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companies etc. rant

Content Licensing WTF

Alright, I realize this is the content provider’s agreement, but listen up.  So I subscribe to HuluPlus and Netflix because it saves me money, it’s not for everyone but I just don’t need shit the day it comes out because I watch very select bits of TV.  With that said hulu plus wtf is up with your content licensing, I mean really let me tell you all the content licensing schemas for the different shows that you provide are absolutely insane.  Example:

Sons of Anarchy, great show, INSANE LICENSING RESTRICTIONS.  I swear they must roll dice to determine when content is available.  For season 3, the first 3 episodes aired “normally” for hulu subscribers which is to say like a week late, ok cool I don’t mind waiting around it’s all good.   So the original air date was Sept 3. followed by the 10th and the 17th for the first 3 episodes for all people who normally get FX, for people on hulu plus its shifted a week.  This is not the WTF.  The WTF is that they then put a hiatus on releasing new episodes until december 6th!  It just doesn’t make ANY SENSE.  It’s like they are trying to figure out people’s breaking points or something to get them to subscriber with the really popular content or something.  You might as well just say hey you can only watch them on the internet every tuesday at 4pm.  If I am on the internet I shouldn’t have to get out a freakin calendar to check whether or not I can view your content, either put it up or don’t at all save us all some hassle.

Second verse, same as the first.  Of having recently acquired a PS3 I decided to see how the hulu plus app is on that just for shit’s and giggles, now I knew it would probably  not be as good as my media PC but I said what the heck might be entertaining.  Then I go to my Queue and like half the shows I have in my queue are not there.  I go huh, that’s odd, did hulu pull them without telling me like they did with “It’s always sunny in philadelphia”? (Hmm, note also an FX show).  Go searching on the huluplus app and it says “Web only”, oh gee so you can offer it on PC that is using a television as a display, but you can’t offer it on a PS3, oh dear me what POSSIBLE horrible forms of piracy could evolve from the PS3 that you couldn’t do on a PC.  What is the FREAKING POINT of denying the content on known working platforms.  Probably the point is they can’t figure out a way to limit the content on those devices …  yet!

Listen up you marketing GENIUSES at FX.  I am sure if I tried to find other examples of insane content licensing I could find them I am just too steamed right now to waste my time looking for them.  This kind of marketing crap it doesn’t earn you viewership, it earns you ire.  Put on your big boy pants and start walking around in the digital age.