this is sort of why I was puzzled by the original posters “objection” which is then cryptically added upon again.
We have two basics parts of the system here: Creation and Distribution. And in the case of someone like HBO, Netflix, and Amazon…they are doing both. In fact the pioneer in this was always HBO and everyone has realized “Hey…that model works fairly well, we should do it too!”
The positives for consumers is: you get mass produced content still by large and small studios alike and you get niche content that doesn’t rely on mass appeal, support, or distribution. Stranger Things, Game of Thrones, Last Week Tonight, Man in the High Castle…all examples of the later.
The negatives are you either have to subscribe to their specific services or you to the distribution services they choose to network with. 10 years ago for example…you had to have cable or sat to get access to pay for HBO.
The landscape shift where these companies are now allowing you to disconnect from cable and get them directly is a GOOD thing, despite the inconvenience of managing multiple subscriptions and such. I agree its a pain…but I will take this imperfect step for where this eventual evolution is heading. It in fact destroys the monopoly that Cable and Sat companies have held…we can begin getting our media services elsewhere and we can then pick and choose which ones suit us best: Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Disney, HBO, etc etc.
The idea or notion that somehow Netflix is purposefully withholding their content from mass market just to con someone into signing up for their service is utterly absurd and ridiculous and holds no water whatsoever.
Many folks here are saying “I love Coen Brothers films…awesome!” but the mass market doesn’t. True Grit was their biggest box office at $252m. Their last film Hail, Caesar made $64mil. The mass market doesn’t want these films!!! So Netflix and HBO and these others are what help get these things made…the price we pay is having a smaller service to subscribe and get access to it. That is where the media world has been headed for anything that is not a big summer blockbuster or mainstream network show.
The quote above “this too shall pass” …oh fuck no it won’t. And thinking so, is merely screaming at a mountain to move. This is the future for content development and distribution.
