Add "Watch on these services" to Plex player apps and Plex web (app.plex.tv, not watch.plex.tv) // mod: display "where to watch" on local content to stream elsewhere to support the creators

Feature Suggestions
1

Per my previous request—which was closed as “Implemented”—to add “also streaming on” icons to media items in Plex, I don’t think many Plex users will use the version added to Plex.tv, because they would have to

  1. browse to the thing they want to watch in Plex,

  2. leave Plex and load up Plex.tv to see where else it’s streaming, then

  3. return to Plex to watch it or go to another service.

If they’re having to leave Plex to check, then why would they use Plex.tv to check anyways, rather than one of the many other websites providing exactly this service that predate this Plex.tv feature?

The point of this is let users that may have accounts with other streaming services know at a glance whether or not they can help support the content creator by watching it through the paid service.

I want this:

Screen Shot 2022-04-05 at 9.58.01 AM
Screen Shot 2022-04-05 at 9.58.01 AM697×718 161 KB

to appear here, in Plex, where the user is already a click away from watching; not 10 clicks:

Screen Shot 2022-04-05 at 9.58.33 AM
Screen Shot 2022-04-05 at 9.58.33 AM697×718 184 KB

and here:

IMG_2077.PNG
IMG_2077.PNG481×1040 144 KB

This feature should be a [default off] checkbox at the top of the Streaming Services settings page.

edit: add motivation for feature

2

Sorry, what is the difference between “plex.tv” and “Plex” for you?
“Discovery” has been enabled on the majority of Plex client types: https://support.plex.tv/articles/discover/

Plex Media Player won’t get it though, as it is deprecated.

4

(Edited the title, sorry for the confusion over Plex Media Player vs just Plex Apps.)

Thanks for the reply, Otto,

“Plex” is app.plex.tv, or one of the Plex player apps on a device/tv. “Plex.tv” is watch.plex.tv, which is merely an online catalog of hosted media on Plex (or now, elsewhere). The former is how I access my server and my media, the latter is how I access Plex and other companies’ servers.

The top image in the post is from watch.plex.tv, which has the feature I requested: the ability to see (partially in this case) which items “in Plex” were streaming elsewhere. But, to get from there to the same item in my library on app.plex.tv, you have to 1) click the three-horizontal-line button at top-right, then 2) click “open Plex”, which opens app.plex.tv, then you have to 3) again search for the item that you had already searched for the first time on watch.plex.tv.

Discovery is cool, but it functions like its own library, or maybe more accurately like the “home” section. Further, it only shows the sources that the user selects. So in the above example images, the show is available on 11 different streaming sites, but if I don’t have any of those selected to appear in Discovery, then I will only find the show as it appears in my library if present.

What I want is to click on a media item in my own library, in Plex web, or in the Plex phone/tablet/tv apps, and see that the item is streaming on, say, 11 different free/paid streaming services right there next to the item info, as indicated in the second and third images. (This should be independent of whether I have Discovery enabled in the first place, and of course be independent of which sources I have selected in Discovery.)

5

Maybe you can explain your actual use case and what you want to achieve with this suggestion?
When I read your post I wonder why I should want to know one of my movies is also streaming on 11 other platforms… I already got it on my server and can stream it from there, can’t I? But I suppose there’s something else you want to achieve by seeing where else content on your library is available??

6

Thanks Tom,

I edited the OP restating the motivation from the original feature request:

The point of this is let users that may have accounts with other streaming services know at a glance whether or not they can help support the content creator by watching it through the paid service.

7

Please do not force “Watch on these services” unless we actually have them configured. If this is to be taken seriously it should be inclusive to what platforms are linked. Not independent.

I do not want ADVERTISEMENTS as to which platforms I can watch on otherwise.

1 Like
8

Dunno what you mean by this but we all buy our media already so the support the content creator has already happened.

9

Put it behind a checkbox and default to off; sure. No problem.

The point is to support the content creators more. They continue to receive support through paid services, but not when you rewatch a purchased copy.

Ever gone to a movie in theaters twice? That kind of thing.

10

That is entirely besides the point. If you don’t have the streaming service configured there’s no reason to even display it.

1 Like
11

I don’t want to force users with whom my library is shared to go through that configuration process, and I don’t know to which services they subscribe.

edit: put in another checkbox to only show icons for configured streaming services.

12

I don’t get it. If you are using Plex Web (either the hosted or bundled version) you are looking at content on your server. If it’s on your server, Why would you want to watch it on another service?

13

Cool new beta feature, one I’ve wanted for a long time.

1 bug I found was that it told me “Murder on the Orient Express” was available on HBO Max, and it is not available on HBO Max.

One feature request is to include Movies Anywhere content too.

14

Reported this to the team. Thanks.

15

So that, in the event you’re already paying for a streaming service, some of your fee can go to the creators of the content you love enough to have purchased and added to your own collection. Instead of paying the exact same fee, watching the exact same content, and having them not receive a cut of your fee?

16

Are the ratings icons advertisements? No, they’re informational, and so are these.

If they showed for every item regardless of whether they’re on a streaming service or not, THAT would be an advertisement.

17

When you display an icon with a 3rd party logo saying “Hey, you can watch this here too” it is absolutely an advertisement. Comparing that to an IMDB rating icon is not accurate.

18

So put another checkbox to only show the icons for services you have configured.

And more accurately, it would be “Hey, you’re already paying for the ability to watch this here too, and if you do your money goes more to the content creators and less to Netflix.” A rather strange advertisement indeed…

19

Yes, this is what I said above. If you have the service configured inside Plex already then I completely agree this would be great.

20

Keyword there being “another” checkbox. Still want to be able to see all the services hosting a particular item.

Again, don’t know which services other users may have. And I recommend content to people all the time, so I see additional use in being able to quickly look up the item in Plex, which I’m always using, and point them to whatever service they may have.

21

The sad part will be that the actual creator is unlikely to see much of your monthly Netflix fee just because you opt to stream a video there (if anything at all).
In most cases, the content owner (not necessarily the creator) has sold the rights to stream their content for a certain period to a distributor (or streaming platform) for a certain price.

It’s not necessarily like with Spotify where you listening to a song generates the artist $0.00437 (number from a quick Google search). That’s usually more the ad-supported models where the money is somehow split between owner and platform provider. I’m sure there’s exceptions… just wanted to point out that there’s certainly better ways to actually support content creators, than hoping some of your money will trickle down the value chain.

Edit: not to diminish your suggestion or effort.