No. Plex pass does not offset the cost of the films. The Ads do.
Though I presume that is the answer, I’d prefer it come from someone with “Employee” by their name. Tidal, a service I will never use, at one time was being announced at $1 less a month for plexpass holders.
I imagine it possible for less advertisements for PlexPass holders, unlikely, but possible.
My concern is that if partnerships like this become highly lucrative for Plex, their focus on the features I use (my music and photos) will wane.
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I’m not making this stuff up. It comes from the FAQ on the Plex website. Just a tad of basic research on your part and you would know that. But to save you the time, here is the quote.
Do Plex Pass subscribers have to see ads?
This content is solely ad-supported and this content is not supported via Plex Pass subscription fees, so all Plex users, including Plex Pass subscribers, will see ads in this service. Again, the ads are only applicable to the new free movie and TV streams.
I think Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon have ruined the commercial supported shows for me. It actually feels almost like a rude gesture when someone constantly interrupts a story they’re trying to tell. That’s the main reason I find myself trying and then actively avoiding all the me-too services like the Roku Channel and Vudu Movies On Us.
If Plex can create a commercial free version for $7/mo, and if the content selection has things worth watching, I will be much more likely to use it more than once.
The other thing Plex will have to figure out for me to even consider it, beyond a once or twice novelty viewing, is a way to bookmark or “watchlist” shows from a computer to have them show up on the big TV’s Plex home screen. I don’t search and browse with a remote except as a last resort.
I might be a niche type of viewer though. Who knows.
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Thanks for the information. This announcement is so new I wasn’t even aware there was a FAQ on it yet.
The Q&A you post doesn’t directly answer my question though.
I understand we’ll see ads. I was hoping our Pass might provide less ads.
What you said is exactly what I was trying to say haha. I don’t mind change and new features, but when they break/remove existing features, or introduce bugs that never get fixed it’s frustrating.
That’s great to hear. From the way you guys integrate tidal, I’m actually very happy for this. My dream would be one day I just need Plex app for all my movies, tv and music hobby instead of many apps.
Plex app hands down is much better than Tubi, Sony Crackle, even Hulu etc.
I just hope that Plex will continue support old devices such as Android 4.4~ and prioritize killing bugs related to streaming movies and TV. Ala Microsoft long term strategy supporting legacy app and devices.
Also, adding custom code to support DD+ would be great too… Just like the way MX Player app. This is to minimize the need for transcoding video.
Honestly even if Plex create bundle plan as high as 20 USD per month for ads free with content from Hulu, HBO, STARZ, SHOWTIME, DISNEY,etc. It’s still worth it for me to buy because of the convenience factor of turning on the tv and have everything in one app, without any ads.
If this happen, then probably the similar things that happened to music industry with spotify would happen with tv and movies. I for one would probably be too lazy to maintain my Plex server and adding my own content if I can pay Plex that money and have it all managed.
One thing I hate with all streaming companies right now (beside fragmentation and bad UIs) is that things come and go too much. Licensing vs owning. Streaming services rarely get to ‘own’ content - they are “licensed” for everything.
I’ll make a list of things I want to watch on the 2 - 3 services I currently belong, figure it will take me 3 months of nights and weekends to watch them, go to watch something from that list 2 months into my 3, and poof. It’s gone.
No explanation, other than the company was no longer licensed to stream it.
Plex will doubtfully ever be able to prevent that from happening using others content. I love the idea of a ‘search in one app, find it on any service’, but, I refuse to stop hoarding discs (and the associated rips) of content I might decide I want to watch 2 years from now but all the companies decided not to allow streaming for anymore.
This is why, to me, Plex is and always will be (and should be!) my media, my way, when I want it, not when someone else decides to remove it.
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roku sort of has this, when you search for something it shows what services you can stream from. But of course they are all individual apps (and subscriptions).
I doubt we will ever reach the nirvana of ‘one UI/app/subscription for all streaming/local media’. But it’s nice to dream.
Some would call that a Monopoly 
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Yeah, I know. Have 4, love them (if not for 3 of them really getting old in tooth)
I kind of wish Plex had some hook into the Roku search, allowed me to search from within Plex, with preference of my local vs Roku apps/Plex remote content (ISP caps, etc), and place the services I don’t subscribe too much farther down the list instead of in the middle.
Maybe. But until the past 3-4 years when other conglomerates realized how awesome Netflix was and started removing/not renewing their content, with plans of their own competitors that I’ll likely never subscribe to due to the number now coming out and fragmenting all the content, I appreciated Netflix as my monopolistic overlord.
Back more on topic - I’m glad WB will include Lionsgate - even if I never use it due to hate of bad digital commercial placement and repetitiveness (and, commercials, interruption), those that do use it now have more selection. Lionsgate has some decent releases, along with some interesting B class films. Interesting in a good way.
The irony of all this is that we used to have a single ui/app/subscription. It was called a tv+cable.
I guess we still have that, aside from streaming only services Netflix et al.
Throw in TiVo or other dvr products and you’re almost back to roku.
Funny, I was just reading this article this morning right before I logged onto the forums… Which Talks about this and a whole lot more.
I don’t care what streaming services plex adds to the system as long as there is a way for me to turn it off. Over all I’m very pleased with plex but if I’m forced into things I don’t want I’ll start looking for something new.
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Better ideal. Have the commercials at the start of the program and then have the rest of the program commercial free.
This implementation sounds a lot like adding a plug-in to deliver content from a providers server. This would not bother me as much if PLEX hadn’t just discontinued the same functionality on the grounds it was too costly to maintain. I’ll grant them, there is a difference between an authorized api and crawling a website, but it doesn’t mean there won’t be ongoing development to support it. The loss here is if PLEX is not approaching other providers for the same access. Once their revenue component can be maintained it’s likely more providers will sign on.
The slippery slope is that this is a revenue sharing agreement, and there is no advantage for the paying users. Once the Plex Pass cost exceeds it’s benefit, membership will decline and the program will end. By then the majority of income will be from content providers, making PLEX “free for all,” but wholly beholden to it’s revenue partners.
How long before LionsGate movies (in your collection,) require an ad in the pre-roll before viewing? How long before DVR recordings of WB produced shows are excluded from the commercial cutting option?
That app is called “JustWatch,” at least for iOS. You can select your providers then search for titles or browse by popular or recently added. It aggregates availability across all your services (an exhaustive list.) They display availability of free, ad supported, and subscription content, as well as price info for rental or purchase.
That’s just it, it’s a totally separate app. There’s websites that do same. I then have to go into the various apps to stream them. on whatever device/TV I’m watching.
Roku has a decent search that will show those streaming service apps that register within it, but, it then takes me into a list of some I’d never subscribe to, or put up with commercials for, without me being able to filter out the app channels I wouldn’t like.
