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

[AheadofStraight]

Just got this from Netflix. I had the 9.99 plan with no ads.

------------

Your Basic plan is being discontinued, and your new $6.99 Standard with ads plan automatically begins on your next billing date, September 16.

Your new plan includes:

•

Lower price: Save 40% each month.

•

Better video quality: Stream in Full HD (1080p).

•

More devices: Watch and download on 2 household devices at the same time.

•

A few short ads: Designed to not interrupt you during a scene — and no ads on Kids profiles.

There's nothing you need to do to keep enjoying Netflix. If you'd like to change your plan to Standard ($15.49/month) or Premium ($22.99/month), you can update your plan anytime. Upgrading to Standard or Premium may change your billing date.

 

 

[Affogato]

8 hours ago, AheadofStraight said:

Just got this from Netflix. I had the 9.99 plan with no ads.

------------

Your Basic plan is being discontinued, and your new $6.99 Standard with ads plan automatically begins on your next billing date, September 16.

Your new plan includes:

•

Lower price: Save 40% each month.

•

Better video quality: Stream in Full HD (1080p).

•

More devices: Watch and download on 2 household devices at the same time.

•

A few short ads: Designed to not interrupt you during a scene — and no ads on Kids profiles.

There's nothing you need to do to keep enjoying Netflix. If you'd like to change your plan to Standard ($15.49/month) or Premium ($22.99/month), you can update your plan anytime. Upgrading to Standard or Premium may change your billing date.

 

 

Yes, I got this as well. 

[SoMuchTV]

9 hours ago, AheadofStraight said:

Just got this from Netflix. I had the 9.99 plan with no ads.

------------

Your Basic plan is being discontinued, and your new $6.99 Standard with ads plan automatically begins on your next billing date, September 16.

Your new plan includes:

•

Lower price: Save 40% each month.

•

Better video quality: Stream in Full HD (1080p).

•

More devices: Watch and download on 2 household devices at the same time.

•

A few short ads: Designed to not interrupt you during a scene — and no ads on Kids profiles.

There's nothing you need to do to keep enjoying Netflix. If you'd like to change your plan to Standard ($15.49/month) or Premium ($22.99/month), you can update your plan anytime. Upgrading to Standard or Premium may change your billing date.

 

1 hour ago, Affogato said:

Yes, I got this as well. 

If it makes you feel any better, I've had the $6.99 Netflix plan for a few months now, and I've been surprised how few ads there have been in the things I've watched.  Often I can see when I pause that there are yellow dots on the timeline indicating ad breaks, but then they don't actually show the ads - the shows even have obvious "ad break" points, but just go on to the next scene.  Or there may be one or two breaks of 15-30-45 seconds in an hour show.

Maybe I've just happened to watch things that aren't popular with advertisers, but knock on wood, I've been fine with it so far.

[GHScorpiosRule]

I also got the email, and I don't even HAVE that plan!

[AheadofStraight]

1 hour ago, SoMuchTV said:

 

If it makes you feel any better, I've had the $6.99 Netflix plan for a few months now, and I've been surprised how few ads there have been in the things I've watched.  Often I can see when I pause that there are yellow dots on the timeline indicating ad breaks, but then they don't actually show the ads - the shows even have obvious "ad break" points, but just go on to the next scene.  Or there may be one or two breaks of 15-30-45 seconds in an hour show.

Maybe I've just happened to watch things that aren't popular with advertisers, but knock on wood, I've been fine with it so far.

This is good to know! I'm mostly disappointed because Netflix is the last streamer I have without ads!

[possibilities]

I had the cheapest ad-free Netflix plan (12$/mo) and the message I got said they were bumping me to a cheaper plan with ads, but if I want to go ad-free, I can switch to an ad free plan for... I think it was 15.50/mo.

I don't know what I'm going to do. I don't use it consistently, and had been debating whther to cancel it. The other services I have with ads really annoy me to the point that I avoid using them, so I think if I decide to keep it, I will probably have to bump up to the ad-free version. But then if I'm not using it much anyway, I really don't want to do that.

So... I don't know what I'll decide on.

 

[SoMuchTV]

9 minutes ago, possibilities said:

I had the cheapest ad-free Netflix plan (12$/mo) and the message I got said they were bumping me to a cheaper plan with ads, but if I want to go ad-free, I can switch to an ad free plan for... I think it was 15.50/mo.

I don't know what I'm going to do. I don't use it consistently, and had been debating whther to cancel it. The other services I have with ads really annoy me to the point that I avoid using them, so I think if I decide to keep it, I will probably have to bump up to the ad-free version. But then if I'm not using it much anyway, I really don't want to do that.

So... I don't know what I'll decide on.

 

Not sure if this will help, but I was also on the lowest price ad-free plan, and finally decided I just wasn’t getting my money’s worth so I cancelled. Then a few months later there was enough stuff I wanted to watch, so I signed up for the ad supported plan with the plan to cancel after a month or two. Turns out, at least for me, the ads aren’t bothersome at all, and so far I feel like I’m getting my $7/month worth.

[peachmangosteen]

I have to echo the sentiment about Netflix's ads being not bad. So far, I've had maybe 2 total ad breaks of 30 seconds in the like 10 or so episodes of shows I've watched since I got it.

[Ohiopirate02]

13 hours ago, possibilities said:

I had the cheapest ad-free Netflix plan (12$/mo) and the message I got said they were bumping me to a cheaper plan with ads, but if I want to go ad-free, I can switch to an ad free plan for... I think it was 15.50/mo.

I don't know what I'm going to do. I don't use it consistently, and had been debating whther to cancel it. The other services I have with ads really annoy me to the point that I avoid using them, so I think if I decide to keep it, I will probably have to bump up to the ad-free version. But then if I'm not using it much anyway, I really don't want to do that.

So... I don't know what I'll decide on.

 

The only thing that I am afraid of with regards to the cheaper plan with ads on Netflix is the catalog is different for this plan. I have not done the research yet to see if the shows and movies I want to watch are going to be available on the ad supported plan. I personally think over $15 a month for the complete Netflix catalog is quite steep. 

[RealHousewife]

14 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

Not sure if this will help, but I was also on the lowest price ad-free plan, and finally decided I just wasn’t getting my money’s worth so I cancelled. Then a few months later there was enough stuff I wanted to watch, so I signed up for the ad supported plan with the plan to cancel after a month or two. Turns out, at least for me, the ads aren’t bothersome at all, and so far I feel like I’m getting my $7/month worth.

That's me too. I used to feel like I was wasting money on what I spent for adfree, but now I'm absolutely getting my money's worth. I think it depends on what shows you watch, but the shows I watch have very minimal ads. Highly recommend to at least trial out the $7 plan. 

[SoMuchTV]

1 hour ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

The only thing that I am afraid of with regards to the cheaper plan with ads on Netflix is the catalog is different for this plan. I have not done the research yet to see if the shows and movies I want to watch are going to be available on the ad supported plan. I personally think over $15 a month for the complete Netflix catalog is quite steep. 

I had also seen in the fine print that there were limited exceptions to the catalog on the ad-supported plan, but so far I haven't run into them.  I suppose if there was something missing that I really wanted to see, I could bump the plan up for a month or so.  I remember doing that when I first got a 4K tv.  I upgraded to the 4K plan, then pretty quickly realized it didn't make that much of a difference for me and switched back. 

[AheadofStraight]

Not sure how truly accurate this is but for a general gist, this says it is a listing of things unavailable with the ad-supported tier. 

[Affogato]

21 hours ago, AheadofStraight said:

Not sure how truly accurate this is but for a general gist, this says it is a listing of things unavailable with the ad-supported tier. 

Well. That includes a number of recentish movies, which makes having the streamer less valuable, and a few shows as well. 

[Shrek]

Looks like they've been very clever by making a lot of popular kids shows unavailable on the lowest price point. And as anyone who has tried arguing with a 2 year old who wants her Bluey fix (or the Netflix equivalent) knows it's worth the extra just for the peace & quiet.

[Mountainair]

Just wanted to report back that I was able to finally put in my discount code for Peacock after cancelling and resubscribing. With my teacher code it is now $2.99/month. After being back at work for only three days I’ve already had to chase down a kid and get smacked repeatedly so I will enjoy my weekend off and settle in with some peacock. 
 

I personally don’t mind ads because my brain functions on a roller coaster of doing many things at one time so having a built in commercial gives me the opportunity to do something else (check on my kids, use the bathroom, let the dog out, etc). 

[shapeshifter]

3 hours ago, Mountainair said:

I personally don’t mind ads because my brain functions on a roller coaster of doing many things at one time so having a built in commercial gives me the opportunity to do something else

So it's not just me.😉

[Affogato]

4 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

So it's not just me.😉

I don’t mind. I mean, they don’t annoy me. I mind the cumulative time lost, if I think about it. 

[shapeshifter]

11 hours ago, Affogato said:

I don’t mind. I mean, they don’t annoy me. I mind the cumulative time lost, if I think about it. 

“One viewer’s time lost due to a commercial interruption is another viewer’s time gained”
🚽💩🧻

🤣

[Affogato]

16 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

“One viewer’s time lost due to a commercial interruption is another viewer’s time gained”
🚽💩🧻

🤣

Indeed it does depend on whether I have to use the facilities. 

[possibilities]

I just pause the video if I need a break. But constant ad interruptions for me kill the mood and mess with my concentration.

[Bastet]

I don't care about ad breaks on streaming services if I'm watching anywhere other than in bed, because I'll do something during those breaks if I want.  But I hate them when I'm lying in bed and have to endure them, because, unlike when I'm watching something via satellite, I can't go "around the dial" and watch something else and come back when the ad break is over.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Well. I updated my firestick (Amazon) since I have a tv that is also 4K whatever, and it comes with a six month free subscription for MGM+. Some really good movies. BUT. The remote only has buttons for DirectTV, NetFix, Prime, Peacock. It removed Hulu and Disney+. When I posted a question in the reviews, The keep getting “answers” that I need to get the apps, which doesn’t answer my question! It’s a small thing, but it was just a curiosity question. What is irritating is every person who has “answered” clearly didn’t read my question and/or didn’t understand what I was asking and I specifically said “buttons” not services. And it’s unfortunate that there is no option to respond to those answers to let them know that wasn’t what I asked. I’ll try the “contact seller” which is Amazon itself and see if I get an answer. Still, I cancelled Netflix.

[Irlandesa]

I like it when the ad breaks count down how long they will last.  I know how much time I have to do something or if I don't have any time at all.

[SoMuchTV]

4 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

Well. I updated my firestick (Amazon) since I have a tv that is also 4K whatever, and it comes with a six month free subscription for MGM+. Some really good movies. BUT. The remote only has buttons for DirectTV, NetFix, Prime, Peacock. It removed Hulu and Disney+. When I posted a question in the reviews, The keep getting “answers” that I need to get the apps, which doesn’t answer my question! It’s a small thing, but it was just a curiosity question. What is irritating is every person who has “answered” clearly didn’t read my question and/or didn’t understand what I was asking and I specifically said “buttons” not services. And it’s unfortunate that there is no option to respond to those answers to let them know that wasn’t what I asked. I’ll try the “contact seller” which is Amazon itself and see if I get an answer. Still, I cancelled Netflix.

What was the question you asked? Are you wondering if you can get a Fire remote with different shortcut buttons?  Or whether you can reprogram the buttons on yours?  

I guess deciding what buttons to include is a real moving target.  Of the remotes I have with shortcuts, only one or two buttons are for streamers I actually use. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

14 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

What was the question you asked? Are you wondering if you can get a Fire remote with different shortcut buttons?  Or whether you can reprogram the buttons on yours?  

I guess deciding what buttons to include is a real moving target.  Of the remotes I have with shortcuts, only one or two buttons are for streamers I actually use. 

No the previous remote had buttons to launch Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and Preme directly instead of scrolling through the apps to launch them. The new 4K one doesn’t have Hulu or Disney+ and seems to have been replaced by DirectTV, which I don’t have and Peacock.

Pictures below. I just wanted to know why.

[SoMuchTV]

1 hour ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

No the previous remote had buttons to launch Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and Preme directly instead of scrolling through the apps to launch them. The new 4K one doesn’t have Hulu or Disney+ and seems to have been replaced by DirectTV, which I don’t have and Peacock.

Pictures below. I just wanted to know why.

I do wonder if there are some kinds of sponsorships or kickbacks involved. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

2 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

I do wonder if there are some kinds of sponsorships or kickbacks involved. 

Yeah. I mean I think more people have Hulu and or Disney+ than DirectTV. Which is a satellite service, right? Anyway I was just curious.

[meowmommy]

4 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

No the previous remote had buttons to launch Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and Preme directly instead of scrolling through the apps to launch them.

I have Rokus, not Amazon Fire, but have had the same question with pre-set buttons on the remote.  The placement seems almost random.  I have several remotes and the pre-set buttons are different on each, and of course, they're not programmable.  So they rarely get used.

[Shrek]

Like everything else in the USA it is most definitely down to $$$$$$$$$$s and they probably hawk the non Amazon buttons around to the highest bidder OR it goes to any service they are partnered with & that comes down to money as well. 

Just thought I would check my Roku and it has Netflix, Disney+, Apple tv+ and Paramount+ on it. 

[StatisticalOutlier]

My Roku remote has those buttons. 

You know those rubbery plastic things you put on the bottom of vases to keep them from scratching whatever surface they're sitting on?  (I wish I had never started calling them "nubbins" because now I can't remember what the real word for them is.)  I cut some of them up to raise the area around those buttons to be higher than those buttons, and then wrapped the bottom 1/3 of the remote with electricians tape so I can't accidentally press those buttons.

I did the same thing for the HOME button at the top.  I actually use the HOME button, so the nubbin is the same height as the button instead of higher, and it's not wrapped with tape.  It keeps me from hitting it accidentally when I meant to hit the  <-  button next to it.

This has been a major improvement, but the real game changer is the lanyard.  The Roku remote has a fabric piece at the bottom that you can thread a shoelace through.  So I took a probably 36" white shoelace (burly, like in an athletic shoe) and threaded it through there, and tied three equidistant knots down the length of it, creating a lanyard. 

That Roku remote is tiny, and very light, and I was constantly losing it.  No more!  I always see the lanyard before I see the actual remote wherever it's sitting, making life easier.  But I've also seen the lanyard sticking out from the depths of the recliner, making it a life saver. 

Edited August 18 by StatisticalOutlier

[StatisticalOutlier]

Anyway, I wasn't coming here to post about remotes.

I had the TV on on Friday, on Catchy Comedy over the air.  I wanted some background noise and knew Mary Tyler Moore comes on around then.  I noticed the beginning and realized it's the final episode, which I love.

So I watched it, and cried, of course. 

The thing is, I can watch this episode of Mary Tyler Moore any time I want via streaming.  But I've never chosen to do so, even though every time I pull up Hulu I see the icon for the MTM show because it's in "my stuff."  (Ugh.  "My stuff.")

I miss the serendipity.  I liked knowing there were other people out there watching the same show right then.  I liked that it was over the air on my dumb TV so nobody knew I was watching it, and couldn't use my watching it to leverage their marketing position.  It was almost as if the show was there just for my, and a few other people's, pleasure.

[Bastet]

I recently watched a number of half-hour episodes on Prime, and there were brief ad breaks between episodes, none in the middle of episodes, which I appreciated, but they put an option in the lower right of the screen to click to upgrade to the ad-free version of Prime -- that option was about five sections into each of those ad breaks, and looked just like the "Skip" (ad) option on the YouTube app.  So I had to keep stopping myself from reflexively clicking on it.  I hope that if I did, I'd have to confirm before the account (my friend's, which is why I'm extra diligent) would be charged for the upgrade, but that's some shady shit as it's clearly a deliberate mimic of the timing* and appearance.

*Now, many YouTube ads run longer before the Skip option appears, but it was standard for long enough and still happens quickly frequently enough that it remains habit for me.

[possibilities]

I'm finding the Peacock ads super annoying. It seems to be one every five minutes. I timed it-- that's what it is. I'm not exaggerating. They're short-- usually two ads for a total of 1 minute. But it's so many, and it really breaks my concentration and mood.

I don't know if they use the same ad strategy for every show. But that's what I've been experiencing with my re-watching of Brooklyn Nine Nine.

 

[Is Everyone Gone]

I am so annoyed by how many ads Max now has. Is the ad-free version worth it? I do watch a lot of Max shows.

[shapeshifter]

On 8/19/2024 at 5:02 AM, possibilities said:

I'm finding the Peacock ads super annoying. It seems to be one every five minutes. I timed it-- that's what it is. I'm not exaggerating. They're short-- usually two ads for a total of 1 minute. But it's so many, and it really breaks my concentration and mood.

I don't know if they use the same ad strategy for every show. But that's what I've been experiencing with my re-watching of Brooklyn Nine Nine.

 

I started watching Homicide: Life on the Streets on Peacock last night. 
Very few ads, and very brief ads. 
I wonder if that's because it's a new show for them?

[Shrek]

13 hours ago, Is Everyone Gone said:

I am so annoyed by how many ads Max now has. Is the ad-free version worth it? I do watch a lot of Max shows.

They usually run an ad for one of their own shows before each show starts but you have the option to skip it if that helps.

[Raja]

3 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I started watching Homicide: Life on the Streets on Peacock last night. 
Very few ads, and very brief ads. 
I wonder if that's because it's a new show for them?

I don't notice many on Las Vegas.

[shapeshifter]

Paramount+ has a crap-ton of ads.

[Is Everyone Gone]

2 hours ago, Shrek said:

They usually run an ad for one of their own shows before each show starts but you have the option to skip it if that helps.

Ok really thinking about getting the ad-free version. It's now one ad every 10 minutes. So annoying.

[willco]

17 hours ago, Is Everyone Gone said:

I am so annoyed by how many ads Max now has. Is the ad-free version worth it? I do watch a lot of Max shows.

I don't watch as much on Max as I did when I first got it, probably been 3 years now, but I started with the ad-free version because I got a special deal and now I don't think I could go back. And I don't mind ads as much as most people seem to be. I'm generally ok with them because I also watch a lot of stuff on Tubi and they are fairly light with ads, at least for now. Of all the streamers I have, Hulu tends to be the worst as far as how long the ad breaks are. But I don't watch much on there anymore, so I guess I can stand it :)

[peachmangosteen]

When I had Max with ads they were fine, some stuff didn't even have any, but I only watched HBO and Max originals so that might have been why. 

[EtheltoTillie]

On 8/25/2024 at 1:09 PM, willco said:

I don't watch as much on Max as I did when I first got it, probably been 3 years now, but I started with the ad-free version because I got a special deal and now I don't think I could go back. And I don't mind ads as much as most people seem to be. I'm generally ok with them because I also watch a lot of stuff on Tubi and they are fairly light with ads, at least for now. Of all the streamers I have, Hulu tends to be the worst as far as how long the ad breaks are. But I don't watch much on there anymore, so I guess I can stand it :)

I have always had HBO as a TV channel, so Max is a free add on.  So I've always had a no-ad version.  I can't compare the cost, as it's blended into the cable package.  Whatever it is, it's worth it--I wouldn't want to have ads on what has always been an ad-free service. 

[possibilities]

Is anyone having trouble logging in to Hulu?

They are still billing me, so I know I am still subscribed. But when I go there, and am asked to log in with my email address, I enter it and they tell me it's not a valid address. It for fucking sure is a valid address! I checked it for typos and everything!

They also seem to be trying to get you to use a Disney account, which I don't have. But they don't give me an option to create one, either. They just keep telling me to enter a valid email, and then they tell me my email isn't valid.

[Bastet]

3 hours ago, possibilities said:

Is anyone having trouble logging in to Hulu?

Not me, I'm watching right now.

[shapeshifter]

3 hours ago, possibilities said:

Is anyone having trouble logging in to Hulu?

27 minutes ago, Bastet said:

Not me, I'm watching right now.

Ditto

[Anela]

23 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Ditto

Same, but after watching on my TV, it gave me that message that there was an error or something, on my iPad, and had me log out, and log back in again. 

[Soapy Goddess]

4 hours ago, possibilities said:

Is anyone having trouble logging in to Hulu?

They are still billing me, so I know I am still subscribed. But when I go there, and am asked to log in with my email address, I enter it and they tell me it's not a valid address. It for fucking sure is a valid address! I checked it for typos and everything!

I had no trouble logging into our main TV (using my profile), but when Mr. Soapy tried to log into his TV (with his profile), he kept getting the same invalid message. After several attempts, the only solution was for me to log into his TV with my profile.

Don't know if this will help your situation, or if you even have multiple profiles, but thought I'd pass it along anyway.

[possibilities]

Thanks everyone.

I gave up, but when i went back later, they accepted my email address and then refused my password. So I changed my password and now it seems to work. 

It makes me nervous, but I don't see any evidence that my account has been hacked, so I'm going to chalk it up to some weird glitch and try to relax.

Edited September 3 by possibilities

[AheadofStraight]

What in the fresh hell is this with Hulu?!? Today is the first time it has happened while I was watching Only Murders. With 5.5 minutes left, this popped up over the screen *during the show*!!!!! Then I hit the back arrow on the remote and the bottom part went away but the top right info stayed there with the countdown the entire time. Can we turn this off?

[StatisticalOutlier]

This is 100% why I'm going to let Hulu lapse at the end of my year-long Black Friday 2023 deal.  $1.07 a month is waaaaay too much to pay to put up with shit like this.