News Disney exiting physical media market

[bdub76]

Corey Doctorow calls this techno feudalism. It's where you don't own anything and businesses extract rent instead.

The problem with this for streaming is stuff becomes unavailable. There are shows I want to watch now that are no longer on streaming. In some cases, they're available on FAST services, but now, in some cases, I don't even have the option to buy the show on physical media to avoid the ads.

This is like living in a world, where you can't fast forward the commercials like you can with old VHS recording.

This is going to change how people treat media.

 

[kirk55555]

The thing about TV today is that most shows that have aired online in anyway, from streaming services or things like Hulu Live TV/Sling/Youtube TV, etc, are never really gone. Sure, Disney can (for example) take the Willow TV show off their service, but anyone with even a little internet literacy can still pretty much watch the show at their leisure if they really want to.

Now older, more obscure, pre-streaming era shows can be trickier, or they might have every episode up on youtube because whoever owns the show either no longer exists or doesn't care. Basically the internet has thankfully taken Digital Preservation (and sailing the seven seas on the internet) to the level where its very difficult to make something actually inaccessible, and as more services cut shows you can bet more people will get used to getting stuff in alternative ways. Maybe DVD drives will become popular with PC's again

Regardless, while I'm as pissed as anyone about things like shows being removed and less physical media, I'm currently not too worried about it because of how relatively easy it is to watch anything, even if the people that own the series/movie don't want you to.

That said I'll still be buying DVDs/Blu Rays of stuff I really want until I don't have the option, I just have no qualms about watching things in whatever way I have to if the corporations keep getting worse and worse when it comes to making things available to consumers.

 

[publiusr]

Corey Doctorow calls this techno feudalism. It's where you don't own anything and businesses extract rent instead.

We need to fight this---same with Right-to-repair.

 

[bdub76]

We need to fight this---same with Right-to-repair.

Right to repair should matter more to people, but it doesn't.

This is a good read: https://www.vox.com/the-goods/23529587/consumer-goods-quality-fast-fashion-technology

Now, since Disney owns Fox, this would also mean that we are unlikely to see X-Files reprinted on Blu Ray.

 

[JoseNoodles]

For the life of me, I don't know why they even bothered to buy Fox...

I once heard a rumor it was because they wanted to restore the 20th Century Fox Logo to the the Star Wars Films. Prior to that, they couldn't show the logos on Disney Plus.

 

[cardinal biggles]

I once heard a rumor it was because they wanted to restore the 20th Century Fox Logo to the the Star Wars Films. Prior to that, they couldn't show the logos on Disney Plus.

There was also an issue of ownership: George Lucas owned all the Star Wars movies starting with The Empire Strikes Back, and Fox just acted as distributor for those films. Fox actually owned the original Star Wars film. So even though they owned Lucasfilm, Disney's ownership of Star Wars wouldn't be complete until they'd bought 20th Century Fox.

 

[the G-man]

The thing about TV today is that most shows that have aired online in anyway, from streaming services or things like Hulu Live TV/Sling/Youtube TV, etc, are never really gone. Sure, Disney can (for example) take the Willow TV show off their service, but anyone with even a little internet literacy can still pretty much watch the show at their leisure if they really want to.

Now older, more obscure, pre-streaming era shows can be trickier, or they might have every episode up on youtube because whoever owns the show either no longer exists or doesn't care. Basically the internet has thankfully taken Digital Preservation (and sailing the seven seas on the internet) to the level where its very difficult to make something actually inaccessible, and as more services cut shows you can bet more people will get used to getting stuff in alternative ways. Maybe DVD drives will become popular with PC's again

Regardless, while I'm as pissed as anyone about things like shows being removed and less physical media, I'm currently not too worried about it because of how relatively easy it is to watch anything, even if the people that own the series/movie don't want you to.

That said I'll still be buying DVDs/Blu Rays of stuff I really want until I don't have the option, I just have no qualms about watching things in whatever way I have to if the corporations keep getting worse and worse when it comes to making things available to consumers.

Yeah, this will help digital pirates more than the actual corporations.

I just read today how NBC Peacock is looking at a $3billion loss this year. I wonder how much profit they might’ve made actually selling “ the Office” and “Friends” to people who wanted it instead of setting up an entire streaming service.

 

[the G-man]

Conglomerates gonna conglomerate. One more step on the path of their monopoly of the film industry.

Plus, instant massive back catalogue for streaming, more than doubling their ownership of Hulu, getting Marvel rights back...

I gotta admit I find it kind of hilarious that Disney now owns a piece of Batman thanks to the 66 Fox show.

That being said, seriously, I really think the feds should be looking at the US v Paramount case again and considering whether all this vertical integration and consolidation doesn’t/shouldn’t violate antitrust laws.

 

[bdub76]

I gotta admit I find it kind of hilarious that Disney now owns a piece of Batman thanks to the 66 Fox show.

That being said, seriously, I really think the feds should be looking at the US v Paramount case again and considering whether all this vertical integration and consolidation doesn’t/shouldn’t violate antitrust laws.

Read Corey Doctorow's blog. He talks about this stuff a lot.

I find this stuff super frustrating. In the past, I could buy the physical media and watch whenever I wanted to watch. Now, if I want to watch the X-Files, I have to pay for HULU. And then the next time I want to watch again, I have to pay for HULU again assuming it still available. Eventually, this will exceed the cost of buying the physical media when it came out. I regret not buying now.

No idea why the media companies can pretend to be tech companies and lose money. Their stocks have gotten crushed as a result of this streaming war. And their only response seems to be to have FAST services and ad tiers.

 

[the G-man]

Read Corey Doctorow's blog. He talks about this stuff a lot.

I find this stuff super frustrating. In the past, I could buy the physical media and watch whenever I wanted to watch. Now, if I want to watch the X-Files, I have to pay for HULU. And then the next time I want to watch again, I have to pay for HULU again assuming it still available. Eventually, this will exceed the cost of buying the physical media when it came out. I regret not buying now.

No idea why the media companies can pretend to be tech companies and lose money. Their stocks have gotten crushed as a result of this streaming war. And their only response seems to be to have FAST services and ad tiers.

They assumed people would happily shell over monthly fees to multiple companies just to have an opportunity to watch one or two programs/movies per month.

They misunderstood their audience.

Older adults, like myself, grew up on three TV channels and (if we were lucky) recording something off the airwaves. We learned at an early age that you might not get to enjoy TV shows or movies more than once, unless you caught them in reruns or at a revival house. We watched what was available.

Younger adults don't know a time when they couldn't find what they wanted to watch when they wanted to watch it However, they're also versed in, and not particularly phased by the legal or ethical implications of, piracy and similar ways to locate something they want to see through "unofficial" methods.

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

We need to fight this---same with Right-to-repair.

CORRECT!

We, as a society, should be Anti-"Techno Feudalism".
This is horrific and needs to be fought "Tooth & Nail".

 

[Owain Taggart]

It was inevitable, but it's a shame this is happening at a time when productions are being pulled from the service. No longer is it assured that people will get to see something, even if they're paying for it.

 

[bdub76]

They assumed people would happily shell over monthly fees to multiple companies just to have an opportunity to watch one or two programs/movies per month.

They misunderstood their audience.

Older adults, like myself, grew up on three TV channels and (if we were lucky) recording something off the airwaves. We learned at an early age that you might not get to enjoy TV shows or movies more than once, unless you caught them in reruns or at a revival house. We watched what was available.

Younger adults don't know a time when they couldn't find what they wanted to watch when they wanted to watch it However, they're also versed in, and not particularly phased by the legal or ethical implications of, piracy and similar ways to locate something they want to see through "unofficial" methods.

I was an 80s kid, and I was super happy when shows I grew up watching starting coming out on DVD. I got a chance to watch a lot of old shows that I really liked, and I also learned what shows didn't age well at all. The only thing I couldn't really get as the DVDs were coming out was anime. That was a cluster as American companies wouldn't get the rights.

What's really nice about Netflix these days is that you get foreign as well as domestic content. The other streamers provide you their catalogue only. It's far less diverse. And the pricing. seems way off for what you get. Now, there are times of year where the content pricing does make sense. For example, Peacock is great for Nov and Dec. You get the fall shows, you get EPL, and you get Hallmark for Christmas. It makes far less sense the rest of the year. The content isn't there. It's too tied up with releasing stuff based on its old TV model. And Disney+ really has this problem. Not a enough new content comes out. It's really depending heavily on its back catalogue. Apple makes a little bit more sense because its pricing is better. But it's still a wait for all the content you want to watch to come out and binge watch a month or two each year.

 

[marillion]

This used to bother me more than it does now. I used to enjoy picking up DVDs of movies I really cared about. Now, I don't even know where my DVD player is (in a box somewhere in the garage). My wife and I don't watch movies much anymore, and most of the TV we watch is readily available to watch any time we want. I've never really understood the fascination with vinyl records other than nostalgia and I REALLY don't understand why cassettes are making a (albeit minor) comeback. I have stacks of DVDs and even a few VHS tapes that I'm not really sure why I'm holding onto.

 

[valkyrie013]

I remember growing up, if i wanted to watch something on TV again, I'd break out he VHS tape and Record it ( with pauses to take out the comercials) then I could watch it whenever I want. had over a 200 vhs tapes growing up. Local Fox had Tng at 9pm on rerun.
Now? I have Youtube premium so I don't have comericals, other than P+ for Trek, I don't have any other streamers. To expensive. I get them for the month or 2 that a series like the upcoming Ahsoka come out, then can it again.

 

[the G-man]

I have stacks of DVDs and even a few VHS tapes that I'm not really sure why I'm holding onto.

If you want to guarantee the ability to watch some of that stuff again you had better hold onto them.

 

[bdub76]

If you want to guarantee the ability to watch some of that stuff again you had better hold onto them.

This.

You never know when stuff will disappear.

 

[marillion]

This.

You never know when stuff will disappear.

Fair point. I don't have immediate plans to get rid of anything (as my wife reminds me). What I will eventually do (probably) is buy a few of those CD portfolios, fill them with my DVDs and recycle the cases. That's what I eventually did with my piles and piles of CDs.

 

[Starkers]

Fair point. I don't have immediate plans to get rid of anything (as my wife reminds me). What I will eventually do (probably) is buy a few of those CD portfolios, fill them with my DVDs and recycle the cases. That's what I eventually did with my piles and piles of CDs.

That's what I'm planning to do with the bulk of my DVDs one of these days, you can get binders that fit the disc and the cover which is handy as I wouldn't want to lose the covers, but losing the cases will free up a hell of a lot of room. Just need to determine whether I can put the cases in my household recycling or whether I have to do something else with them.

 

[wayoung]

I got a plastic tube thing like a decade ago. Little plate inside comes out with a list of the movies in the tube, you lift the lid, move the selector to the number, press the selector, disc comes up. Had hundreds of discs, tubes took up no space (way less than the dvd/cd books) and were fairly cheap. Then my marriage ended and my house burned down. I still have one tube but not the rest. I don't know if you can even buy them anymore. Anything I bought since it's still in its case.