Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

TV disappears, but HBO Max removing shows feels different

vulture.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–30 of 212 posts

Re: TV disappears, but HBO Max removing shows feels different

#21

Post by twoodfin »

rightbyte wrote: post #17
twoodfin wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The most likely theory is that HBO (under the former ownership) signed deals on streaming residuals for these shows that make them more expensive to keep available than they’re worth. They expected Westworld , for example, to do Game of Thrones -class numbers and continue to draw subscribers for years as a catalog title. It didn’t sustain that level of interest. And the new ownership doesn’t seem to believe in the va…

Well I guess they need to do later seasons good in that case. Westworld season 2 was a joke. From a drama in S1 to mindless b-action in S2.

I’d disagree that S2 is where the show went wrong. It holds up quite well on rewatch, with probably 3-4 of the best overall episodes.

Ironically, I think Nolan & Joy made the same kind of mistake Dr. Ford criticizes in the premiere: They forgot why people wanted to watch Westworld. Fundamentally, the show was about the park, with all its mystery and detail. They seemed to think it was actually about the ideas around AI, consciousness & free will they wanted to explore. Those were modestly compelling, and enough to ride the momentum of the first couple seasons to some passable storytelling assisted by some great performances. But not the same show at all & the plummeting audience reflected that.

Re: TV disappears, but HBO Max removing shows feels different

#22

Post by croes »

samtheprogram wrote: post #2

This seems like a smart money grab. Keep the hot titles on streaming to keep your subscriber base, and those who really want to watch the fringe shows will probably pay for them, earning HBO more money. Just recently paid for Angry Boys. It’s totally obvious why they would want to remove it from their platform in this culture, and even more so when they are still selling it elsewhere. I wonder if other titles removed…

Some shows are permanently canned as a tax write-off.

Final space for instance https://gamerant.com/final-space-warner-bros-discovery-tax-w...

Re: TV disappears, but HBO Max removing shows feels different

#23

Post by dbspin »

rightbyte wrote: post #17
twoodfin wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The most likely theory is that HBO (under the former ownership) signed deals on streaming residuals for these shows that make them more expensive to keep available than they’re worth. They expected Westworld , for example, to do Game of Thrones -class numbers and continue to draw subscribers for years as a catalog title. It didn’t sustain that level of interest. And the new ownership doesn’t seem to believe in the va…

Well I guess they need to do later seasons good in that case. Westworld season 2 was a joke. From a drama in S1 to mindless b-action in S2.

Couldn't agree more. It's the most rapid descent from prestige television to soap opera in television history. Just took some people longer than others to realise it.

Re: TV disappears, but HBO Max removing shows feels different

#25

Post by rthomas6 »

I really don't understand why people are surprised. If you don't have access to the file itself, you don't own it. "Buying" a movie on a platform or paying for a subscription service are both just paying for a revokable license to access a movie. You do not own it and access can be revoked at any time according to whatever platform's ToS.

If you want to own an actual copy of a TV show or movie, buy the physical disc. Optionally you can rip it and store/stream it digitally. Nobody can take that away from you no matter what anyone decides. It's yours forever. If you can't download the file, you don't own it.

Also, most of us are comparatively rich, adult, first worlders. If you like something and want to support it, pay for it! If you literally can't get some obscure media, or if the company is no longer selling it, that's different. But piracy of things you like and want more of is not only unethical, it's shortsighted and immature.

Re: TV disappears, but HBO Max removing shows feels different

#27

Post by dave78 »

rthomas6 wrote: post #25

I really don't understand why people are surprised. If you don't have access to the file itself, you don't own it. "Buying" a movie on a platform or paying for a subscription service are both just paying for a revokable license to access a movie. You do not own it and access can be revoked at any time according to whatever platform's ToS. If you want to own an actual copy of a TV show or movie, buy the physical disc.…

A decent portion of the article was devoted to the physical disc option and how it's increasingly uncommon for that to even be offered as a choice.

Re: TV disappears, but HBO Max removing shows feels different

#28

Post by dylan604 »

rthomas6 wrote: post #25

I really don't understand why people are surprised. If you don't have access to the file itself, you don't own it. "Buying" a movie on a platform or paying for a subscription service are both just paying for a revokable license to access a movie. You do not own it and access can be revoked at any time according to whatever platform's ToS. If you want to own an actual copy of a TV show or movie, buy the physical disc.…

>If you don't have access to the file itself, you don't own it.

This isn't the full story either though. You can be in possession of a file that has a DRM encryption applied. If the service revokes you keys, that encrypted file in your possession is worthless. So, do you really own that file?

Re: TV disappears, but HBO Max removing shows feels different

#29

Post by watt »

dylan604 wrote: post #28
rthomas6 wrote: post #25

I really don't understand why people are surprised. If you don't have access to the file itself, you don't own it. "Buying" a movie on a platform or paying for a subscription service are both just paying for a revokable license to access a movie. You do not own it and access can be revoked at any time according to whatever platform's ToS. If you want to own an actual copy of a TV show or movie, buy the physical disc.…

>If you don't have access to the file itself, you don't own it. This isn't the full story either though. You can be in possession of a file that has a DRM encryption applied. If the service revokes you keys, that encrypted file in your possession is worthless. So, do you really own that file?

The "file" OP refers to is the encryption key. And, I will reiterate, if you don't have "the file" you don't have shit.
Post reply on HN