Disney+ could introduce linear cable-style streaming channels to increase app usage time and user engagement.

Remember cable TV? How it used to be good but then went to shit due to greed and you were disappointed?

And do you remember streaming TV? How it used to be good but then went to shit due to greed and you were disappointed?

OK. So now, like, we go back to cable TV, but this time you won’t be disappointed because it will be shit right from the start. Genius!

Yo ho, yo ho off to the digital seas we go!

In fairness, I can see a use case for this as something to have on in the background while doing other tasks or as a way to discover new content either the algorithms would have never shown you or you might not have clicked on. But, I can also see the service providers using this to further try to show-horn ads into everything and fuck up the current system of "pick a show I want to watch and watch it now". In which case, it's once again time for them to learn that piracy isn't so much a price problem as a service one.
- I have started pirating heavily again after years of not doing it. I set up a VPN container and a qbittorrent container that shares the VPN container's network, so VPN is always running for qbittorrent, but it isn't affecting the rest of my server. Then I log into a webpage on my local network and download whatever I want. The volume mount I chose for the download directory is my Plex directory, so it automatically gets put on Plex.
  
  It's honestly easier to pirate than to search for which streaming service something is on. When I pirate, everything is in the same place.

We've gone full circle!

The channels, which could also generate additional revenue through ad incorporation, would differ from free, ad-supported streaming alternative services like Pluto TV or Tubi, as they form part of a subscription service.

Welcome back cable TV I guess.

I don't know even know what else to say, I'm just so tired of this

"Our service is totally different from the rest! The others are free but ours you have to pay for."

You know what's cool? Piracy. Piracy is cool.

So they are recreating The Disney Channel?

Fucking why.

Yarr.

Oh hi Disney here, we wanted to let you know that instead of putting out better content, we are going to force feed you several live streams with all the bullshit we have on our catalogue. Enjoy!

Disney+ could introduce linear cable-style streaming channels featuring key franchises

Netflix is reportedly planning to introduce linear cable-style streaming channels to enhance user engagement and increase app usage time.

What? Is Disney's content going to be shown on Netflix in this format? Is it just a typo? I'm so confused.

They're both planning on the same thing, it sounds like.

It doesn't sound like Disney is licensing their content to Netflix, they're both just essentially replicating cable TV based on their catalogues with ads interspersed.

I don't really like that they seem to be floating the idea of adding ads to the mix, but as long as this stays a separate part of the service from the on-demand section, I don't exactly hate it.

I'll occasionally have parties where we'll use Pluto or similar services just to have something on. Usually something like the The Asylum channel to have a stream of something going that we're not really invested in but that we can comment on and go "what the fuck was that‽" once in a while, and kind of do our own little MST3K thing.

And sometimes you just kind of want something on in the background while you're doing stuff, and I know I'll sometimes get a little bogged down trying to choose what I want to have on even though I'm not really going to be actively watching it.

I remember once upon a time there were some people who really wanted Netflix to add a "random episode" option, I wasn't really one of them, but this could kind of fill that niche.

Also, if they curate it right, it could be kind of a cool way to drop new episodes. Say a new episode of a star wars show drops at midnight (or whatever-o'clock) For those who care to watch it immediately as it drops, they just need to be tuned to the star wars channel and it will come on automatically, no having to refresh and hit play. And leading up to the new episode they can do a mini marathon of relevant episodes from other star wars shows and movies that will help you understand what's going on in the episode, maybe even create some new content summarizing content from the books, comics, and video games, etc. sort of an extended "last time on..." segment for the new episode. I'd also want it to be immediately available on-demand when it drops, but it could be kind of a good way to get yourself back up to speed about what's going on in the show.

So there are ways this could be a cool addition to the service. Whether they actually use it that way is another matter entirely.

“I don’t really like X, but as long as they don’t then do Y I guess it’s okay”

They always do Y

Welp, guess I'm going to get rid of Disney+. I already hate that they flooded it with Hulu content. I very much cannot let my kid browse through unattended anymore.

I mean, Poor Things is on there now and it has some of the most explicit sex scenes I've seen in a movie in a long time.

You can change that on a per-profile basis
- Oh awesome, thanks!

Streaming peaked when I could watch Beakman's World on my wii without ads or bullshit.

i love the channels that peacock and paramount plus have, though i do wish they were programmed better. the one thing i miss is channel surfing, even though i don't have cable anymore. i'd also love if they worked with abc affiliates to get local abc channels streaming like with nbc and peacock.

also bring back the themed 24/7 live channels that simpsonsworld had back in 2015.

PlutoTV I like cause it may have ads but it's free and you don't need an account, paying for a system where you watch ads and random streamed content is something i will never do (and no, I never had Live TV either)

if they put all their tv/cable channels online and had a comparable ease-of-use of turning on a tv and flipping channels (without jacking d+ rates up--except espn; sports channels should be separate), they'd see a huge influx of subs and higher long-term retention of them.

but, they won't do that. they have the cable and satellite companies by the balls, and they squeeze regularly. gotta extort higher overall profits from that dwindling customer base--and they do.