Disney is gouging customers with a near doubling of subscription costs.

Disney is raking its customers over the coals with a 75% price hike for their annual subscription (originally $80.) People wonder why piracy is on the rise.Multiple commenters are saying I’m off base about the 75% price increase. My payment less than a year ago was $79.99. Here’s the proof.

gimmemahlulz,
@gimmemahlulz@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

Thanks for this heads up, just canceled my sub.

Waldemar_Firehammer,

Welcome aboard matey!

DigitalFrank,

Double the price and if fewer than half unsubscribe, there is a net gain in revenue.

physicswizard,

And a drop in costs too since their system has to support less users.

poopiddy,

use stremio + torrentio

guts,

And Debrid.

ExLisper,

Why would anyone pay for Disney? All their content is shit.

squid,

I love how everyone is jumping down your throat, you’ve just as much right to have the opinion of Disney being shit as the next for having pure admiration for Disney. I also don’t see what people like about Disney, I think its shit and this is a valid criticism

ExLisper,

IMHO admiring Disney is one of the most cringe things an adult can do. It’s even worse than admiring apple because apple does toys for adults but to love Disney one has to be brainwashed as a child and never manage to get out of it. Fortunately I grew up in a communist country so I didn’t see any Disney as a child and when I finally did I was like ‘meh’. People follow Disney and Marvel because the content is simple and there’s a lot of it so there’s always something to consume. It’s like McDonalds: there’s no real value in it but it fills in the void inside you. The fact that Disney and Marvel have such a huge following show how empty our society had become. People don’t think any more, they just consume.

squid,

We’re very aligned, good to meet you. I also don’t do fandom’s and avoid mindless consumption, brands and general marketing. Honestly struggle to witness people slowly falling for the trap though, like watching rodents fling themselves into the mouse trap. But we’re nearing the end of capitalism, moving to tech feudalism. Fun time ahead

Mr_Dr_Oink,

Maybe if they had said , “i think its shit,” instead of saying “its shit” and then spending multiple days arguing with me that their opinion is objective fact, then there wouldn’t be a problem.

squid,

In they’re opinion its objectively shit

Mr_Dr_Oink,

If its their opinion, then it is subjective. You can’t have an opinion on something’s objectivity.

I could have an opinion of how much i like an objective fact, but i can’t dispute it being a fact.

Read some of rhe conversation that followed between them and myself if you want proof.

They are trying to argue that their opinion is an objective fact. When it is, in fact, objectively their opinion.

Mr_Dr_Oink,

Because different people like dofferent things and all “art” is subjective. You are not an immutable objective font or source of truth. Therefore, whilst you might believe it’s shit, any many will agree. You are simultaneously correct and incorrect in your assessment.

Or in short.

Not everyone likes what you like, so they pay for disney if thats what makes them happy.

ExLisper,

Nah, it’s objectively shit.

IndefiniteBen,

If that’s how you judge Disney+ I guess you say the same of all streaming services except the Criterion channel?

CobraChicken,

He’s a man of finer taste with an extensive collection of fedoras

ExLisper,

No, other services have some good stuff. Disney+ is only a good option if you have kids and you don’t want them to be very smart when then grow up.

IndefiniteBen,

Ah yes of course, National Geographic are famous for making kids stupid, that’s why those shows are on Disney+. Futurama is a cartoon so must be a kids show.

! /s !<

ExLisper,

I guess you’re right. Not all content on the platform is shit, only all content made by Disney is. But I highly doubt a lot of people pay for Disney+ to watch non-Disney content.

IndefiniteBen,

Maybe you should read what they offer? Depends where you draw the line on what is “Disney content” (just kids animated films and shows?), but they have all Star Wars and most Marvel content.

Depending where you draw the line, I subscribe for only the non-Disney content. Though I may have to re-evaluate my sub soon…

ExLisper,

I definitely include all star wars and marvel content in the shit Disney content category.

IndefiniteBen,

Ah okay. I’m glad you’re informed on the breadth of content you’re calling shit!

ExLisper,

Of course I am. I’m arrogant, not ignorant.

Mr_Dr_Oink,

Well, At least i know who im talking to now and dont need to waste any more time with it. Have fun in your bubble.

ExLisper,

What me being in a bubble has to do with anything? I know there are people who like this shit. I personally know people who absolutely love this shit. Doesn’t make it any less shitty.

Mr_Dr_Oink,

Yes, subjectively, it does. Art is not objective. It literally can’t be by its very nature. If you know people who like it, then you are admitting that you understand this.

If so then you are not in a bubble.

If you still try to claim that it is all objectively shit (which is quite a broad statement considering how much content there is on the platform, widely considered to be excellent) then you are in a bubble.

ExLisper,

That’s not what being in a bubble means. Being in a bubble means I only have contact with some specific content and I’m not aware of the reviews and revenue Disney content gets. Knowing that people like it and still saying it’s shit just means I’m smarter than most people and can judge this content better than the masses.

Mr_Dr_Oink,

It’s actually quite a versatile term. Being in a bubble simply means living in your own world. This can mean many things, such as rejecting views that dont line up with your own. Which is exactly what you are doing. I laid down a straight fact that art is subjective, and you said no. You are wrong, but you would rather live in your bubble where you are right than accept that you are wrong.

You are even wrong about what being in a bubble means. In that, you think its meaning is strictly one thing. When in fact, it’s really quite subjective…

Edit. Oh god, did you just say you are smarter than most people? Thats so bad. What are you? Like 12 years old?

ExLisper,

So every time you have an argument with someone they ‘live in a bubble’? Every time someone disagrees with you they are “living in their own world”? I don’t think this is how it works. ive in a bubble

  1. To remain physically or socially isolated from some threat.
  2. To live life completely absorbed in or insulated by one’s limited reality or life experience.
  3. To ignore, avoid, or deny reality.

No, it does not mean “reject views”. Reject views is completely different from denying reality. What we’re talking about are opinions and interpretations. Not agreeing with you about it is not ‘being in a bubble’. You’re simply using this term wrong.

But moving on. It’s easy to say ‘art is subjective’ and pretend it’s closes the topic but obviously there are better and worse movies. You have movies that explore interesting ideas in creative and daring ways and than you have Marvel type movies which are just pure entertainment without anything original or novel in them. These are no more ‘art’ than a ride on a roller coaster is. It’s fun but empty. There’s nothing subjective to it. People liking something does not make it art.

Mr_Dr_Oink,

You replied to some other comments, conceding that there was good quality content on disney+. So you contradict there your entire argument here.

I didn’t say art being subjective closes the argument. I said it counters yours. You said it’s all shit. I said that’s a matter of opinion, and you said it isn’t. That’s you avoiding or denying reality.

You are factually wrong about that statement. It is, in fact, a matter of opinion. What makes art or media “good” is a collective agreement on what “good” is. What standards we all agree upon. This means that if you say it’s shit thats you opinion, ita not an objective fact. Its subjective. What is it they say? beauty is in the eye of the beholder. One mans trash is another mans treasure.

Tour bubble is your refusal to accept the possibility that you might be wrong.

But i suppose its as good a hill as any to die on.

None of this really matters. At least not to me.

ExLisper,

What makes art or media “good” is a collective agreement on what “good” is. What standards we all agree upon. This means that if you say it’s shit thats you opinion, ita not an objective fact. Its subjective. What is it they say? beauty is in the eye of the beholder. One mans trash is another mans treasure.

That doesn’t make a lot of sense. You claim that it’s about “collective agreement” and each person’s individual opinion at the same time. Those are two different things. If it’s about personal opinion than collective agreement doesn’t matter. If it’s about collective agreement than my individual opinion doesn’t matter. Which one is it?

And I just gave you different meanings of ‘being in a bubble’. You’re simply using it wrong. But the fact that you refuse to accept that doesn’t mean that you’re in a bubble because it’s not what it means.

And yes, what is or isn’t good art or even what is or isn’t art over all is a matter of personal philosophy. You could argue that anything man made is art. You could say that every mass produced plastic toilet plunger is a work of art as long as one person in the world finds it beautiful. And my only argument against it would be my personal philosophy that there’s more to art than opinion of few individuals and that art and especially good art needs to fulfill higher standards than that. In my opinion you can objectively tell how creative, original and well executed a work of art is and by that you can judge how good it is.

Mr_Dr_Oink,

Art is inherently subjective, and what is considered “good” or “bad” varies from person to person. While there are commonly accepted principles and techniques in art, such as composition and colour theory, the interpretation and emotional response to art are highly personal. What one person sees as a masterpiece, another may see as unimpressive. So, art is not objectively good or bad; it’s a matter of individual taste and perception

I would say i have expressed my point poorly in the text you quoted. Where use “good”, im using quotation marks to mean this is not objective. It’s the opinion of the majority of people.

So where you say art has to fulfil higher standards and you can tell how creative or original a work of art is , that’s just the general consensus of “good,” but it’s all based on opinion.

Even if 99% of people agreed something is “good,” it is still subjective and, therefore, not objective fact.

An objective fact would be something like “the earth is (roughly) a sphere” even though there are flat eathers out there who would disagree, they are objectively wrong as it can be measured and proven and doesnt change based on who measures it. Unlike art, which will look different to each person viewing/experiencing it.

To go back to the original point again.

You said everything on disney+ is shit. Putting aside that you admitted in other comments that you dont actually believe that. It is your opinion and not objective fact. Like i said right at the start of this whole debate, everyone like different things.

To speak on the bubble thing again. I would say that my use of the term is a bit loose but not inaccurate. Your refusal to accept the differences between subjectivity and objectivity, as well as your belief that art can be seen objectively can be described as you living in a bubble. In that you are rejecting the information i am giving as it doesnt align with your view on the matter.

Maybe that bubble only surrounds this one aspect of your person, and not the whole, but you are being very stubborn about something that is entirely subjective in claiming there can be any objectivity.

So not a perfect usage of the term but not an invalid one. Subjectively speaking.

ExLisper,

Morning! :)

Yes, I get what you mean. That’s a very common take. “One person likes this painting, another one doesn’t. We can´t say if it’s good, it’s subjective”. I guess I’m bad at articulating my objection to this take. I think what I misses is that a lot of people are stupid and simply wrong. A lot of people don’t have proper education and never went to a museum. They simply haven’t been exposed to proper art and now even when they see it they don’t understand it. So should we say that for example Marvel movies are good art because some schmucks that never saw a good movie in their lifes like it? I don’t think so. It can be “good” to them but we can objectively say they don’t know shit. And I’m not saying all “high” art is good and all “popular” art is shit. So called experts are also often wrong and some famous artists are overhyped. How you seen the things Marina Abramovic was doing? It’s shit but she fooled a lot of “experts” and now you can’t say it’s shit because she’s famous. And I’m also not saying only the things I like are good art. I don’t like a lot of things that are not bad, just not in my taste. But I can also tell the difference between good art and empty entertainment even if I do enjoy it. A lot of people can’t. And they are wrong.

Mr_Dr_Oink,

How do we determine which is “good” art and which is “bad” art? Is it all based on the skill of the artist? Their mastery of techniques? Their creative use of different styles? Maybe their method of combining elements from multiple styles?

Or do we look at which art invokes the strongest emotional response? Which art make people feel the most happy or sad, or strikes them with awe and wonder. Art which leaves people staring at it for hours, always finding something new to enjoy about it?

Who decides which of these factors are the best or which ones make the art “good” or “bad”?

The answer is the individual.

I realised this a long time ago when I think about it in terms of music.

Im a musician, and as i grew and learned more about it, i began to hold a very elitist view on what merited “good” music and what was “bad”

I was certain about this. It made sense. It was clear in my head.

The good music is the stuff that is technically superior, the music that makes my jaw drop at its complexity and its craftsmanship. I outright rejected pop music and most basic music.

But i realised that when it comes down to it, good music is different for everyone. When i saw people dancing away and enjoying themselves, feeling elation whilst listening to so.ething i deemed terrible and basic, i realised. They are having as much fun as i do when i listen to the complex stuff. They are getting the same thing as me, except they get to dance and bounce around too, which, if anything, puts them above me on enjoyment levels.

I now find im able to appreciate the “dumb” music as much as the “smart” music and hold both in high regard. Because whilst i might be able to listen to and appreciate the likes of schubert, mozart, chopin, rachmaninov or jacob collier, louis cole, miles davis or herbie hancock. Muse, radiohead, the beatles etc Now i can listen to and enjoy pop artists like dua lipa, billie eilish and the like.

I know which i like more, but letting go of that gate keeping mentalility was exceptionally freeing. I recommend you do the same. Calling people dumb is not a good take. Accepting people differences and making them your equal is a much brighter path.

ExLisper,

But you cannot (or shouldn’t) jump from one extreme to another. There’s gate keeping like “I’m the one deciding what’s good, everyone else is stupid” (which I’m not doing, other people can like different things, that’s fine) but on the other side of the spectrum is the “everyone is equally competent to judge what’s good” which is just as wrong. Because of course not everyone is. For example if a lot of drunk/high people enjoy a silly song at a party and are having fun in the very moment, does it make the song “good” even if they wouldn’t listen to it sober? Of course not. Drunk people are not competent to judge art. There’s no “art for drunk people”, there’s just drunk people enjoying anything you show them. Not having proper knowledge or exposure to real art is similar to being drunk. You can get affected by simpler things, it’s easier to manipulate you, you don’t appreciate as much detail. Is pro Wrestling as good art as Shakespeare? Of course not. Pro Wrestling is as simplistic as it gets, it’s theatre dumbed down to it’s simple audience. It’s designed to affect people on a very basic level just like some music is designed to affect drunk and high people. It’s more simple entertainment than art. It’s really like putting someone on the roller coaster and saying that it’s as good art and the Exorcist because they got equally scared. Just because simple people enjoy simple movies and music doesn’t mean it’s good art.

Dsklnsadog,
@Dsklnsadog@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

You are the kind of guy who is so over himself that can’t even see how cringe it looks from outside. Man, I love Futurama, is that shit too? Please don’t hurt my feelings. Your objective opinion is everything to me.

ExLisper,

First couple seasons were great. The movies were shit. Later seasons were shit.

Dsklnsadog,
@Dsklnsadog@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

I mean, you could just stop with the movies if it is that bad. Aaahh everyone is a critic.

Jollyllama,

Aaaaaarrrr the seas be tempt me more everyday

squid,

The lowest common denominators dictate the market, Netflix has best sales in recent years for hiking and consumers couldn’t live without it and now Disney is wanting a taste, and I’d imagine it’ll work out well for them.

pomodoro_longbreak,
@pomodoro_longbreak@sh.itjust.works avatar

Disney especially has all but totally captured their target demographics, and not many working parents are likely to put the time into setting up a Plex and torrenting movies for their kid(s). Sadly, it’s easier to shell over an unreasonably large fee, and let their kids have at it.

EatYouWell,

I really don’t think $11.67 a month counts as an unreasonably large fee.

Zedstrian, (edited )

It’s unreasonable in the context that while streaming services were intended to be an affordable alternative to cable without sacrificing content variety, having the same level of variety now requires four or five subscriptions. Not an issue unique to Disney, but they and other movie studios have hiked movie rental costs, along with maintaining unreasonable pricing for BluRay releases, as a means of inflating the valuation of their IP catalog.

The fact that — in contrast to having four or five subscriptions over the span of two years— it’s economical to run one’s own 16TB or 32TB capacity media server (and even subsequently pay for replacement hard drives as needed) demonstrates that the subscription platforms, able to run such servers far more economically per user than anyone can do themselves, are retaining excessively high profit margins in contrast to the compensation paid to the people actually involved in producing content.

EatYouWell,

I don’t think you can fault streaming services for people not properly managing their finances. That’s more on the public schools not actually teaching any helpful life skills.

MoodyRaincloud,

Death by a thousand cuts though. I had to sit a co-worker down and go over his finances because he never learnt at home or school. The amount of €10-25 monthly subscriptions this guy had meant he spent about €500 per month on those. On top of buying everything on payments because he never has any savings.

It’s another example of making use of the flawed human psyche which can’t keep track of the little things.

narc0tic_bird,

Do what you want 'cause a pirate is free You are a pirate!

Yar har, fiddle de dee Being a pirate is alright to be Do what you want 'cause a pirate is free You are a pirate!

BmeBenji,

The issue with price-hikes for subscriptions to me seems like it was always inevitable, and a no-brainer to solve. Disney, Netflix, and Hulu have no reason to lower their costs as long as people set-and-forget their subscriptions. The obvious solution is to stop subscribing and to buy a single month from a single service when you have a number of shows/movies you want to watch.

Paying $20 once per year to watch all the newest Marvel and Star Wars shows and movies in the span of a month at the cost of avoiding spoilers at release is a solid deal if you ask me. Paying $20 every month because you want to feel like you “own” the library of Disney’s media is a horrible decision.

Gruntyfish,

I’m still incredibly angry at Disney+ for gutting watch together. I have a Plex server that I use quite a bit that I suppose will be getting even more usage now.

matey,

Yeah, what the heck happened to GroupWatch?

Gruntyfish,

Idk if they ever said why they were doing it, but they canned it about a month ago.

doctorcrimson,

Feels like an egregious misuse of the word “gouging” but I understand the sentiment.

radix,
@radix@lemm.ee avatar

How so?

doctorcrimson,

The term is generally reserved for, especially in legal cases, goods that are required to maintain a minimum quality of life but are in finite supply. If you were to suddenly increase the price of food, water, or communication technology during a widespread emergency, you would be committing a very clear case of Price Gouging and in most places found in violation of the law.

However, Disney+ Streaming service is the epitome of a good that is NOT necessary to live. It’s a minor luxury with no positive impact on the consumer.

radix,
@radix@lemm.ee avatar

Got it. I learned something new today, thanks!

KrashKrunal,

I’m so glad I don’t pay for Disney Plus… I’ve had it for free coming up to 3 years now - almost expiring? Upgrade my phone contract (sometimes for cheaper than my current costs) and get 3 to 6 months free Disney Plus, and I can upgrade as often as I want/need to.

When my partner bought a new phone from Samsung she got full year of Disney Plus, that ended a few months ago so we used the same offer that I got for my new phone.

(Have been able to choose a different reward to Disney Plus during that time).

Once that ends I’ll be back to using my phone contract but definitely don’t plan on paying for it. I’ll sail the high seas before I ever pay for Disney Plus!

RememberTheApollo_,

Good lord.

What was it? ~$50/yr price a couple years ago?

matey,

It launched at 80

DreBeast,

The prices change for the consumers. What never changes is the pay for Disney executives and shareholders. Their pockets of cash always go up and up 📈📈📈

sagrotan,
@sagrotan@lemmy.world avatar

I mean, seriously, who is still watching this streaming stuff? I mean I’ve heard there are still DVD renting stores somewhere… It’ll die eventually and they know it, they just wanna extract as much as possible from the rotting corpse & the worst is: they’ll get it.

Staple_Diet,

I mean, seriously, who is still watching this streaming stuff?

I dunno, just 146.1 million households

rchive,

Just canceling and not watching things is also an option. There’s so much stuff out there to do, you’ll probably never get bored.

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