CBS All Access and existing episodes

[fireproof78]

Network executives will do anything to ensure their profit, misguided or not. They certainly do dumb things. You have that right.

How dare they?

It's almost like they're trying to compete in a market.

 

[GeekUSACarl]

The theory is they don't want people subscribe for just one month to get all the episodes, then quit.

Network executives will do anything to ensure their profit, misguided or not. They certainly do dumb things. You have that right.

at the end of the day that makes them very uncompetitive compared to the bigger netflix or amazon or hulu.

 

[alex08060]

How did CBS get the license to show Discovery on CBS all access in America from Netflix ? I always though discovery will only show in Netflix.

 

[fireproof78]

How did CBS get the license to show Discovery on CBS all access in America from Netflix ? I always though discovery will only show in Netflix.

This question makes no sense. CBS owns Star Trek!
How would they need to get the license to what they own?

 

[urbandefault]

How did CBS get the license to show Discovery on CBS all access in America from Netflix ? I always though discovery will only show in Netflix.

You got that backwards. CBS owns the property, and created it for All Access. They licensed it to Netflix for distribution outside the US.

 

[alex08060]

Damn I though it was paramount pictures, in that case I’m glad the rest of the world get it on net flix.

 

[JWPlatt]

How dare they?

It's almost like they're trying to compete in a market.

They can make a profit and be customer-centric or they make a profit on their own selfish agenda. I prefer the former.

 

[JWPlatt]

at the end of the day that makes them very uncompetitive compared to the bigger netflix or amazon or hulu.

Yes. It's call lack of vision, or as in my previous message, a selfish agenda that does not put the customer first to succeed on those terms.

This question makes no sense. CBS owns Star Trek!
How would they need to get the license to what they own?

Snark.

You got that backwards. CBS owns the property, and created it for All Access. They licensed it to Netflix for distribution outside the US.

Helpful without the snark. That's how it's done.

 

[Sakonna]

The most recent news I've seen from trustworthy sources (e.g., CBS) last year was that they would maintain the most recent five episodes online. I would expect that to change the following year (a one-year lag on hosting a full season), or maybe longer if they want DVD/BD sales.

So JWPlatt, I think it's been about a year-ish now I've seen you posting again and again that the episodes are going to expire, whistling past the multiple confirmations that this is not what CBSAA is doing, and I'm curious: at what point will you admit the episodes are not expiring? When they put up episode 6 next week and episode 1 is still there, will that be the proof? Or will it just transition into a week-to-week insistence that the next episode is going to expire?

 

[fireproof78]

Yes. It's call lack of vision, or as in my previous message, a selfish agenda that does not put the customer first to succeed on those terms.

Given how much money they are putting in to it, I would say they are taking a big risk, so I don't fault them for being a little selfish, any more than I would fault anyone else with their money being cautious.

Snark..

No, genuine confusion to the question.

 

[urbandefault]

Helpful without the snark. That's how it's done.

I prefer snark, tongue firmly planted in cheek. Unfortunately, a lot of folks don't appreciate the effort.

 

[fireproof78]

I prefer snark, tongue firmly planted in cheek. Unfortunately, a lot of folks don't appreciate the effort.

Do you prefer it by default?

I'll show myself out...

 

[XCV330]

I recall reading that subscribers would be able to watch every episode of star trek, ever. That seems to include DSC

 

[JWPlatt]

So JWPlatt ... at what point will you admit the episodes are not expiring? When they put up episode 6 next week and episode 1 is still there, will that be the proof?

When I see the policy stated directly by CBS or, as you say, empirically observed. I'm a scientist. It's not a matter of admission, but of observable evidence in support.

Of observing the evidence, the library of CBS series on CBSAA is seriously lacking in support of their full library and back seasons, but that only implies how they'll handle Discovery - not the actual outcome. They do seem to have Trek well-covered.

 

[JWPlatt]

So JWPlatt, I think it's been about a year-ish now I've seen you posting again and again that the episodes are going to expire, whistling past the multiple confirmations that this is not what CBSAA is doing, and I'm curious: at what point will you admit the episodes are not expiring? When they put up episode 6 next week and episode 1 is still there, will that be the proof? Or will it just transition into a week-to-week insistence that the next episode is going to expire?

When I see the policy stated directly by CBS or, as you say, empirically observed. I'm a scientist. It's not a matter of admission, but of observable evidence in support.

Of observing the evidence, the library of CBS series on CBSAA is seriously lacking in support of their full library and back seasons, but that only implies how they'll handle Discovery - not the actual outcome. They do seem to have Trek well-covered.

I always appreciate follow-ups to provide clarity, so here's something that might help:

I cancelled my CBS All Access, as anyone here tracking my discussions, such as yourself, knew I would. I chose "other" on the list of reasons on their cancellation page and wrote down essentially what I've been writing here in various discussions. It was too long and the cancellation system only told me that while summarily closing the page without a chance to edit it. So I sent a copy of the full text to customer support. Their reply was actually a good one. I'm impressed that even if they're pulling from script, it was tailored to my complaints. And, in fact, they anticipated the complaint I made here that they would only carry the most recent five episodes. To witt:

My letter:

I will not subscribe to a tiered system where we have to pay to watch commercials, then pay more to not watch commercials. I will watch commercials on free TV. That's fine. And I will pay for no commercials, but ONLY IF you offer free streaming with commercials. The tiered system offends me.

CBS All Access is ONE CHANNEL, so it's not anything like a cable subscription with multiple channels. Every channel (e.g., CBS) charging its own fee is a Death of a Thousand Cuts, and I will not participate in that.

Also, you are not committed to maintaining your full library. I want all your shows ever produced, and every season of those shows. Not just a few shows with one or a few seasons, but ALL shows and ALL seasons. THAT would be worth something.

As it stands, CBS All Access is not useful to me except Star Trek, and though I've been a solid Trekkie since the Original Series, I feel manipulated by your strategy. All these factors force me to cancel. Call me when you are willing to do the right thing.

CBS response:

Thank you contacting CBA All Access and thank you for taking the additional time to reach out to us via email as there was not enough character space on our cancellation page. We appreciate your feedback and would like to respond on some of the items you mentioned with hope of a better understanding of the streaming service we offer.

CBA All Access is not one channel, but is an online streaming service that offers the most CBS content available on the market. There are other services that offer CBS content, but not as much as CBS All Access. Now having said that, some of the shows that air on our TV stations are produced by independent production companies. We at CBS All Access negotiate for digital streaming rights with those companies. Through those negotiations we are able to deliver a certain number of episodes which have aired during this current season running. We are constantly striving to add more content. In fact, beginning this season our subscribers have access to even more of their favorite shows because where we only had rights to have 5 episodes or 7 episodes trailing we now have rights to the entire current season stacked . Some of these shows are The Big Bang Theory, Criminal Minds and Mom. Non-subscribers will still only be able to access Trailing 5 episodes for free.

The commercials you see in our limited commercial plan are far less than the commercials you would see on live television, but they are commercials, none the less. Some subscribers choose the commercial free plan as an alternative to the limited commercial plan. However, it should be pointed out that although there are no manufacturer advertisements, there may be a 10 sec promotional interruption to inform subscribers of new and upcoming CBS All Access content. Many of the shows in our library have no commercials or promotional interruptions at all.

Your feedback is always welcomed and appreciated. We are always working on ways to improve the streaming experience and your feedback is an important part of that. Again, thanks for taking the time to contact us.

Warm Regards,
CBS Support Team

You might want to note that the CBS Support Team did not use Star Trek Discovery as an example of one for which they "now have rights to the entire current season stacked." Go figure. So what does that omission mean? It's not proof either way of how many episodes will be available although, obviously, we have eight episodes available right now. The "trailing five episodes" apparently at least came from early announcements about the subscription model related to free trials.

 

[cylkoth]

You might want to note that the CBS Support Team did not use Star Trek Discovery as an example of one for which they "now have rights to the entire current season stacked." Go figure. So what does that omission mean?

They did not use DISC as and an example because DISC does not AIR ON THE CBS BROADCAST NETWORK. Stacking rights-or the availability of the last 5 episodes shown on the broadcast network, is a distribution limit imposed by the studios owning the shows, and is reserved entirely for weekly series running on broadcast-and cable networks. This does not apply to either DISC or The Good Wife All Access spin-off, The Good Fight.

 

[Sakonna]

I am astounded by that response from CBSAA! That is so specific and detailed, I would have expected a much more generic communication. Here's a sentence I can't remember saying in years/decades: good job from the customer service department!

You might want to note that the CBS Support Team did not use Star Trek Discovery as an example of one for which they "now have rights to the entire current season stacked." Go figure. So what does that omission mean?

It means they are referring to shows they have licensed from outside production companies, which does not describe Discovery.

It's not proof either way of how many episodes will be available although, obviously, we have eight episodes available right now. The "trailing five episodes" apparently at least came from early announcements about the subscription model related to free trials.

"Trailing five episodes" is common terminology. For deals between streaming services and outside production companies. Which, again, has nothing to do with the relationship of Discovery and CBSAA.

But I'll give you this, you are committed to finding ways to keep this going! When Season 2 is about to premiere, let me know if you're still watching them to see if that's the moment they pull down season one.

 

[JWPlatt]

Yes, the Customer Service message is one of the more satisfying I've received, including such things as the candid, perhaps even compassionate, "...but they are commercials, none the less" despite knowing it would not convince me to resubscribe. And it left me with more understanding of the details and less enmity.

Heh, I don't think they'll pull season one, and retaining all seasons is a good bet, judging by the other Trek series. Originally, I expected the "trailing five," but then restore all of season one at the outset of season two as motivation to stay subscribed during season one. That's not turning out to be true, which is also less cynical than I expected from corporate suits.

 

[MvRojo]

I suppose this is subjective, but it's always struck me as odd how Netflix is just leaps and bounds ahead of any other streaming service, in terms of the interface and app design. Scrolling through Netflix is almost as fun as actually watching something on Netflix, it's so easy to control moving around within an episode, it's highly intuitive, it almost never glitches. Compared to that, I think CBSAA is pretty shitty -- but about equally as shitty as Hulu, HBO Now, Amazon Prime, etc.

I just can never figure out why Netflix is the only one of these companies who can really master this side of it. All these other companies certainly have no shortage of resources! They should be able to catch up!

I also remain baffled that CBSAA has only the old SD versions of TNG.

Netflix's interface hasn't always been great. It had prior iterations that weren't as great.