycle," but I do not know what this means, and cannot find it right now.

TIA!

I love HBO Max, and still have it, a month after the half-price trial ran out. I signed up over the internet, and then signed in on my roku. I've had some issues with it, but not recently. 

Thanks for reminding me of Perry Mason. That's one that I wanted to finish, after I had an alternative way of watching it, December 2020. I forgot about it, once I finally signed up. I haven't watched nearly everything that I had on a list, but I want to.

When it came to services that I got on a special through Prime, I just opted out before the trial ended, and they stopped airing the day after the last date on the trial. I haven't subbed to anything through Roku itself.

On 4/23/2022 at 5:17 PM, Peace 47 said:

Going back to the Netflix discussion for a minute, now that they are in hot water with investors, I guess Netflix is very serious about “no password sharing anymore” and per this CNBC article, is going to implement on a wide scale their previously discussed plan of charging more for “password sharing.”  I still don’t know exactly how this is going to work, and the end of the article alludes to the fact that it may be difficult to parse a family member “temporarily” living away from home from a password-sharer but they can easily crack down on people with “15 profiles” as suspected password sharers.

Is it going to be like my Spectrum app, where if you are not on your home WiFi, they can tell?  And would they charge you for using a profile away from your home base?  But what if you have a VPN?  Is it just going to be a flat charge on everyone who has more than one (or two) profile?  (But then couldn’t password sharers just decide to collapse viewing onto one profile if they really didn’t want to pay more?  And isn’t the bulk of password sharing just people with 2-3 profiles on their account?)

I don’t know why they missed their subscriber projection so badly last quarter, and it’s obviously not good to see subscriber base shrinkage, but it surprises me a bit how apocalyptic the market treated the event.  I would have thought that Netflix would be in a more mature phase of its business cycle versus other streaming services (having been around longer) and so would not be expected to have the same growth rate, but I guess their massive investments in content require that kind of exuberant growth on a continuous basis.

I've watched shows in the van, at the bookstore, at the hospital (when my mum was there for a month), when I've had wifi access, or listened to them when I've been walking around the grocery store, and haven't had a problem so far. If they're charging extra for each account, I have to get rid of two that aren't used, and my dad will remove his, knowing him. So, we'd share the main account. 

I've never shared the account with anyone outside of the house, but I did use one of those IP changers, back in 2014, to watch something on the English netflix, before they cracked down on that. I love to binge-watch, when I'm in the mood for a show. I was doing that with DVDs, starting 2006/2007. There are shows and movies waiting until I can relax enough to watch, or when I'm in the mood for them. I wish I could afford all of them, so that I didn't have to think about dropping anything, but I might let go of Disney soon, and Netflix. I don't know. 

[peachmangosteen]

14 hours ago, Bastet said:

Discovery+ makes some of its shows available at 12:01 a.m. the day it will air on TV, so you can actually watch it early, and without commercials.  

Showtime did that with Yellowjackets. I don't know if they do it with any of their other shows as that's the only show I watch on Showtime.

[shantown]

On 4/24/2022 at 1:49 PM, Dani said:

I think it’s a combination of all of the above. Increasing prices, losing content to other services, declining quality, the binge model encouraging churn and irritation over cancellations leading to people not seeing value in the service. Blaming password sharing is passing the buck.

I tend to subscribe to Netflix for short periods of time when there is something I want to watch so I really only pay attention to the buzz around Netflix. What I am noticing lately is mostly people unhappy about various shows being canceled or the price increase and the new season of Bridgerton. The overall reaction to Bridgerton seems to be mostly negative. I will probably resubscribe when the new season of Umbrella Academy is out.

Whelp, I was going to respond to a bunch of different posts, but you hit on almost all the points I wanted to make here! I don't think there's any one thing you can pinpoint as the main reason, even if Netflix wants to try to pin it just on password sharing. I also think - things aren't meant to keep growing and growing forever? Like that's just not a sustainable expectation. They've had 15 (?) years of continuous growth - that can't continue forever. 

Netflix is also the easiest service to do a quick one month subscription for and then drop. There's not a discount for signing up for a whole year, and if you wait until the show you want drops, you can easily watch the whole season in under a month. I started sharing services with a friend I lived with 10 years ago and we've continued that. Most we sign up on a one year discount and just keep it, but Netflix is one that we'll sign up for here and there but not necessarily stay subscribed year-round. 
 

On 4/24/2022 at 4:57 PM, Irlandesa said:

A negative for short seasons, which I don't mind, is that series have become so married to the idea of a "six or ten hour movie" without consideration to telling episodic stories. Networks who had to tell 22 hour long episodes would make room for interesting side stories or arc behind the main drama to pump up the episode count.  Instead of coming off as fluff, however, they'd be interesting enough as stand alone episodes. 

Limited series or short series don't allow for that room and instead they try to tell one story over 6, 8 or 10 episodes even if their story doesn't merit that many episodes. Pacing on Netflix shows is often terrible.

Very much this! Shows need time to let the characters and the emotions breathe and develop. 

[SunnyBeBe]

If there are any Canadians who know how I might get Global tv, please post here.  I just discovered the last season of Mary Kills People is airing there May 12,  I don’t think it’s available here yet.  

[cleo]

As far as I can tell it's not legally available outside Canada. Global TV has a streaming app....if you can do that thing where people block location- might work?

Not advocating for it lol.  But I don't think you can get Global outside Canada as far as I know. Sorry.

I'm curious about that show but I've never seen it.

Edited May 1, 2022 by cleo

[dargosmydaddy]

4 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

 I just discovered the last season of Mary Kills People is airing there May 12,

The last season aired in Canada in May of 2019 (and those are the dates listed on the Global site), it's not an upcoming thing. You would think, three years later, Hulu could pick it up since they already have seasons 1-2...

As a fellow American fan of the first two seasons, I feel your pain!

[Guest]

18 minutes ago, dargosmydaddy said:

The last season aired in Canada in May of 2019 (and those are the dates listed on the Global site), it's not an upcoming thing. You would think, three years later, Hulu could pick it up since they already have seasons 1-2...

As a fellow American fan of the first two seasons, I feel your pain!

Unfortunately it’s not Hulu’s decision. They have it through their deal with Lifetime which aired the first two seasons but decided not to air the third season. 

[Egg McMuffin]

Netflix isn’t associated with a major studio, and that was always going to hurt them in the long run when the studios started investing in their own streaming services. The studios like Warner Bros and Disney that have leased content to Netflix in the past have been pulling back their library titles (Friends, the Marvel shows, etc) in favor of their own services and putting them on HBO Max, Disney+, and the like.

So now, Netflix has to increasingly rely on original content and that’s a very expensive proposition. They were also spending like drunken sailors (“Stranger Things” apparently cost them $30 million per episode for season 4). And I never got a real sense of content strategy from them - just throw stuff at the wall and see what works and then cancel things after a few years.

To me, HBO Max is the best streaming service out there in terms of content quality.

[dargosmydaddy]

9 hours ago, Dani said:

Unfortunately it’s not Hulu’s decision. They have it through their deal with Lifetime which aired the first two seasons but decided not to air the third season. 

I knew that, but you'd think they could make their own deal (or someone could) for season 3... In this day and age of eight million streaming services, why is it so difficult for someone to get the rights to an-already-filmed-and-aired Canadian show that has some loyal American viewers who would really like to be able to see how it ended?

[SunnyBeBe]

Well, I found Mary Kills People season 3 dvd on Amazon.  It says import. I guess it’s worth the $26.00.  Canadian dvds work here, right? Oh, I found it n another site for $16.00!

Edited May 1, 2022 by SunnyBeBe

[MaryMitch]

45 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Well, I found Mary Kills People season 3 dvd on Amazon.  It says import. I guess it’s worth the $26.00.  Canadian dvds work here, right? Oh, I found it n another site for $16.00!

DVDs in Canada and the USA are region 1, so they should work (assuming your "here" is the USA).

[cleo]

 

You can also buy multiple region players if it isnt Region 1 for some reason. I bought a cheap one that plugs into my computer for some British DVDs. Plug and play on the computer, which I then hooked up to the tv. 

I put this show on my list to watch!

Edited May 2, 2022 by cleo

[MaryMitch]

Just now, cleo said:

 

You can also buy multiple region players if it isnt Region 1 for some reason. I bought a cheap one that plugs into my computer for some British DVDs. Plug and play on the computer, which I then hooked up yo the DVD. 

I put this show on my list to watch!

Many if not most DVD players can be hacked. The region requirement is a software setting. This allows the manufacturers to sell in any country by just changing the chip setting. (And in Australia, they must by law be sold region free - at least 10 years ago this was the case.)  Just google "DVD region hack codes".  I hacked a Phillips DVD player - easy peasy.

 

[SunnyBeBe]

Hmmmm….here’s what I found. 
 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mary-Kills-People-Season-3/dp/B08JLQLP6J

https://ioffer-movies.com/dvd/mary-kills-people-complete-season-3-2019-on-dvd/

 

 

 

[cleo]

MaryMitch interesting. I find that kind of stuff never works for me. The plug in was less than $10 so it was just easier. It also came in handy in some other situations- transferring some shows on DVD to computer files. 

 

 

Edited May 1, 2022 by cleo

[DearEvette]

Back when the Olympics were held in London, we didn't want to wait for NBC primetime evening content or subscribe to any of those weird multi-channel tiers NBC had.  So we got Tunnel Bear, a VPN for five bucks for the month and  set our location to London and watched all the Olympic content in real time on the Various BBC channels.  It was great. 

[MissAlmond]

So Netflix is having another existential crisis with studios once again moving intellectual property to their own platforms. One should expect rushed business decisions to follow. Remember Qwikster?

 

Edited May 1, 2022 by MissAlmond

[tessaray]

NBCU is going to up their Bravo content on Peacock (the paid tier). I think a lot of people would be happy to give up their expensive YTTV or Hulu Live for next day access to their Bravo shows. 

https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/peacock-will-stream-bravo-shows-next-day-inks-lionsgate-movie-deal-1235255676/# 

[Cinnabon]

2 hours ago, tessaray said:

NBCU is going to up their Bravo content on Peacock (the paid tier). I think a lot of people would be happy to give up their expensive YTTV or Hulu Live for next day access to their Bravo shows. 

https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/peacock-will-stream-bravo-shows-next-day-inks-lionsgate-movie-deal-1235255676/# 

What’s on Bravo other than Real Housewives ad nauseum?

[Ohiopirate02]

14 minutes ago, Cinnabon said:

What’s on Bravo other than Real Housewives ad nauseum?

Top Chef and Project Runway.  My preferred way to watch Project Runway is the next day when I can fast forward.  

[tessaray]

1 hour ago, Cinnabon said:

What’s on Bravo other than Real Housewives ad nauseum?

I kinda like the real estate shows like Million Dollar Listings. Not a Real Housewives fan but for others they are a major draw. To each their own...

[shapeshifter]

Good to know Bravo is not something of value to me! 🤣
I have enough reality drama and cooking without TV shows.

[Mabinogia]

Bravo was the kind of channel I might watch if nothing else was on when it was part of my cable package but it is not something that would get me to pay for a streaming service. It's just not my cuppa. I think there was like one thing on Paramount + that I had some interest in but it's just not worth paying for. I can't even remember what it was. lol

[Irlandesa]

On 5/1/2022 at 2:21 PM, MissAlmond said:

So Netflix is having another existential crisis with studios once again moving intellectual property to their own platforms. One should expect rushed business decisions to follow. Remember Qwikster?

 

I don't think companies moving their shows off of Netflix has Netflix in an existential crisis.  That was Netflix's goal all along--to not be reliant on outside production companies and to mostly be their own content. 

But what is true is that there are very few of their shows that have the rewatchability of shows like Friends, The Office, Seinfeld, Frasier, CSI....etc.  Their shows are popular but ephemeral. Very few are comfort viewing that you'd always want access to. 

And I think they underestimated how many people will keep a subscription just to have access to a comfort show with over 100 episodes available to watch at any time.

I think they're going to need to ask themselves whether or not they'd commit to creating a show like that and not canceling after season 5 even if it doesn't result in new subscribers--but rather subscribers who are willing to keep it for access.

[SunnyBeBe]

I no longer care for Bravo.  I used to watch Housewives hardcore, but I lost all interest.  Occasionally, I’ll see who Andy has as a guest on WWHL, but I rarely watch an entire show. I doubt I’ll watch any more Million Dollar Listings either. 

[kiddo82]

22 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

I don't think companies moving their shows off of Netflix has Netflix in an existential crisis.  That was Netflix's goal all along--to not be reliant on outside production companies and to mostly be their own content. 

But what is true is that there are very few of their shows that have the rewatchability of shows like Friends, The Office, Seinfeld, Frasier, CSI....etc.  Their shows are popular but ephemeral. Very few are comfort viewing that you'd always want access to. 

And I think they underestimated how many people will keep a subscription just to have access to a comfort show with over 100 episodes available to watch at any time.

I think they're going to need to ask themselves whether or not they'd commit to creating a show like that and not canceling after season 5 even if it doesn't result in new subscribers--but rather subscribers who are willing to keep it for access.

I think the uphill battle isn't just creating the next Friends, Seinfeld, or the Office, it's creating a show that people are going to invest 8, 9, 10 years of their lives in.  I think that is a sincerely underrated metric when we talk about the popularity of some of these shows that are long off the air.  There are shows that I literally grew up watching and there are definitive life moments that I can tie to a certain episode or era of a long running favorite show.  The comfort isn't just in the quality, it's in the nostalgia.  And maybe it's just because I'm an old now but I don't know how you cultivate a relationship that deep with an original on a streamer.  

[Mabinogia]

20 hours ago, kiddo82 said:

I think the uphill battle isn't just creating the next Friends, Seinfeld, or the Office, it's creating a show that people are going to invest 8, 9, 10 years of their lives in. 

It's hard to invest 8-10 years in a show when Netflix pulls it after 1-2 seasons. They haven't really shown any interest in cultivating long running programming. They seem more interesting in finding the next Squid Games level success and those are few and far between. I think that because there is so much competition Netflix, and others, aren't as apt to put in the time to build up another Friends/Seinfeld long running show. 

Disposable entertainment is the current business model in steaming. 

[shapeshifter]

I currently have access to the version of HULU with commercials. 
I'm using it to watch network shows when I miss an episode.
I need to turn the volume up to at least 86 for the show, but then when the commercials come on, it's so loud that I mute it, because it's easier than changing the volume incrementally back and forth to something tolerable. 
The result is that I do not hear (or watch) any of the commercials.
Hulu may not care about that and just want me to go for the higher priced, commercial free subscription. 
But do the advertisers care?
I don't know if this is the case with Hulu original shows, since I had access to the commercial-free version when I was watching those.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I currently have access to the version of HULU with commercials. 
I'm using it to watch network shows when I miss an episode.
I need to turn the volume up to at least 86 for the show, but then when the commercials come on, it's so loud that I mute it, because it's easier than changing the volume incrementally back and forth to something tolerable. 
The result is that I do not hear (or watch) any of the commercials.
Hulu may not care about that and just want me to go for the higher priced, commercial free subscription. 

Check if your tv has a steady sound or volume leveling option. It was designed for that exact reason. 

 

2 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

But do the advertisers care?

They do not. They deliberately design commercials to be louder than the show. 

[shapeshifter]

3 hours ago, Dani said:

Check if your tv has a steady sound or volume leveling option. It was designed for that exact reason. 

I see the setting options, but I'll need to download the manual and or try different options when I'm more awake. 
The options are High, Medium (selected), Low, and Off. 
 

3 hours ago, Dani said:

They deliberately design commercials to be louder than the show. 

Silly advertisers. I can't be the only viewer who would watch the commercial if I didn't need to mute it to avoid waking the dead.

[Irlandesa]

6 hours ago, Mabinogia said:

Disposable entertainment is the current business model in steaming. 

For Netflix right now.  But  Amazon, for instance, had Bosch for 7 seasons and will be doing at least 2 more seasons of a Bosch spinoff (but basically Bosch just retired instead of active duty) on their FreeVee/IMDb service. I think it'll end up being the longest running scripted streaming scripted show.

I think that's why I wonder if they'll have to reconsider the disposability. 

Then again, it did a lot of episodes of The Ranch and I don't think that one has people watching it for comfort.

[DearEvette]

On 5/2/2022 at 9:57 PM, kiddo82 said:

I think the uphill battle isn't just creating the next Friends, Seinfeld, or the Office, it's creating a show that people are going to invest 8, 9, 10 years of their lives in.  I think that is a sincerely underrated metric when we talk about the popularity of some of these shows that are long off the air.  There are shows that I literally grew up watching and there are definitive life moments that I can tie to a certain episode or era of a long running favorite show.  The comfort isn't just in the quality, it's in the nostalgia.  And maybe it's just because I'm an old now but I don't know how you cultivate a relationship that deep with an original on a streamer.  

I think there is a lot of merit to this argument.

But  tv and how we watch it has irrevocably changed.  Back in the day we had basically the four networks (give or take UPN and the WB) and some basic cable channels putting out original content.  Friends came out in the mid 90s.  In the mid-90s, I think it was largely only HBO as a non-broadcast network that was putting out original content to rival the networks and even then it was a premium cable channel so the audience was small by comparison.

Also tv watching at the time was almost purely linear.  You had to watch in real time (or you taped it on your VCR.)  But it was part of our culture to watch a show almost collectively and then talk about it the next day.  In the age of streaming and binge watching it is hard to get that back.  Game of Thrones, imo, came the closest to recapturing that sort of appointment tv from before streaming.

The issue now is not only do we have the networks, but we have an explosion of platforms and channels that  It is very difficult to re-create that sense of collective watching because, truthfully, we were almost a captive audience at that time and networks were putting out 20-24 episodes a year.  Now we are mobile in more ways than one and it is hard to capture people. And the competition to put out the next buzzy show is brutal because they are actively trying to recreate that feeling.  But of course they aren't really successful, imo, because it feels like they are trying to hard to get a reaction and artificially create buzz through big moments rather than good sustained storytelling.

But I think the shows that feel more like they are a labor of love by the creator - something like a Ted Lasso or an Abbott Elementary -- have the potential to have that sort of nostalgic longevity.

[SunnyBeBe]

3 hours ago, DearEvette said:

I think there is a lot of merit to this argument.

But  tv and how we watch it has irrevocably changed.  Back in the day we had basically the four networks (give or take UPN and the WB) and some basic cable channels putting out original content.  Friends came out in the mid 90s.  In the mid-90s, I think it was largely only HBO as a non-broadcast network that was putting out original content to rival the networks and even then it was a premium cable channel so the audience was small by comparison.

Also tv watching at the time was almost purely linear.  You had to watch in real time (or you taped it on your VCR.)  But it was part of our culture to watch a show almost collectively and then talk about it the next day.  In the age of streaming and binge watching it is hard to get that back.  Game of Thrones, imo, came the closest to recapturing that sort of appointment tv from before streaming.

The issue now is not only do we have the networks, but we have an explosion of platforms and channels that  It is very difficult to re-create that sense of collective watching because, truthfully, we were almost a captive audience at that time and networks were putting out 20-24 episodes a year.  Now we are mobile in more ways than one and it is hard to capture people. And the competition to put out the next buzzy show is brutal because they are actively trying to recreate that feeling.  But of course they aren't really successful, imo, because it feels like they are trying to hard to get a reaction and artificially create buzz through big moments rather than good sustained storytelling.

But I think the shows that feel more like they are a labor of love by the creator - something like a Ted Lasso or an Abbott Elementary -- have the potential to have that sort of nostalgic longevity.

It is very different now days, however I think the creators still squander opportunities with poor storytelling, as you mention.  Major networks, like NBC, do it, as well as others.  I’m not sure of the answer, but I think AMC has done well with Better Call Saul.   HBO did well with The Sopranos, but struggles today with things like And Just Like That.  The success of that show was a free gift they squandered.  How do you make ardent fans literally hate their beloved characters? They did.  And what Showtime did to Dexter sequel? Omg….Horrible writing.  Then there’s Appletv, who ruined a great series, with awesome cast in The Morning Show with pitiful storytelling.  There shouldn’t be hate watching a great cast and enormous resources. I never watched GOT, so I can’t address that one.  Downtown Abbey was a fairly recent tv success.  
 

I think that the creators, producers, writers……whatever they are called these days, underestimate the viewer and either aren’t focused on details or are too lazy to make quality work.  Viewers look at details now.  They notice when there are nonsensical scenarios and technical mistakes that ruin it. And the trend to make the viewer hate the main characters…..lol…..it’s out of control.   Of course, there’s a matter of taste too.   I sometimes laugh aloud when I’m searching for something to watch and I have a pretty good cable plan, Prime Video, HBOmax and Hulu, but can’t find a thing of interest!  😝 One day, I grew tired of searching and ended up with an episode of The Rockford Files!  It wasn’t terrible.  Nostalgia is good sometimes.  Lol

Edited May 4, 2022 by SunnyBeBe

[Mabinogia]

7 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

One day, I grew tired of searching and ended up with an episode of The Rockford Files!  It wasn’t terrible.  Nostalgia is good sometimes.  Lol

I gave up my cable a few months ago and still haven't picked which streamer I'm willing to pay for (was piggybacking some Netflix for a while), so I'm living on nostalgia over on PlutoTV. They have a whole channel dedicated to The Addams Family. Then there's one for Midsomer Murders. I recently went on a Sabrina the Teenage Witch binge. Most of what is on PlutoTV is nostalgia viewing, but I do have it to thank for introducing me to Ghosts, which is my favorite new show. It's actually probably the only new show I've watched in months. 

[Annber03]

32 minutes ago, Mabinogia said:

Most of what is on PlutoTV is nostalgia viewing, but I do have it to thank for introducing me to Ghosts, which is my favorite new show. It's actually probably the only new show I've watched in months. 

Hooray :)! So glad you're enjoying it!

[Cinnabon]

10 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

It is very different now days, however I think the creators still squander opportunities with poor storytelling, as you mention.  Major networks, like NBC, do it, as well as others.  I’m not sure of the answer, but I think AMC has done well with Better Call Saul.   HBO did well with The Sopranos, but struggles today with things like And Just Like That.  The success of that show was a free gift they squandered.  How do you make ardent fans literally hate their beloved characters? They did.  And what Showtime did to Dexter sequel? Omg….Horrible writing.  Then there’s Appletv, who ruined a great series, with awesome cast in The Morning Show with pitiful storytelling.  There shouldn’t be hate watching a great cast and enormous resources. I never watched GOT, so I can’t address that one.  Downtown Abbey was a fairly recent tv success.  
 

I think that the creators, producers, writers……whatever they are called these days, underestimate the viewer and either aren’t focused on details or are too lazy to make quality work.  Viewers look at details now.  They notice when there are nonsensical scenarios and technical mistakes that ruin it. And the trend to make the viewer hate the main characters…..lol…..it’s out of control.   Of course, there’s a matter of taste too.   I sometimes laugh aloud when I’m searching for something to watch and I have a pretty good cable plan, Prime Video, HBOmax and Hulu, but can’t find a thing of interest!  😝 One day, I grew tired of searching and ended up with an episode of The Rockford Files!  It wasn’t terrible.  Nostalgia is good sometimes.  Lol

I also have far too many steaming options, and sometimes I spend more time looking for something to watch than I do watching anything. 

3 hours ago, Mabinogia said:

I gave up my cable a few months ago and still haven't picked which streamer I'm willing to pay for (was piggybacking some Netflix for a while), so I'm living on nostalgia over on PlutoTV. They have a whole channel dedicated to The Addams Family. Then there's one for Midsomer Murders. I recently went on a Sabrina the Teenage Witch binge. Most of what is on PlutoTV is nostalgia viewing, but I do have it to thank for introducing me to Ghosts, which is my favorite new show. It's actually probably the only new show I've watched in months. 

Tubi (also free) has a bunch of interesting movies, many from the last couple years. They are mostly more independent type movies, but that’s more my thing that a Hollywood blockbuster.

[tessaray]

I have most of the big streaming options but if I'm the mood to browse, I can always find something to watch on Pluto, even if it's just a half hour of Classic Doctor Who. 

[shapeshifter]

4 hours ago, Mabinogia said:

Most of what is on PlutoTV is nostalgia viewing, but I do have it to thank for introducing me to Ghosts, which is my favorite new show.

--whereas I am watching Hamilton now
[had started to watch before the PrimeTimer site upgrade, and, miraculously(?) my unposted post is still here👏],
because of Ghosts, LOL (the ghost characters were raving about it).

It took me 3 tries to login to my son-in-law's Disney+ account to be able to see it. He shouldn't mind too much when he sees my new avatar is Yoda and my user name is Grandma. 
It's good so far (13 minutes in) but 2½ hours is going to take me more than one viewing to get through. 
Hamilton is probably the only thing I'll watch on it (and I'm not sure I'll get through it), so this is like my "free trial."  
I'd be more inclined to pay the price of a movie ticket to watch it, if Disney offered it that way.

I'm still waffling on signing up for HBO Max. I'll probably do it eventually.
But I wouldn't pay for Disney+. 

Edited May 5, 2022 by shapeshifter

[meowmommy]

26 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

I'm still waffling on signing up for HBO Max. I'll probably do it eventually.
But I wouldn't pay for Disney+. 

I was thinking of getting Disney+, even prepaying a year, until I looked at their catalog.  There isn't enough there to keep me interested for a week, much less a year.  And they don't offer any kind of free trial.

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

It's good so far (13 minutes in) but 2½ hours is going to take me more than one viewing to get through. 
Hamilton is probably the only thing I'll watch on it (and I'm not sure I'll get through it),

I'm sure watching a filmed version is not the same fantastic experience seeing it performed live was, but I can't imagine not getting caught up in Hamilton!  Live, there's an intermission, so I get taking a break rather than watching straight through, but I hope you enjoy it; I saw it in ... 2017, maybe; time flies, and I'm not sure ... and found it fully lived up to the hype.

If I had access to Disney+ via someone else's account (as I do with the handful of other paid streaming services I watch), I don't think there's a whole lot other than Hamilton I'd watch, either.  I read some of the hoopla when the service launched, and there wasn't anything that made me think, "Oh, I hope my parents or [best friend] - who share their accounts with me - sign up for that," and certainly nothing that made me even remotely consider signing up on my own.

[Cinnabon]

I’m getting Disney+ for $2.99 a month on Hulu solely to watch the Beatles movie. Those who have Hulu, check it out.

[tessaray]

Disney+ is essential if you are into Star Wars or the MCU. Or if you have kids watching Pixar and other animated stuff. I get it not being must-see tv for everyone but as long as they keep cranking out new Star Wars, it is for me. 🙂

[Bastet]

Just now, tessaray said:

Disney+ is essential if you are into Star Wars or the MCU. Or if you have kids watching Pixar and other animated stuff.

That makes sense; I have no interest in any of that.

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, tessaray said:

Disney+ is essential if you are into Star Wars or the MCU. Or if you have kids watching Pixar and other animated stuff. I get it not being must-see tv for everyone but as long as they keep cranking out new Star Wars, it is for me. 🙂

It’s the same for me. Overall, their content is lacking but they do such a good job keeping the Marvel, Star Wars and Pixar content steady that I can’t find a lull to even consider cancelling it. I have multiple services that the same group of people of access to and most people gravitate to one or two but they all use their Disney+ profile semi-regularly.