Terrible idea: streaming services to only unlock the next episode a week after you watch the last one.

[Janx]

You still have the issue of asking folks to pay up front. If you want to pay up front for several seasons (a "complete story"), we are talking tens to hundreds of millions of dollars for a premium TV show. That's.. a very large investment for crowdfunding.

And, now that you are adding a sense of entitlement - what do you do when folks start saying, "I didn't pay for the story to go in this direction! I didn't pay to see my favorite character die!" or what have you?

You're not wrong, but you're also not 100% correct.

You're making a slippery slope argument. Making sure they plan an exit strategy is not the same as guaranteeing everybody will like the story.

Stranger Things demonstrates that they can write and film a complete season that completes a story and still leave threads for another season.

Babylon 5 demonstrates that you can plan the entire series, not just a season in advance, and account for actors leaving and changing networks. Even if people didn't like the last season as much. Mission accomplished.

The OA was largely unresolved in a huge cliffhanger. Exciting, but why would I advise any friend to watch it, knowing that its incomplete.

TV Land is littered with canceled TV shows. It's not a new problem. But the world has changed and now we pay directly to the producers. Maybe we ought to get something for that.

 

[Salthorae]

While a lot of people talk about taking one month, binging, and then turning it off,

I managed it for GoT on HBO. I signed up and binge-watched 7 seasons on the free trial in the years between 7 & 8. Then when season 8 had released 4 episodes, I signed up the day 5 dropped and finished 8 within one month. So I paid $14.99 to watch all 8 seasons of GoT. Totally worth it.

if they switch to a model that marks your account and only makes a next episode available a week later, they wouldn't have even gotten my $14.99 from me.

 

[CleverNickName]

I don't know a whole lot about the entertainment industry, especially Internet broadcasting. But I do know how I consume streaming content: I'm a binge watcher. I won't wait hours in line for some trendy avocado toast, and I won't wait days or weeks to watch the next episode of a trendy television show.

It's just television, something I use to pass the time. I'm perfectly content to turn it off and play video games instead.

 

[Zardnaar]

I don't see any of them doing this.

I suspect things will start to move away from binge watching. 6 or 12 decent shows a year doesn't cut it when a season is only 10 episodes most streaming sites don't have 6 to 12 shows to get excited about.

Binge watching preexisting content is fun especially if you find something you like with 10 existing seasons.

Most if the time you're paying to watch a back catalog. I think we're gonna get Disney+ for a couple of months watch Mandalorian, Gargoyle's, some movies and cancel.

We'll probably end up with 3 services. Netflix, Amazon and floating and we get Amazon for free probably change ISPs to get whatever free deal they're offering.

 

[Umbran]

Ever heard of "The Fantasy Network"

Nope. Should I have?

 

[Umbran]

You're making a slippery slope argument.

Not quite. One moment...

Making sure they plan an exit strategy is not the same as guaranteeing everybody will like the story.

You started this with your own personal bugaboo - you don't like it when they don't wrap up a story with a purpose-built end. But, in media appreciation, the end is not really all that special. Other folks don't care about the end - they care that the villain gets a kick in the pants.. or they care about their personally favorite romantic relationship, or what have you.

Your personal "I want it done this way" is in no way superior to anyone else's. Why should we be so focused on your particular desires? If you get your preference met, they should be able to get theirs - their money is as good as yours!

This isn't a slippery slope argument - it is recognizing that your personal desires are not due special consideration.

Stranger Things demonstrates that they can write and film a complete season that completes a story and still leave threads for another season.

And if they leave the wrong threads unresolved, are you going to say it wasn't a proper end?

Oh, and "they" are not some unified whole. The folks making Stranger Things are, pretty clearly, special in the field. It is possible for someone to do this - that doesn't mean every production group can. The number of folks with teh skills and sensibilities for this are probably limited.

Babylon 5 demonstrates that you can plan the entire series, not just a season in advance, and account for actors leaving and changing networks. Even if people didn't like the last season as much. Mission accomplished.

Again, you use one of the best shows in existence as a sign that everyone could do it, and logically that just does not follow. JMS is not just every author. And, guess what, even his accounting didn't handle all of the issues that came up. Oh, and by the way, JMS has noted that the stress of the show was not good for his health - it was 5 years that aged him significantly. Other authors/showrunners probably would have folded, and then... you'd not have gotten a satisfying end to the show, as the minds behind it would leave abruptly.

So, no, this should not be an expected standard.

TV Land is littered with canceled TV shows. It's not a new problem. But the world has changed and now we pay directly to the producers. Maybe we ought to get something for that.

Yeah, you see, there's that entitlement again.

 

[Ryujin]

Nope. Should I have?

Based on the information I got by sitting in on a discussion prior to its launch, it sort of fits what you're talking about (Kickstarter TV). It's a co-op between a bunch of indie show and web series producers; Zombie Orpheus Entertainment ("The Gamers", "JourneyQuest"...), The Forge Studios ("The Fellows Hip", "Rangers"...), Arrowstorm Entertainment ("Mythica", "The Outpost" on CW) and many others. It's a streaming site, with a monthly subscription charge, but they offer many of the production houses' back catalogues for free viewing. the new stuff is behind paywall for a while, then later joins the free stuff.

They're currently using Kickstarter for much of the content, but apparently the eventual intent is to also create their own content specific crowd funding service. At least that was in the panel discussion I sat in on. There's an area on thefantasy.network website where you can vote for what you want to be made next, by signing up for it with your email address. Given that the content producers' back catalogues are available to be watched you'll have a pretty good idea if you'll like what's coming next, and (ideally) the shows get paid for up-front with subscriptions, and through the specific crowd funding for the productions.

 

[Umbran]

Based on the information I got by sitting in on a discussion prior to its launch, it sort of fits what you're talking about (Kickstarter TV).

Overall, sounds cool. Noting wrong with trying out a new funding paradigm. I wish them good luck.

 

[Morrus]

It’s certainly a good way to guarantee your shows are the most pirated! The only thing more likely to guarantee widespread piracy than denying your product to potential customers is to hook them first and then deny them it.

 

[Umbran]

It’s certainly a good way to guarantee your shows are the most pirated!

I'm not sure what you mean. Is this basically, "a good way to guarantee your content is pirated is to make people pay for it"?

Anything that isn't outright advertising-based broadcast is denied to those who aren't paying some specific provider.