I don’t do any streaming, having given up my Netflix account some years ago. When I do see TV it’s in hotels when I’m working. But last week I was away helping a friend recover from a surgery, and they had several streaming accounts set up on their TV. So I had the time to reacquaint myself with the TV, movie and sports world of the current day. Was I impressed? Not so much.
“Hey, let’s watch The Office”, my friend groans from under heavy medication. Nope, can’t. Not on such-and-such streaming service anymore.
“Cubs game?”
I check. Nope - depending on where you are you might need more than one streaming service to see any given Cubs game. This has been discussed in the MLB thread.
So the availability isn’t great. Now, I’m a child of the 70s and lived with just three channels on a black and white TV for a long time. So I realize these are first world problems. But, in the world we are currently occupying, friend and I found this annoying and unsatisfying.
Apart from needing several services to see the various things you might like, there is the issue of ownership.
Friend and I had earlier talked about watching The Great Escape together. Nope, at least not on anything they were subscribed to. Could have paid for a viewing on one or more services, but here’s the thing… I have a copy of The Great Escape on DVD, so I’m not inclined to pay for it again.
Call me cynical, but I think this is exactly what the media companies want. They had decades of people taping stuff with VHS, and now they have constructed a subscription system which means we likely don’t own physical copies of our movies, TV and music. So when Netflix gets rid of The Office, tough titty. Pay for it again on demand.
After coming home I mentioned this to another friend, who, it turns out also takes a dim view of the current media climate. Their solution is to pirate media, thereby ensuring they have copies they can watch any time.
Now, I’m being careful here. I even started a thread asking if and how I could post this opinion. So I said to my friend, “Isn’t that illegal?”
Their reply: “I’m sure it is, but I feel no guilt about it. I’ve bought media for years in various forms, but they have now chosen to make it available only under onerous terms. Fuck 'em.”
I’m a rules follower, for the most part. But I can’t say this changes my feelings about Pirate Friend. Worse than ripping a tag off a mattress? Probably. Does it make them a bad person? I’d have to say no. And based on my experience last week, I think I sympathize.
Posted this in the Pit, but thought about IMHO and Great Debates. Mods, kindly move as needed.