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

[Zardnaar]

Aarrgh.

Stuff

i.stuff.co.nz

4 days no big deal to wait.

 

[ccs]

My idea is that they can tag the date you watched an episode and make you wait a week before unlocking the next one. Period. Thus limiting to one week at a time, regardless of original date of release.

Ok, so you're just speculating the worst possible "What If...." (this is not made clear in this thread btw)

So if I sign up for D+ come Jan. I can watch all of Mandolrian S1 in one (well likely two) evenings.

 

[ccs]

In case it is a great business idea, find a way to patent, copyright or whatever this idea so you get at least stinking filthy rich ruining streaming for the rest of us.

I will look into that.
A) I might get rich!
B) At the worst I might prevent it from being implemented.

Sadly though I suspect somebody (probably the Mouse) has beaten us all to it. But just in case....

 

[Morrus]

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.

Nope. That's not what I mean at all.

I mean that if you make it so people can't watch it legally (eg pay to watch it) they'll find some other way to watch it.

One of the biggest causes of piracy isn't people who won't pay -- it's that large group of people who would happily pay and watch it legally if they could, but aren't allowed to do so.

Take The Mandalorian -- people in Europe would happily sign up to Disney+ and watch it. They can't; so they're pirating it en-masse. Partly because they don't want to wait until March 2020, partly to avoid spoilers.

Now with @Janx's hypothetical idea, what we're doing is allowing people to sign up and start watching it. And then we're withholding the rest just out of reach. The temptation is even greater, because you want to see what happens next. But in this model, the rest of the season is out there -- it's not like The Mandalorian where everybody has to wait together. It's just that your provider is making you wait a week for each new episode, even though the guy down the street is on Episode 6.

So instead of being forced to wait a week for each episode, people would just pirate the entire season and binge it. In that scenario, you'd be guaranteeing your show would be pirated.

 

[Janx]

Ok, so you're just speculating the worst possible "What If...." (this is not made clear in this thread btw)

So if I sign up for D+ come Jan. I can watch all of Mandolrian S1 in one (well likely two) evenings.

yes. You'll be just fine.

 

[Janx]

Take The Mandalorian -- people in Europe would happily sign up to Disney+ and watch it. They can't; so they're pirating it en-masse. Partly because they don't want to wait until March 2020, partly to avoid spoilers.

Now with @Janx's hypothetical idea, what we're doing is allowing people to sign up and start watching it. And then we're withholding the rest just out of reach. The temptation is even greater, because you want to see what happens next. But in this model, the rest of the season is out there -- it's not like The Mandalorian where everybody has to wait together. It's just that your provider is making you wait a week for each new episode, even though the guy down the street is on Episode 6.

So instead of being forced to wait a week for each episode, people would just pirate the entire season and binge it. In that scenario, you'd be guaranteeing your show would be pirated.

Very good point.

 

[Eltab]

I think this is an excellent concept to add to Parental Controls. The kids cannot binge-watch on their device during the school year, they find their time freed up to do homework.