The future of streaming and password sharing

[Dave Gray]

I pay for several streaming services and I share passwords for others.  Nothing is egregious, but I have access to services where I only watch one show here or there. ...things I wouldn't pay for.

I am reading that Netflix is starting to test software to crack down on this and I wonder what it will mean for the industry.

It's kinda like the Wild West right now, but I think that password sharing (within reason) is healthy for the industry.  It grows viewership numbers and it's not like any number of people are going to pay for 5 different streaming services.  It kinda spreads the money around a little bit, with the big players, like Netflix or Disney, getting a bigger piece of the pie.

I think that watercooler convo drives some of these models -- Disney has strong brands, but stuff like Netflix -- I hear about whatever is going on there through people I work with.  Their individual programs are recommend and I check it out.  But I could totally see that falling off and having them lose major, major marketshare if they have way fewer eyeballs.  ..not sure how that will play out.

I will say that throughout media (games, movies, music whatever) -- stealing is easy.  So you have to make paying for stuff easier.  The minute that it becomes a burden to be a client, with restrictions on the content, people steal it and share it anyway without restrictions.

[Pappy13]

I can't say that password sharing is healthy for the industry. It probably helps keep prices low, but not sure that's healthy for the industry. It's good for the consumer, not sure it's good for the industry. If that's what you meant then I agree, but still think Netflix is right in looking into what they can do to ensure customers are legit.

So I have a couple of followup questions, have you ever used these services that provide content free? They are horrible. In a lot of ways. The service is crap. The chances that you get a virus or some other shit on your device(if that's a PC) are high. Etc. It doesn't pay to steal shit, pay the little bit of money they are asking for to get a good hassle free experience or go without, you're better off. I've experimented a bit with trying to watch the Dolphins on some of these free streaming sites and OMG, if I could just get the Dolphins game straight from the NFL I would pay for that in a heartbeat, but I'm not paying to watch EVERY freaking NFL game when I'm not going to be watching EVERY freaking NFL game. Give me a package where I can just watch my team.

What exactly do you mean when you say you share your password? With whom? Family? Friends? Others?

[Dave Gray]

Between my close friends and a couple of family members, I give a password here or there and take one.

I pay for the stuff that I use a lot, like Disney.  I pay for Amazon.  But maybe a buddy has HBO and shares that in return.

That, I think, it probably healthy for the industry.  I also have access to 20,000 movies and every TV show you can think about on a remote file server, but I use it only when I don't have what I want the other ways.

I don't mind paying for stuff that I could otherwise get for free because it's easy and hassle free, and I can bring my family or friends into the experience.  It's more fun to watch Picard every week if someone else is also watching it and you can talk about it.  But it sucks when nobody knows what the hell CBS All-Access is much less are willing to pay for it for one show that they're not all that interested in anyway.

There is so much good content right now....more than you can watch, so you have to pick and choose.  There's really no reason to pay for 5 different services, because with 1 or 2, you've got all you need.  That's kinda what I mean.  I don't think that cracking down is going to mean much more money for these places.  I think that people have a set amount they're willing to spend, so the industry will have to consolidate to figure out how to get a piece of that pie.

[Pappy13]

I can see Family. I do share passwords with my daughter who lives with me. Actually we don't share the password, I just have her login once and then it's typically not needed again. I also have a few passwords of my son's account for gaming but that's about it. But with the gaming service if I'm logged in he can't and vice versa so I always let him know before I'm going to use it if I do which is not that often. I'm not sure how these other services work, do you ever have a problem where it kicks you off if someone else logs in or maybe says that account is already logged in? I think most of them allow for multiple connections, what happens if you reach the max? Seems like sharing with friends could quickly lead to not being able to log in. You share it with him, he shares it with one of his friends, etc. Either you have really good friends or your a pretty trusting person. 

[Dave Gray]

I don't have a problem with it at all.  I have no issues.

But I read an article about how Netflix is toying with tech that won't let you login with TVs from different IP addresses...stuff like that.  Limiting it to a household.

As long as they have a set number of devices within reason but aren't limiting the number of places, it will probably be OK.  My whole point is this:  If I start to have an issue logging into Netflix for whatever reason, if I'm letting my brother watch a show or whatever -- It's more than likely going to lead to me cancelling Netflix and adopting a different service that better meets my needs.  ...that's all I'm saying.

[ArtieChokePhin]

I share my Netflix and Disney Plus logins with my siblings and cousins, all of whom have kids.   One of them gave me their Amazon Prime login, another gave me their SiriusXM Login. 

[Dave Gray]

I share my Netflix and Disney Plus logins with my siblings and cousins, all of whom have kids.   One of them gave me their Amazon Prime login, another gave me their SiriusXM Login. 

This is how it pretty much works with all these services.  It would be rare for someone to spend hundreds up hundreds a month for every service.  Trading in small groups is how it works.

They can upset this a little and they'll be fine, but if they upset it a lot, they may just destroy their industry again and people will start watching crap on youtube.  Same shit happened with the music industry.

[Pappy13]

Same shit happened with the music industry.

Huh? Ever hear of Spotify? I think the music industry after a few bumps in the road figured it out. Video will figure it out too, just takes a while to get there and Netflix is heading in the right direction. You have to walk before you can run.

[Pappy13]

My whole point is this:  If I start to have an issue logging into Netflix for whatever reason, if I'm letting my brother watch a show or whatever -- It's more than likely going to lead to me cancelling Netflix and adopting a different service that better meets my needs.  ...that's all I'm saying.

And that's your choice, but there will be tons of people willing to pay for that service provided it's the right price point. Netflix is betting on they can provide the best service for the right price. There will always be some people that are going to get it illegally, but it's going to be a crappy service. You get what you pay for.

[Dave Gray]

Huh? Ever hear of Spotify?

Spotify makes my point.  It's a response to the music industry over-reaching on shutting down sharing rights, not seeing the writing on the wall, and clinging to a dying CD model -- until Apple, really, started selling $1 songs on iTunes, and even then, there was weird ownership rights -- which led to all these other services.

And even for Spotify, people use A service...you aren't subscribed to 5 different music services, so you can hear every song.  Maybe you have access to one and then you can get the rest on YouTube for free if you really want to hear something.

I just don't think a model where you're reasonably expected to pay for 5 different streaming services is sustainable.  Either these things need to consolidate down into 2 or 3 .....or sharing works, within reason, as well.  ...or some other solution, maybe.

[Pappy13]

Spotify makes my point.  It's a response to the music industry over-reaching on shutting down sharing rights, not seeing the writing on the wall, and clinging to a dying CD model -- until Apple, really, started selling $1 songs on iTunes, and even then, there was weird ownership rights -- which led to all these other services.

And even for Spotify, people use A service...you aren't subscribed to 5 different music services, so you can hear every song.  Maybe you have access to one and then you can get the rest on YouTube for free if you really want to hear something.

I just don't think a model where you're reasonably expected to pay for 5 different streaming services is sustainable.  Either these things need to consolidate down into 2 or 3 .....or sharing works, within reason, as well.  ...or some other solution, maybe.

So maybe I misunderstood what your point was then because if Spotify makes your point then your point must be that the video streaming industry which is probably about 10 years behind the music industry will eventually figure it out and there will be a few popular pay video streaming services. I don't see where Netflix doing what they are doing is going to hinder that process, it's going to speed it up. That's my point.

By the way it wasn't Apple that started the steaming music revolution it was Napster which forced the Music industry to change which brought about digital rights which led to services like iTunes and now Spotify and the music industry didn't skip a beat, they are still making money hand over fist so I'm not exactly sure where you think the music industry went wrong.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

Technically password sharing is stealing.  Theft of a service you didn’t pay for, and the service providers certainly see it that way.  I certainly could see them having plans that only allow one simultaneous user or family plans that limit it to 3 users or 5 user.

[Spider-Dan]

So I have a couple of followup questions, have you ever used these services that provide content free? They are horrible. In a lot of ways. The service is crap. The chances that you get a virus or some other shit on your device(if that's a PC) are high. Etc.

I use one all the time, without any of the problems you describe.  It's called "broadcast television," and it was the only service available for the first several decades of TV's existence.

The idea that customers have to directly pay for a service to be viable is untrue.  I've never paid for a Google search, or for YouTube, or for the vast majority of websites I visit (thanks, Dave!).   There is a model to make this kind of stuff work.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

I use one all the time, without any of the problems you describe.  It's called "broadcast television," and it was the only service available for the first several decades of TV's existence.

The idea that customers have to directly pay for a service to be viable is untrue.  I've never paid for a Google search, or for YouTube, or for the vast majority of websites I visit (thanks, Dave!).   There is a model to make this kind of stuff work.

I get most of my music using a similar system, I also get news and sports when driving this way.  It is an even older technology called “radio”

[ArtieChokePhin]

I use one all the time, without any of the problems you describe.  It's called "broadcast television," and it was the only service available for the first several decades of TV's existence.

Nowadays, you can't get broadcast television without a cable service.