CBS Is Right To Make Us Pay For 'Star Trek: Discovery'

[Qonundrum]

https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottm...to-make-audiences-pay-for-star-trek-discovery

Feel free to read the article, since he talks about people craving things except the big screen movies that people didn't want (though the ratings numbers suggested otherwise early on and as we're rightly told, we just want to be entertained and all we want are the big explosions and none of that thinky stuff. (Really, read enough articles or watch enough youtube blab and a lot of them either hint at or say it outright, by the piece makers or by audience reaction comments.)

Oh, he also mixes up Trek with Toy Story at the end of a paragraph, which wasn't unexpected...

But all the subscription model implies is that not enough sponsors wanted the thing made, so to compensate they're forcing a paywall model.

As everyone already knows, sponsors pay for commercial time in the show, which helps fund the show. It also leads to higher prices for the products being sold since sponsoring a show isn't charity. (So if you love that brand of car or butter but don't watch the show, under sponsor models you're still paying for it.)

And home video releases like DVDs - does it cost so much just for the disc and artwork creation processes or, for $60/season, but thankfully if the sponsor model ends and everything is subscription or DVD based, prices for everything will come down since there won't be a need for commercials anymore?

 

[BillJ]

The only thing about a paywall, is that viewers are likely to give the show a shorter leash to grow. I don't mind paying (have the commercial free plan), but I'm not going to keep paying for something I don't enjoy. Especially considering the fact that Discovery is the only thing on All-Access that I have any interest in.

 

[Spider]

The difference is it has to be pretty darn good to pay for it, which it isn't so far. If this was a broadcast show, I'd probably keep up with it even if I didn't care a whole lot about it, simply because it's Star Trek. But if the show is going to be average or below, then I'm not paying for it, and won't sample it again for quite a while. The whole pay for content thing has it's ups and downs.

 

[Paul Weaver]

I hate commercials, I hate having to pay for pap I don't want through hidden charges in the things I buy, but most of all I hate the break of narrative, stealing of time, and infection of brain that adverts bring.

 

[BillJ]

...and infection of brain that adverts bring.

Then put on a tin-foil hat.

 

[Mad Jack Wolfe]

Then put on a tin-foil hat.

Make sure to use Reynolds Wrap. They have the best adverts.

 

[fireproof78]

Then put on a tin-foil hat.

Tin foil hat?

I have a tin foil leisure suit

Also, I must be the one weird guy who doesn't mind commercials. Must be all the corruption in my brain.

 

[MPH]

This show wouldn't last beyond 1 season if aired for free as it just costs so much to make if I was an American I would pay for it as $6 or whatever it is a month and in that month you get 4 episodes is pretty decent.

 

[GeekUSACarl]

You also get the on demand access for a lot of other shows. Which is cool if you dig CBS.

I mean, there isn't any other thing on their list i want to see except star trek, so I'm pretty much paying for just the trek, it's kind of a must have cause our podcast is going to do star trek discovery weekly now. i'd probably still pay for it without us doing the podcast.

 

[Vger23]

I've said many many many times...6-10 dollars per month for 4-5 new Star Trek shows, plus the extras and featurettes is peanuts. Absolute PEANUTS. The only way it becomes a "no go" is if the show dips into the "I just am not entertained by this any longer" zone...which only Voyager was able to accomplish.

Then, I'll simply unsubscribe and stop watching.

But, it would need to get to that point first...and I'm not a guy who is nitpicky or particular...so unless the show really blows...that's not likely.

 

[mos6507]

This show wouldn't last beyond 1 season if aired for free as it just costs so much to make

Then maybe they shouldn't have made it cost so much to make.

BTW, nobody has to watch commercials if they DVR it.

 

[Butters]

I expected to have to pay to watch discovery, and I don't mind doing so, to a point. I'm watching it on Netflix, which also has Dr Who, and a number of other things I'd probably watch if I had time, like Daredevil.

Not sure I'd be happy to subscribe to a separate service just for one show, buts it the way things are going. We want new quality telly, we've got to pay for it, but it all adds up. After the TV licence, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Now TV, we still end up watching more of the live TV that is free to air, and their on demand services.

Avoiding adverts though, price worth paying, and a good reason to support the TV license.

 

[Vger23]

Then maybe they shouldn't have made it cost so much to make.

BTW, nobody has to watch commercials if they DVR it.

But that wasn't the vision or the goal or the marketing strategy/ target audience of the show.

It's like saying "I don't want to pay $250 to go eat at this 5-star steakhouse...maybe they should just get cheaper, lower quality food so I can go eat there." That completely defeats the purpose of the differentiation of the restaurant. Having a high-budget, expensive, glossy show with excellent production values is part of the strategy. It's part of the identity of the show. Whether you agree with that or not isn't relevant. That's the strategy. If you want Applebees, go eat at Applebee's. Don't complain about the cost of the expensive steakhouse with the valet parking if that's not what floats your boat.

I'm a steakhouse guy...so I'm fine with it.

 

[ichab]

But that wasn't the vision or the goal or the marketing strategy/ target audience of the show.

It's like saying "I don't want to pay $250 to go eat at this 5-star steakhouse...maybe they should just get cheaper, lower quality food so I can go eat there." That completely defeats the purpose of the differentiation of the restaurant. Having a high-budget, expensive, glossy show with excellent production values is part of the strategy. It's part of the identity of the show. Whether you agree with that or not isn't relevant. That's the strategy. If you want Applebees, go eat at Applebee's. Don't complain about the cost of the expensive steakhouse with the valet parking if that's not what floats your boat.

I'm a steakhouse guy...so I'm fine with it.

No one complains about an expensive steakhouse or valet parking so long as the steak doesn't taste like it came from Waffle House.

 

[MarsWeeps]

I'm actually paying the $10.00 month fee for no commercials. One thing that ticks me off is the episodes are only 40 some minutes long. I was hoping they went with a full hour model like some shows do.

 

[Vger23]

No one complains about an expensive steakhouse or valet parking so long as the steak doesn't taste like it came from Waffle House.

That is a matter of taste. And, as this message board proves out, we can all argue that until we are blue in the face and not gain a single solitary yard on those matters.

What you think is Waffle House I think is Iron Chef. Not my problem. I'm the one enjoying the steak and paying the money I've deemed is a reasonable expense for said steak.

Fortunately for you, nobody's making you pay for anything you don't like.

 

[Borgminister]

See Orville for Waffle House--and that's meant as a compliment, by the way.

 

[USS Triumphant]

I'm actually paying the $10.00 month fee for no commercials. One thing that ticks me off is the episodes are only 40 some minutes long. I was hoping they went with a full hour model like some shows do.

I take the run times as an indication that they *do* intend to show these on ad sponsored television at some point. I'm fine with that, but I wish they'd do them two at a time, then, so we get over an hour of content each week.

 

[Vger23]

See Orville for Waffle House--and that's meant as a compliment, by the way.

There's a time and place for everything, of course.

Sometimes I like getting a chicken fingers basket and a But Light at Applebees. Other times it's raw bar, and aged medium rare delmonico, and a bottle of spanish red.

I like em both. And there's certainly room in the world for both. And if you only like one and find the other objectionable...leave the other one the f-k alone and go about your business.

Simple.

 

[Vger23]

I take the run times as an indication that they *do* intend to show these on ad sponsored television at some point. I'm fine with that, but I wish they'd do them two at a time, then, so we get over an hour of content each week.

It's a good point, because they do seem to be edited (even ep 2, which was only available streaming) with the commercial break fade-in and fade-outs.