I honestly doubt it was worth the expense. You essentially had to staff or contract with a call center in order to provide "customer service." That gets expensive, especially went call center retention is garbage.
Star Trek: Discovery: Aggravated that CBS will charge us
- Thread starter Arnie98683
- Start date
This post used a lot of words to say "people can do whatever they want."
I am extremely concerned to learn that some members here have already assumed this crushing monthly burden. How are you continuing to feed yourselves and put a roof over your heads? Should we start a GoFundMe to save you all from imminent homelessness?
Though seriously... I do have some sympathy for those who are so strapped they just can't do it. I've been there, where the budget was so tight that even tiny discretionary purchases couldn't be justified. But at the time, I didn't imagine entertainment should become free simply because I wanted to have it and couldn't afford it.
(And in practice, I don't think I've actually seen anyone complain about it from that angle. It's always framed in this annoying "I just want it free!" or "I just want it to be on Netflix!" way. Yeah, it would be great if the things we wanted were given to us for free somehow, and the point is... ?)
The world is moving towards streaming and away from cable/broadcast. The content providers have to adjust their pricing model in order to accommodate this shift. Instead of barraging us with up to 20 minutes/hour of commercials, they bill us directly. So you are either paying with time or paying with money. As someone who is highly intolerant of commercials, I will gladly pay reasonable money.
In the '70s top shows on the Big 3 had 60-80 million viewers. Fast forward to ENT which premiered with 12.5 million viewers and was considered successful. Today CBS is scrambling to pay catch up by leveraging Trek to help get 4 million viewers on their streaming service because they know traditional delivery channels are fading away. Imagine the impact of this economic trend on CBS. The size of the viewing audience has increased but they are chasing smaller and smaller pieces of the pie to stay in business. They know they have to get into streaming big time or die a slow death. The other content providers are in the same position. They see consumers are willing to pay for streaming and are therefore charging what they perceive the value is.
So face it, people are going to have to pay for more and more streaming content, either by subscription or pay per view. It's going to be worked into budgets just like cable gradually was. And the providers will be trying to provide compelling content so they can compete for those dollars. And Trek has become part of that trend.
In the '70s top shows on the Big 3 had 60-80 million viewers. Fast forward to ENT which premiered with 12.5 million viewers and was considered successful. Today CBS is scrambling to pay catch up by leveraging Trek to help get 4 million viewers on their streaming service because they know traditional delivery channels are fading away. Imagine the impact of this economic trend on CBS. The size of the viewing audience has increased but they are chasing smaller and smaller pieces of the pie to stay in business. They know they have to get into streaming big time or die a slow death. The other content providers are in the same position. They see consumers are willing to pay for streaming and are therefore charging what they perceive the value is.
So face it, people are going to have to pay for more and more streaming content, either by subscription or pay per view. It's going to be worked into budgets just like cable gradually was. And the providers will be trying to provide compelling content so they can compete for those dollars. And Trek has become part of that trend.
Okay, last post here.. It occurs to me what an utter waste of time this last week or so has been. Analysing the show, trying to get into it. Even ostracised for two days. The hyperbole and theatrics, the angst over this and that and the hypocrisy over a different this and that, the pigeon holing and for what? Seriously is Discovery not going to be normal TV? Let's get it clear what normal TV is for a drop kick, ordinary 'lady' like myself is. It is check your TV guide and see Discovery listed on a local channel and then tune in and watch. No it doesn't mean sign up for unlimited downloads from an Internet Provider and then a Netflix subscription. If the other Star Trek productions were free TV then this one should be too. If it is that obscure that it can't be supported by a series of adverts trying to sell insurance policies to Baby Boomers and cheap loans to Generation Give me a Credit Card I don't Have to Pay Off, then it is a very sad day for the franchise.
Wow. Good luck with it.
Backs out now..
Wow. Good luck with it.
Backs out now..
it is sad, but that is where the world is moving.
Before you go, or rather, before you claim to go but actually stay, let me take a moment to savor the condescending but nonsensical lecture about generational entitlement and hypocrisy in the middle of a rant about being entitled to a free TV show, because it's such a delicious lack of self-awareness.
"Ostracized for two whole days."
Save the drama for your momma. We're all stocked-up here.
Voyager and Enterprise weren't exactly on free TV for many of us. In many markets they were on stations that could only be picked up if one had a cable subscription. In other markets, they were pre-empted so often, the only way to see the complete series was to buy the DVD's later on.
You'll make the brave stand of skipping it, only to buy/rent the DVD/Blu-ray/Stream later on. So, you'll be paying for Discovery one way or another.
You can't pay for Star Trek!!!
I think "Star Trek" is, by far, my most expensive hobby. What's another $18-$20 a year?
Apparently a matter of a life or death.
Funny thing is, I will probably only watch Discovery. But, once we start subscribing, I'll likely never hear from my mother-in-law again. She loves the stuff that CBS plays. My wife watches The Big Bang Theory.
The subscription fee definitely won't be a waste.
So, everybody wins.
So... it should be free/broadcast on normal TV, because previous series were? Or because you want it that way?
We're lucky we're getting any Star Trek on the small screen. Now you want to complain about it's method of delivery?
Star Trek has often been used to launch new TV models not beause it is obscure but beause it is popular.
TNG/DS9 were the shows that started shows being distributed via first run syndication. When TNG launched there were lots of questions if that distribution model would work. It did and launched a bunch of other shows in the process.
When Parmount wanted to start their own TV network what show did they make the flagship to launch it with? Star Trek Voyager (and Later enterprise). Again they were taking a risk with trying to launch a new network and used Star Trek to launch it.
So using Star Trek to help launch their streaming video service is not new at all for Star Trek. They know it is a popular property and so yet again it is being used to help attract viewers just like it has been used many times in the past.
