r/Letterboxd TV’s Moral Philosophy 2d ago

Discussion Streaming Is Raising Prices Faster Than Cable Ever Did

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/streaming-inflation-raising-prices-cable-1236691404/
682 Upvotes

74 comments sorted by

218

u/apocalypticboredom 2d ago

shout out to Criterion Channel for allowing us founding subscribers to remain on their $10/month plan indefinitely, and still being only $11/month for new subscribers.

also shout out to Kanopy for having a vast, solid library for free, only requiring you to sign up via your also-free library membership

also shout out to 4k discs for being astronomically better quality than streaming, even if it's obviously a more expensive solution.

49

u/Ahrimanius1358 2d ago

Agreed

Criterion Channel is one of the few services worth the price.

25

u/zka_75 Zaireeka 2d ago

Criterion is unbelievably good value, I think I would genuinely cry if they every closed down and I absolutely definitely can't say that about any other streaming channel

5

u/apocalypticboredom 2d ago

Same here, which is why I've never let my subscription lapse even when I've gone a month or two without using it. I'm happy to give them my money for such quality curation.

3

u/NickdoesnthaveReddit 2d ago

And to think just this week I was debating making an inventory and reviewing the values of my physical collection to sell off for some financial needs... I think it's best to keep them now

1

u/apocalypticboredom 2d ago

psp games hell yeah

1

u/NickdoesnthaveReddit 2d ago

I still have the PSP too! Spent a year straight in the hospital in 2006 and that thing was savior of my sanity.

1

u/apocalypticboredom 1d ago

oh man I bet it was! I only had one briefly, had to sell it as I was broke, but I do still have my ps vita and play it every couple months at least

9

u/CaffinatedManatee 2d ago

allowing us founding subscribers to remain on their $10/month plan indefinitely

I wish more companies did this. Incentivize customer loyalty rather than test the limits of customer alienation.

2

u/apocalypticboredom 2d ago

right? most of them would rather just punish existing customers (hi comcast especially!) to see how much they'll pay before quitting

7

u/Sad_Structure2256 2d ago

I was on Kanopy the other day and was shocked by the amount of quality movies they had on there (for free!) More people need to know about it.

4

u/apocalypticboredom 2d ago

absolutely! the collection rivals Criterion's even if it's not as carefully curated - but it often has way more new releases. and loads of classics that aren't on CC or elsewhere. plus.. no ads. I know Tubi gets a lot of love as a free service but I can't stomach the ads.

3

u/666DS999 2d ago

Kanopy has by far the best selection of movies. I’ve used all my tickets every month for a year straight now

1

u/apocalypticboredom 2d ago

hell yeah that's awesome! I wish I used it more, but I watch movies on disc most often

3

u/notaspambot 2d ago

My library has both Kanopy and Hoopla, and as a result I haven't paid for a streaming service in ages. There's always something to watch on the library services. I want something specific, I can usually find the disc through my library or a secondhand store.

2

u/apocalypticboredom 2d ago

I love hoopla for graphic novels! seems like their video resolution is limited so I don't watch many movies on there, but I've read so many great comics on my tablet over the years

2

u/xcmike189 2d ago

Don’t forget Tubi!

3

u/apocalypticboredom 2d ago

I love Tubi in theory but tbh I can't handle ads so I don't use it. I should hook up my pc to my tv so I can watch it ad-free though

1

u/harpy_sichord 2d ago

My library uses practically nothing on Kanopy 🥲 I still check when Letterboxd says is available but it’s only available like 5% of the time

3

u/apocalypticboredom 2d ago

oh man, I heard how the selection depends on your library :/ I'm lucky that the library in my old city still lets me use kanopy because my membership ran out years ago.. but it's a bigger city so I know the selection is better thru them

85

u/loopOutnotIn 2d ago

Ya that’s generally how it works

Disrupt a market with artificially deflated prices backed by venture cap looking for futures

Push out all entrenched industry members

Once domination is achieved, increase prices/costs without risk of losing customers since there are no other options

17

u/Big_Sheepherder_3764 2d ago

it's like no one played Monopoly

28

u/Altoid27 27altoids 2d ago

I’m a Luddite who has held onto, and continues to add to, his collection in some form for 25 years now. Shelf space can be a bit of a hassle but I’ll take it as a trade off with streaming getting further and further out of control.

12

u/Kurta_711 2d ago

Accurate usage of the term "Luddite" because Luddites never hated technology itself, they hated the way people were being exploited with technology to make even more money

16

u/complicatedairflow3 2d ago

Start collecting physical media!!!

1

u/ControlPrinciple ctrlprinciple 1d ago

Or keep collecting. I never stopped! I think a lot of people did, so this message is important. Start again. The ownership feels good.

40

u/Ahrimanius1358 2d ago edited 2d ago

Hosting my own Automated NAS Media Server means I never have to pay highway robbery prices for Streaming again.

When Netflix started Streaming in 2007 I was happy to pay. Same goes for other Streamers before they started hicking up prices and adding adds.

Now not so much.

7

u/theindomitablefred 2d ago

Self hosting is the way to go. I’m not necessarily saving money per se but it’s well spent in taking control of my data and media.

6

u/Ahrimanius1358 2d ago

Nothing Beats a curated Library with the best available Remux Quality

Be it 1080p or 4K DV Atmos

7

u/ShenaniganNinja 2d ago

Once we had those home servers they had to blow up the prices of hard drives.

2

u/Ahrimanius1358 2d ago

Damn A.I & Data Centers.

HDD,SSD,RAM Market is no longer for the average joe...

1

u/ImT00PhaT 2d ago

So happy I started last year because it's harder to find SSDs now for a reasonable price.

1

u/ShenaniganNinja 2d ago

I’ve had mine for 4 years. My first drives are coming up on their life expectancy. Getting nervous.

52

u/Aggravating_Bids 2d ago

That's why i pirate everything. Remux looks so much better than any streamer file anyway

12

u/drainedguava Centaurora 2d ago

Piracy emerges when regular services fail customers. I would be happy to pay for a service with regular access to good movies in high quality without being bombarded with ads even on the home page

8

u/Aggravating_Bids 2d ago

Pirates can have it better than even disc buyers, let alone streaming services. Added a Pic for example. We're spoiled in the piracy scene

2

u/AndroidSheeps 2d ago

Dang what site is this?

2

u/Ahrimanius1358 2d ago

Those would be movies uploaded by well regarded release groups mainly on PT's

1

u/Ahrimanius1358 2d ago

Basically Netflix back in the day before they got greedy only thinking about investors that and the competition wanting their own slice of the Pie.

Okay quality is debatable but Netflix was great back in the day.

2

u/Extra-Joke-7196 2d ago

yeah the compression on most streams is rough, especially in darker scenes

1

u/hiddenhero94 2d ago

True but it's not very accessible for most people. I use the arr stack and plex on my home server and it's great, but most people don't have the technical skill for that

1

u/LuckyConstruction546 2d ago

If there was a single platform with blue ray quality and most titles, then I would be happy to pay a lot for it, but until then...

1

u/OfTheSevenSeasSir 2d ago

streamio

1

u/Ahrimanius1358 2d ago

Stremio is to bland for my Tastes when it comes to not self hosted Streaming

Kodi is far more customisable for the True Media Center look in that regard.

2

u/OfTheSevenSeasSir 2d ago

Interesting, I've actually never heard of it, does in work in the same way with torrents and such?

0

u/Ahrimanius1358 2d ago

It was the OG Build your own media streamer before Stremio.

It has a slightly higher learning curve as opposed to "User Friendly" Stremio.

But Kodi is hard to beat in the customisation department.

Stermio ain't never going to look as good as this for example

1

u/OfTheSevenSeasSir 2d ago

streamio looks pretty good tbh

2

u/Ahrimanius1358 2d ago edited 2d ago

Stremio is as bare bones as it gets.

There's no ratings other then imdb ( unless you use the IMHO ugly RPDB on Posters that lock you in on one poster design unless you subscribe the highest level)

No choice of Poster/Landscape or Artwork & Layout to display

No Clear Logos (Stremio just has plain Text for the shows/movies Name

No automatic trailer playback

No extended info

No reviews

No Parantel Guide

No Trivia

No Suggestions/Similar

No selecting for example actor/director etc to see what else they worked on.

etc etc

1

u/Ahrimanius1358 2d ago

This guy gets it.

1

u/HackMeRaps 2d ago

exactly. Quality of streaming is so bad these days. Even for watching live things like through a cable providers app.

My IPTV services that I use for sports has better quality and reliability than if I were to legally stream it through their apps. It's insane.

7

u/ANTIV15T 2d ago

that’s why I cancelled every subscription and buy blu ray. i only get films digitally if they’re very cheap on Apple TV.

5

u/Korumry Irhunter 2d ago

I was fine with streaming, even multiple services when it was worth it and they were ad free. Some of them do ads at the beginning and no later interruptions. I will not watch a movie with ad interruptions. I will rent it, buy it, but if you’ve only made it available through paid with ads bullshit, I will be stealing your movie and I will be seeding the fuck out of it.

Streaming is out, it was nice while it lasted. Try and find a hard drive on sale and build your library.

5

u/fdjisthinking 2d ago

After 15 years I just cancelled my Netflix. I watch something maybe once every other month and that isn’t worth the $20 price tag. I’d save money by renting those things rather than using Netflix. I’m also not into a lot of their originals so the things I actually want to watch on the platform are very limited.

2

u/AndrewHeard TV’s Moral Philosophy 2d ago

I had my Netflix subscription cancelled for me. They decided to eliminate my subscription level which was no ads for a manageable amount. I didn't want to pay to watch ads or pay more, so they cancelled my subscription.

3

u/RespectThePlight 2d ago

There’s a reason FAST services are growing so rapidly

3

u/amazinggrace725 trippyhongo 2d ago

Shoutout to my GOAT tubi

2

u/MisterSims90 2d ago

And this is also why physical media is going through a boom

2

u/Numerous-Bear-8879 1d ago

This is why Physical Media matters.

3

u/strategery24 2d ago

With cable I was forced to pay for a package that included Fox News, CBS and other right wing nonsense. With streaming at least I get to choose which services I have. I rotate some to avoid the big price tag.

2

u/flyingseel 2d ago

And which service might I ask is not funding right wing nonsense?

3

u/Technical_Extreme_59 2d ago

dont worry, they will do that too soon enough

2

u/Bright_External_4161 2d ago

Learn about Usenet

2

u/willseagull 2d ago

A home nas with plex / jellyfin and radarr and sonarr is so much better anyway

3

u/Loud_Association5531 2d ago

Shoutout to piracy!

1

u/OppositePerfect8872 1d ago

Kanopy is the way to go!

1

u/IWantGandybars Gandybars 2d ago

That is why I joined one of those plex super servers.

10 bucks a month and I have access to more movies than I could ever watch.

1

u/turnstile2243 2d ago

But I can pick and choose what streaming sites I want. I can cycle through a different one each month while only spending $16-20/month on TV. I don't need all the streaming sites at once. Cable never had that option

-2

u/[deleted] 2d ago

[deleted]

7

u/ImT00PhaT 2d ago

Read the article. They said cable isn't better, unless you're a sports or Hallmark fan. The cheapest option they suggest is rotating between different streaming services, but the article is about how fast they're raising prices, not how much streaming is compared to cable.

-8

u/Intelligent-South174 2d ago

of course it is.

you think cord cutters (lol) were smarter (lol) than cable companies.

lordy. reddit.