$30-$40/month for access to a bunch of old shows is sort of a joke... especially if you can get entire seasons of shows on DVD for closeout prices of $13-$20 each...
uh... $20 per season on DVD sure adds up to a lot MORE than $40 pretty quick. Plus the whole reason I don't purchase TV shows on iTunes now is that... I don't want to OWN them, just watch them once. Same with the DVD's - I don't want to OWN them.
I'd love it if iTunes would even just allow TV series rentals - instead of purchases. I'd take that over a monthly subscription if the fee was nominal.
Hulu is not the same as having a download for your apple tv or iPod. Plenty of non techies don't want to watch on hulu, they want seamless viewing in the living room. Last time I looked at boxee for atv it wasn't ready for people who don't have time to mess around.
I'm willing to pay for convenience and flexibility.
Hulu is not the same as having a download for your apple tv or iPod. Plenty of non techies don't want to watch on hulu, they want seamless viewing in the living room. Last time I looked at boxee for atv it wasn't ready for people who don't have time to mess around.
I'm willing to pay for convenience and flexibility.
Agreed. I do not want to watch TV on my computer, but in my living room - or even "on the go" (iPhone).
Hulu is not the same as having a download for your apple tv or iPod. Plenty of non techies don't want to watch on hulu, they want seamless viewing in the living room. Last time I looked at boxee for atv it wasn't ready for people who don't have time to mess around.
I'm willing to pay for convenience and flexibility.
Even for us “techies” Hulu on the AppleTV via Boxee is a poor experience. The machine is just too slow to run Flash with 480p video without issues. I think they still haven’t been able to get HW acceleration going, but maybe Flash 10 fixed that.
A cheaper and better way to go if you want Hulu in your living room (and are willing to deal with the quality) is an HTPC. Hulu makes an app for Windows, Linux and OS X with the 10-foot-interface guidelines. It’s still Flash-based, but it designed around a display and navigation with a remote.
I wouldn't be so sure - the subscription model is pretty much all people know when it comes to TV programming. I don't think Apple's resistance to the subscription model in other areas will have any effect on a TV deal. Personally I like the idea of owning my music but I will never own movies or TV programming. Because of the way Television programming works the subscription model makes perfect sense. We all love the 'weekly instalment' of whatever programmes we enjoy and this also ensures Network loyalty for the networks.
For movies I think the 'Buy' model is ridiculous. I know some people like owning and re-visiting their movies but I think (apart from kids) they are the exception.
The competition in this instance will be against the existing cable / sat providers who are not going to be very happy. For Apple the attraction is ATV sales and god knows what other kind of hardware that could follow a succesful launch of such a service.
On the nose about TV subscription model. It's the only thing that actually MAKES sense there.
uh... $20 per season on DVD sure adds up to a lot MORE than $40 pretty quick. Plus the whole reason I don't purchase TV shows on iTunes now is that... I don't want to OWN them, just watch them once. Same with the DVD's - I don't want to OWN them.
I'd love it if iTunes would even just allow TV series rentals - instead of purchases. I'd take that over a monthly subscription if the fee was nominal.
My point was for those of us who would rather own, it's cheaper just to buy them...
I would like Apple to offer TV show rentals for, say, 49 cents each...
Price elasticity. The lower the price, the more buyers. At minimum, they should consider tiered pricing. If you download 50 items, you should pay more than those that download 5 items.
Hulu offers a lot of free content, (but you have to watch it on your computer), Netflix offers downloads via XBOX with an $8.00/month subscription, You Tube etc, etc, etc. I use DVR to watch my two or three shows that I have an interest in.
I will not give up satellite HDTV because I need local, sports, disney, Nick, Animal Planet, History, etc, etc. I have 3 kids, different ages, different preferences, many that are not on iTunes.
To add another $30 bucks for TV reruns (no new releases) is too much, IMO.
uh... $20 per season on DVD sure adds up to a lot MORE than $40 pretty quick. Plus the whole reason I don't purchase TV shows on iTunes now is that... I don't want to OWN them, just watch them once. Same with the DVD's - I don't want to OWN them.
I'd love it if iTunes would even just allow TV series rentals - instead of purchases. I'd take that over a monthly subscription if the fee was nominal.
Didn't you already watch the TV show when it originally aired? Why would you pay for a subscription for something you already watched once? If you miss the show, watch it online for free (Hulu, etc).
The iTunes TV content doesn't cover everything that is broadcast on cable/satellite/OTA. So why would anyone spend money on iTunes TV content when almost everyone already has either Cable, satellite, or over the air broadcasting? And no one is giving up their service provider to lose access to all the sports programming that iTunes will never have live.
Hulu offers a lot of free content, (but you have to watch it on your computer), Netflix offers downloads via XBOX with an $8.00/month subscription, You Tube etc, etc, etc. I use DVR to watch my two or three shows that I have an interest in.
I will not give up satellite HDTV because I need local, sports, disney, Nick, Animal Planet, History, etc, etc. I have 3 kids, different ages, different preferences, many that are not on iTunes.
To add another $30 bucks for TV reruns (no new releases) is too much, IMO.
Well said! Hulu is great if you happen to miss one episode. I don't mind catching one show on Hulu on the computer, but I am not watching an entire season on the computer.
Families will never give up their service provider because iTunes is too limiting in content (not Apple's fault of course). TiVo HD now offers Netflix, Amazon OnDemand, and Blockbuster for pay per view movies and TV, in addition to your live TV broadcasting from cable. No one will give up their local and sports programming for an iTunes subscription.
I don't understand this at all. Why would I pay $30 a month for something I can get for free? I can go to Hulu.com and watch hundreds of TV shows for free.
ditto
HUlU
and all the networks them selves offfer tons of free stuff
the ABC network player is very nice .
maybe this service would include movies and music ???
Even the current TV show pricing model makes sense to replace your cable (I did). I was paying over $80/month for digital cable plus DVR. I finally figured out that I was not watching enough shows to justify the cost. Buying TV shows on Apple TV is only $2/show (and a little less if you buy a season pass)...for that $80 I was paying I can actually buy up to 40 shows a month and the cost is a wash. No need for DVR if you can watch the show on demand. I don't watch nearly that many, and actually when it came down to it I only have about 3-4 show subscriptions at a time which costs me more like $30/month. I also watched CNN and network news, but those shows are free on Apple TV video podcasts...and are easier to watch because you can watch them whenever you want (Anderson cooper 360, nightline, etc.) and with a DVR I was not usually recording them. Overall these things are worth it for many, and may not be worth it for people who watch enormous amounts of TV...but it seems like nearly every type of show is available on Apple TV right now, even discovery channel shows and whatnot.
Price elasticity. The lower the price, the more buyers. At minimum, they should consider tiered pricing. If you download 50 items, you should pay more than those that download 5 items.
Hulu offers a lot of free content, (but you have to watch it on your computer), Netflix offers downloads via XBOX with an $8.00/month subscription, You Tube etc, etc, etc. I use DVR to watch my two or three shows that I have an interest in.
I will not give up satellite HDTV because I need local, sports, disney, Nick, Animal Planet, History, etc, etc. I have 3 kids, different ages, different preferences, many that are not on iTunes.
To add another $30 bucks for TV reruns (no new releases) is too much, IMO.
You've made several assumptions, including the lack of live streaming and content limited to the current iTunes library. With that in mind, I might be inclined to agree with you. But if that is the case, I would see little value in it at all. I don't think this can work as a supplement to cable, at least it won't work for me.
Agreed. $30 is way too high, especially when you consider that many high-speed ISP in the US have monthly data transfer cap.
Whether Apple likes it or not, subscription TV service will be competing with Hulu and Netflix Watch Instantly. It must be competitive or risk not getting any traction.
For $30/month, it must provide access to just about every recently aired TV shows, from network channels (e.g., CBS, ABC), basic cable (e.g., Comedy Central), and premium channels (e.g., HBO). Even better, it should provide tiered pricing, say $10/month for network, $20 for network and cable, and $30 for everything. Throw in n-number of free movie rentals a month, as well as free HD for all, you may have something.
If only the cable and satellite companies would provide a la carte service, we wouldn't need services like this. Now if they can get shows from National Geographic Channel, History Channel, Discovery and Science Channel, I'd ditch my $60/mo DirecTV in a heartbeat.
If they think this will replace your cable bill, they're completely out of touch. Complement maybe. This is basically a commercial free Hulu. It would be certainly more attractive if came with a number of complementary downloads. Right now, I'd place this (rumor) in the same category in as the ATV itself, oh so close, but Apple's going about based on a misunderstanding about what the consumer wants.
If they think this will replace your cable bill, they're completely out of touch. Complement maybe. This is basically a commercial free Hulu. It would be certainly more attractive if came with a number of complementary downloads. Right now, I'd place this (rumor) in the same category in as the ATV itself, oh so close, but Apple's going about based on a misunderstanding about what the consumer wants.
I don't think we have enough information to make statements like that. I doubt that Apple will simply be adding a "watch now" option to their TV shows and charging $30 a month for it. Although I have my doubts that it will be a full cable replacement as well. At this point we have no idea what Apple plans to do with a streaming service.
Comments
yes...
$30-$40/month for access to a bunch of old shows is sort of a joke... especially if you can get entire seasons of shows on DVD for closeout prices of $13-$20 each...
uh... $20 per season on DVD sure adds up to a lot MORE than $40 pretty quick. Plus the whole reason I don't purchase TV shows on iTunes now is that... I don't want to OWN them, just watch them once. Same with the DVD's - I don't want to OWN them.
I'd love it if iTunes would even just allow TV series rentals - instead of purchases. I'd take that over a monthly subscription if the fee was nominal.
I'm willing to pay for convenience and flexibility.
Hulu is not the same as having a download for your apple tv or iPod. Plenty of non techies don't want to watch on hulu, they want seamless viewing in the living room. Last time I looked at boxee for atv it wasn't ready for people who don't have time to mess around.
I'm willing to pay for convenience and flexibility.
Agreed. I do not want to watch TV on my computer, but in my living room - or even "on the go" (iPhone).
Hulu is not the same as having a download for your apple tv or iPod. Plenty of non techies don't want to watch on hulu, they want seamless viewing in the living room. Last time I looked at boxee for atv it wasn't ready for people who don't have time to mess around.
I'm willing to pay for convenience and flexibility.
Even for us “techies” Hulu on the AppleTV via Boxee is a poor experience. The machine is just too slow to run Flash with 480p video without issues. I think they still haven’t been able to get HW acceleration going, but maybe Flash 10 fixed that.
A cheaper and better way to go if you want Hulu in your living room (and are willing to deal with the quality) is an HTPC. Hulu makes an app for Windows, Linux and OS X with the 10-foot-interface guidelines. It’s still Flash-based, but it designed around a display and navigation with a remote.
I wouldn't be so sure - the subscription model is pretty much all people know when it comes to TV programming. I don't think Apple's resistance to the subscription model in other areas will have any effect on a TV deal. Personally I like the idea of owning my music but I will never own movies or TV programming. Because of the way Television programming works the subscription model makes perfect sense. We all love the 'weekly instalment' of whatever programmes we enjoy and this also ensures Network loyalty for the networks.
For movies I think the 'Buy' model is ridiculous. I know some people like owning and re-visiting their movies but I think (apart from kids) they are the exception.
The competition in this instance will be against the existing cable / sat providers who are not going to be very happy. For Apple the attraction is ATV sales and god knows what other kind of hardware that could follow a succesful launch of such a service.
On the nose about TV subscription model. It's the only thing that actually MAKES sense there.
uh... $20 per season on DVD sure adds up to a lot MORE than $40 pretty quick. Plus the whole reason I don't purchase TV shows on iTunes now is that... I don't want to OWN them, just watch them once. Same with the DVD's - I don't want to OWN them.
I'd love it if iTunes would even just allow TV series rentals - instead of purchases. I'd take that over a monthly subscription if the fee was nominal.
My point was for those of us who would rather own, it's cheaper just to buy them...
I would like Apple to offer TV show rentals for, say, 49 cents each...
Agreed. I do not want to watch TV on my computer, but in my living room - or even "on the go" (iPhone).
Maybe on a 'tablet' device?...
And your justification for such a plan would be?
Price elasticity. The lower the price, the more buyers. At minimum, they should consider tiered pricing. If you download 50 items, you should pay more than those that download 5 items.
Hulu offers a lot of free content, (but you have to watch it on your computer), Netflix offers downloads via XBOX with an $8.00/month subscription, You Tube etc, etc, etc. I use DVR to watch my two or three shows that I have an interest in.
I will not give up satellite HDTV because I need local, sports, disney, Nick, Animal Planet, History, etc, etc. I have 3 kids, different ages, different preferences, many that are not on iTunes.
To add another $30 bucks for TV reruns (no new releases) is too much, IMO.
uh... $20 per season on DVD sure adds up to a lot MORE than $40 pretty quick. Plus the whole reason I don't purchase TV shows on iTunes now is that... I don't want to OWN them, just watch them once. Same with the DVD's - I don't want to OWN them.
I'd love it if iTunes would even just allow TV series rentals - instead of purchases. I'd take that over a monthly subscription if the fee was nominal.
Didn't you already watch the TV show when it originally aired? Why would you pay for a subscription for something you already watched once? If you miss the show, watch it online for free (Hulu, etc).
The iTunes TV content doesn't cover everything that is broadcast on cable/satellite/OTA. So why would anyone spend money on iTunes TV content when almost everyone already has either Cable, satellite, or over the air broadcasting? And no one is giving up their service provider to lose access to all the sports programming that iTunes will never have live.
Hulu offers a lot of free content, (but you have to watch it on your computer), Netflix offers downloads via XBOX with an $8.00/month subscription, You Tube etc, etc, etc. I use DVR to watch my two or three shows that I have an interest in.
I will not give up satellite HDTV because I need local, sports, disney, Nick, Animal Planet, History, etc, etc. I have 3 kids, different ages, different preferences, many that are not on iTunes.
To add another $30 bucks for TV reruns (no new releases) is too much, IMO.
Well said! Hulu is great if you happen to miss one episode. I don't mind catching one show on Hulu on the computer, but I am not watching an entire season on the computer.
Families will never give up their service provider because iTunes is too limiting in content (not Apple's fault of course). TiVo HD now offers Netflix, Amazon OnDemand, and Blockbuster for pay per view movies and TV, in addition to your live TV broadcasting from cable. No one will give up their local and sports programming for an iTunes subscription.
I don't understand this at all. Why would I pay $30 a month for something I can get for free? I can go to Hulu.com and watch hundreds of TV shows for free.
ditto
HUlU
and all the networks them selves offfer tons of free stuff
the ABC network player is very nice .
maybe this service would include movies and music ???
i really don't understand this at all .
where'd i put my nano phone ??
Price elasticity. The lower the price, the more buyers. At minimum, they should consider tiered pricing. If you download 50 items, you should pay more than those that download 5 items.
Hulu offers a lot of free content, (but you have to watch it on your computer), Netflix offers downloads via XBOX with an $8.00/month subscription, You Tube etc, etc, etc. I use DVR to watch my two or three shows that I have an interest in.
I will not give up satellite HDTV because I need local, sports, disney, Nick, Animal Planet, History, etc, etc. I have 3 kids, different ages, different preferences, many that are not on iTunes.
To add another $30 bucks for TV reruns (no new releases) is too much, IMO.
You've made several assumptions, including the lack of live streaming and content limited to the current iTunes library. With that in mind, I might be inclined to agree with you. But if that is the case, I would see little value in it at all. I don't think this can work as a supplement to cable, at least it won't work for me.
Whether Apple likes it or not, subscription TV service will be competing with Hulu and Netflix Watch Instantly. It must be competitive or risk not getting any traction.
For $30/month, it must provide access to just about every recently aired TV shows, from network channels (e.g., CBS, ABC), basic cable (e.g., Comedy Central), and premium channels (e.g., HBO). Even better, it should provide tiered pricing, say $10/month for network, $20 for network and cable, and $30 for everything. Throw in n-number of free movie rentals a month, as well as free HD for all, you may have something.
I would take it ASAP. I'm in Sweden though and here Apple really need to accelerate if they want to take a seat worth defending in the long run!!!
Sadly, not only in Sweden.
If they think this will replace your cable bill, they're completely out of touch. Complement maybe. This is basically a commercial free Hulu. It would be certainly more attractive if came with a number of complementary downloads. Right now, I'd place this (rumor) in the same category in as the ATV itself, oh so close, but Apple's going about based on a misunderstanding about what the consumer wants.
I don't think we have enough information to make statements like that. I doubt that Apple will simply be adding a "watch now" option to their TV shows and charging $30 a month for it. Although I have my doubts that it will be a full cable replacement as well. At this point we have no idea what Apple plans to do with a streaming service.