19 Comments

I just want streaming services to get together to create a common API that will allow for a user experience similar to cable with a DVR. I want a search interface that covers all streaming services, allowing me to optionally filter it to those I subscribe to. I want to indicate my interest in a show even if it isn't yet available to me. I want to set it to "record", meaning that it will track when it becomes available to watch and, optionally, notify me. When I want to watch something, I want to see a list of content that I've "recorded" and/or shown an interest, and is available. The basic idea is that, for a given show, these three events are generally decoupled in time: (a) me indicating interest in it, (b) it becoming available for me to watch, and (c) me deciding that I want to watch it. What we have now is a mess and is probably the main reason for people to stick to cable or, like me, have cable AND streaming.

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Are you sure you don't mean Red Forman from That 90's Show? :P

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Sonny, I don’t understand your praise of Disney/Hulu. It was my favorite service since 2015, when they introduced their ad free tier. I upgraded to the highest tiers when they introduced Hulu Live TV and I was happy to pay a premium for the service.

Then Disney FORCED me to take a bundle with ESPN and Disney+ — neither of which I wanted, and then ramped up the subscription price three times in a year. I stopped subscribing yo Hulu after being one of their best customer for 7 years.

Disney did what Disney does: Bundle so you don’t know what you’re paying for anymore.

How the heck are you holding that up as the gold standard???!

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founding

This insanity never ends. The rational conclusion is: forget about movies and streaming and go to the library. They have things there called "books". And they don't charge for them.

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Feb 10, 2023·edited Feb 10, 2023

I get the point of a VP of CS and adding that extra layer might be worth it occasionally but I find that common sense is not so common. Gut reactions are often even more stupid than isolated insider opinions. Mr. Joe Common Sense is just too ignorant to realize it and not intellectually curious enough to go any further than that.

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I just want a single UI I can my various streaming services into easily and then go on my merry watching way. Frankly, I want a Spotify for movies type UI.

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Feb 10, 2023Liked by Sonny Bunch

To continue Ted's UI rant: I'd be happy(ier) if the streaming services could just agree on a standard interface for the actual video player UI. It's not like the options or functionality is required to be different for each streaming service--they all do play, pause, back up, fast forward, captions, language. (Exception is the Amazon Prime Video X-ray, which I really miss on the other services, even if the data is a little wonky.) I'm specifically thinking of keyboard shortcuts--Just let's all agree that spacebar is play/pause, arrows go back and forth, etc.

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founding
Feb 10, 2023Liked by Sonny Bunch

VP of CS would be useful in many industries / boardrooms and other places like, oh, I don't know...government, maybe? But the title itself contains the reason this will absolutely never happen.

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Feb 10, 2023Liked by Sonny Bunch

All these weird combo streaming services makes me long for cable.

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Feb 10, 2023Liked by Sonny Bunch

My God what an inspired notion. Additional businesses desperately needing this CS innovation, are grocery stores and DNA research outfits. Grocery stores are footballing 'decent price if you buy 5 Nabisco or Frito products (more than you need or want)' and the roots people are using modular structure and grouped services (along with HOT sales) to goose their commerce and get max monetization. Capitalism is splendid in general but coupled with advertising, monopoly and near piracy it loses it's beauty.

Anyway this writing riotously, nay, hysterically funny. We All Demand Cocaine Bear!!! Ignore us at your peril. . . .

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Feb 10, 2023Liked by Sonny Bunch

As a user of several streaming services, I am often baffled by their interfaces, let alone their business models. They know what I watch yet they cannot seem to develop screens that effectively display good tv/movie options. It’s like they never do in-depth interviews or UX testing.

Also, let me remind you that we are two weeks away from THE MOVIE EVENT OF THE YEAR. Cocaine. Bears. Humans being stupid. Bear killing stupid people. I await your Across the Movie Aisle review of Cocaine Bear!!!!

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