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LIVE Subscription Price to Rise?

warder808warder808 Registered User regular
edited April 2010 in Games and Technology
Microsoft is reportedly mulling over the possibility of launching a new TV channel exclusive to Xbox Live subscribers.

The platform holder is discussing the idea with former News Corporation president Peter Chernin, according to Bloomberg.

Chernin, who runs his own production company, is said to have proposed the idea of raising the online service's monthly fee by up to $2 for access to the programming, which would feature original shows and re-runs.

We reckon there'd have to be some pretty impressive shows on the channel to convince XBL users to part with more cash for their annual subscription. Does it sound like a good idea to you, CVG readers?

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=243608


Uhh. I pay for online gaming, not TV. I will unsub if this goes up.

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  • FireflashFireflash Montreal, QCRegistered User regular
    edited April 2010
    No, anyways like most of the new stuff they added to XBL in the last years it probably won't be available in Canada.

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  • SiliconStewSiliconStew Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    So they want Microsoft to pay them roughly $30 million a year for a single TV channel, with most of the programming being re-runs? Good luck getting anyone to watch. To be fair, $2 per year is about what the average price per channel is with my cable package.

    SiliconStew on
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  • JHunzJHunz Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    He wants them to raise the LIVE subscription prices by 50% for a lousy TV channel? What the article doesn't say is that when he proposed the idea they laughed until they couldn't breathe.

    I could see them having a separate subscription to the channel, though. With services like NetFlix providing a precedent that wouldn't really much of a stretch.

    JHunz on
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  • AngryPuppyAngryPuppy Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    I can't imagine how they'd put a positive spin on a $24 annual hike in the subscription price for the sake of a single TV channel. If it was an optional extra I'd have no qualm and would even look into it myself - and if they brought back consolevania/videogaiden I'd buy a life time contract.

    AngryPuppy on
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  • Ninja Snarl PNinja Snarl P My helmet is my burden. Ninja Snarl: Gone, but not forgotten.Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    I strongly doubt Microsoft would be so stupid as to build up XBL to where it is today and then charge another 25 bucks a year for a digital video service inferior to Netflix. An optional semi-experimental system to try and compete with Netflix, sure, but not a full-on required payment if you want XBL.

    I would also not be entirely surprised if Microsoft's larger goal here is to provide conventional streaming channels for a fee later on to attempt to compete with the cable companies. I know I'd rather pay ten bucks a month for a handful of channels I actually want over paying the cable company that same ten bucks for a nightmarish mess of redundant channels I don't even want.

    Ninja Snarl P on
  • MechanicalMechanical Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    Yeah, I have a Live subscription for games. Not TV.

    Mechanical on
  • The_SpaniardThe_Spaniard It's never lupines Irvine, CaliforniaRegistered User regular
    edited April 2010
    By contrast Sony is lowering the price of PSN to free-er-err.

    The_Spaniard on
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  • CantidoCantido Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    Fuck television.

    If I wanna watch TV, I'll watch TV. Oh wait, TV fucking sucks.

    Cantido on
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  • AngryPuppyAngryPuppy Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    Fuck a duck, by mentioning consolevania I reminded myself to check out what Rab Florence was up to now and it turn's out that this 'Independent Charles' featurette coming to the UK/Euro Inside Xbox channel is his show.

    AngryPuppy on
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  • BartholamueBartholamue Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    This will only make me continue to not want to subscribe to their online service.

    Bartholamue on
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  • strebaliciousstrebalicious Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    In the three or so years I've had a subscription, I think I used it maybe a total of twice. Once to realize I suck at Halo 3 multiplayer, and once to play a few rounds of 1 vs 100. Maybe an exclusive demo here or there. I should have cancelled it a long time ago.

    strebalicious on
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  • BlueBlueBlueBlue Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    By contrast Sony is lowering the price of PSN by half!

    BlueBlue on
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  • AdditionalPylonsAdditionalPylons Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    BlueBlue wrote: »
    By contrast Sony is lowering the price of PSN by half!

    Sony now pays YOU for playing their games

    AdditionalPylons on
  • BlueBlueBlueBlue Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    Bloomberg wrote:
    Microsoft, the world’s biggest software maker, hasn’t responded to the proposal

    BlueBlue on
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  • HenroidHenroid Mexican kicked from Immigration Thread Centrism is Racism :3Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    This will only make me continue to not want to subscribe to their online service.

    I don't understand, how does adding a television viewing channel, even just for a single channel, inconvenience the service? I mean, aside from a price increase, assuming that part is true.

    Henroid on
  • The_SpaniardThe_Spaniard It's never lupines Irvine, CaliforniaRegistered User regular
    edited April 2010
    BlueBlue wrote: »
    By contrast Sony is lowering the price of PSN by half!

    frysized.jpg

    The_Spaniard on
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  • remlap13remlap13 Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    BlueBlue wrote: »
    By contrast Sony is lowering the price of PSN by half!

    Sony now pays YOU for playing their games

    In Soviet Russia, console plays you!

    EDIT: To add something constructive to the topic as well.. I have to agree with the consensus.. If they start charging an extra $25/year, I will cancel. I've already thought that I was being a chump for paying to play online when I have a computer that can play online for free, and a Wii, and could get myself a PS3 if I wanted. So if Microsoft wants to pull something like this I will have no problem bailing out.

    remlap13 on
  • DhalphirDhalphir don't you open that trapdoor you're a fool if you dareRegistered User regular
    edited April 2010
    it sounds to me from the wording like this will be an optional extra on your subscription and not something you hAVE to pay for

    "raising the price by $2 for access" sounds like optional to me.

    Dhalphir on
  • HenroidHenroid Mexican kicked from Immigration Thread Centrism is Racism :3Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    warder808 wrote: »
    Uhh. I pay for online gaming, not TV. I will unsub if this goes up.

    Is it because of the concept of TV integration, or is it the rumored price hike?

    Let's pretend the price increase isn't true - would this still make you feel you will unsubscribe? If so, why?

    Let's pretend there is an optional package you can pay that only increases the price if you opt for the TV service too - would it make you feel you will unsubscribe? If so, why?

    I just want to be very clear of why people are against this. You say you pay for online gaming, not TV, which is well and good. But I want to make sure if it's that sort of creed at play, or if it's just a masked "paying more money sucks." If it's the latter, you'd do everyone better by just admitting to it. Because paying more does suck.

    Henroid on
  • DangerousDangerous Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    I think people are complaining because it would suck to make you pay for access to something you don't even want in the first place. If it's free, or even optional then I don't see a problem with it. But yeah, for an extra 24 bucks a year I'd probably cancel my sub and just start buying more PS3 games.

    Dangerous on
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  • Shady3011Shady3011 Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    I haven't paid full price for Live before and I don't plan to start with streaming television. Besides, how would it work with current subscriptions? Will it just be another tier? Xbox Live Platinum?

    Shady3011 on
  • HenroidHenroid Mexican kicked from Immigration Thread Centrism is Racism :3Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    Where are you getting the "extra 24$" from? It says extra $2.

    Henroid on
  • DhalphirDhalphir don't you open that trapdoor you're a fool if you dareRegistered User regular
    edited April 2010
    raising the online service by $2 monthyl.

    Dhalphir on
  • LaPuzzaLaPuzza Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    After getting a PS3, I feel like what I pay for Live is a bargan for that product. At most, I might start suspending my live account during the summer when I'm not playing much, but I can't imagine not having Live.

    I couldn't care less about whatever they're adding, but I feel the same way about a lot of what Live can do.

    EDIT: Also, when they raise the price they'll discontinue the old 13 month cards, and they will be cheaper at eBay/Kmart than they are now. Worst case, I'd stock up on the old cards.

    LaPuzza on
  • HenroidHenroid Mexican kicked from Immigration Thread Centrism is Racism :3Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    Oh you mean over the course of a year.

    Y'know, even though I've been unemployed for the past year and have been having to scrounge up money, another $24 over the course of a year isn't that bad.

    Henroid on
  • DangerousDangerous Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    I also love paying $24 dollars a year for something I don't give a shit about and never wanted in the first place.

    Dangerous on
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  • HenroidHenroid Mexican kicked from Immigration Thread Centrism is Racism :3Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    I'm just saying it's a small price to pay even if it were forced, there are worse things that you have to pay for with high prices.

    Henroid on
  • UltimanecatUltimanecat Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    I think from the general gist of the comments here it seems clear that MS would be a silly goose to actually raise the cost of subscriptions across the board just for this. But then again, the whole point of the Xbox has always been to slowly get MS to control your living room. Live is about more than just video games, after all...

    They've been making moves towards becoming a full content provider for at least this generation. Part of that would probably involve streaming "channels" like this. Cable companies argue against a la carte pricing of channels because, frankly, if everybody who didn't give a shit about sports or Disney didn't opt to get ESPN or the Disney Channel, they couldn't afford to provide them (the licensing fees for those channels are exponentially higher than, say, Animal Planet). So everyone shares those costs.

    If MS keeps moving in the direction it has been, I wouldn't be surprised to see price hikes like this without any choice to opt out. After all, the service is more valuable, right?

    Ultimanecat on
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  • HenroidHenroid Mexican kicked from Immigration Thread Centrism is Racism :3Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    They've got Netflix integration right? I don't have a 360, I know next to nothing about Live.

    Henroid on
  • DhalphirDhalphir don't you open that trapdoor you're a fool if you dareRegistered User regular
    edited April 2010
    I would like to see Live stream very game-focused shows. And not crappy shows like the ones that go on normal pay TV. I'm talking like professionally commentated Starcraft games, or streamed tournaments of CS, or whatever it may be.

    Dhalphir on
  • VeganVegan Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    Dhalphir wrote: »
    I would like to see Live stream very game-focused shows. And not crappy shows like the ones that go on normal pay TV. I'm talking like professionally commentated Starcraft games, or streamed tournaments of CS, or whatever it may be.

    Do you honestly believe the programming would be anything BUT Xbox 360-related stuff? You can forget Starcraft and Counter-strike; promoting those don't make them any money.

    Vegan on
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  • LaPuzzaLaPuzza Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    Vegan wrote: »
    Dhalphir wrote: »
    I would like to see Live stream very game-focused shows. And not crappy shows like the ones that go on normal pay TV. I'm talking like professionally commentated Starcraft games, or streamed tournaments of CS, or whatever it may be.

    Do you honestly believe the programming would be anything BUT Xbox 360-related stuff? You can forget Starcraft and Counter-strike; promoting those don't make them any money.

    MS <3 Money. They'd have a station of nothing but Bill Gates getting a pie in the face if it provided enough eyes to charge more for ads/licensing/hardware

    LaPuzza on
  • HenroidHenroid Mexican kicked from Immigration Thread Centrism is Racism :3Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    It'd make them money in that they're charging $2 extra but giving something entertaining. Advertisements via the channel, well no shit it'd be MS controlled.

    Henroid on
  • BeckBeck Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    So, it's a response to PSN's The Tester and Pulse, then?

    That's all right, I guess. Just another thing to ignore. I can't imagine why anyone would care about this sort of thing. Are shows like the Tester even popular? Does anyone actually watch Pulse?

    Beck on
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  • DelzhandDelzhand Agrias Fucking Oaks Registered User, Transition Team regular
    edited April 2010
    But then again, the whole point of the Xbox has always been to slowly get MS to control your living room.

    You know, Microsoft can keep telling themselves this, but to me it's just another box that plays games.
    Okay, for me it's also a game development platform, but that doesn't require Live Gold

    Delzhand on
  • urahonkyurahonky Cynical Old Man Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    You guys say you'll unsub.... But you won't do it. Buncha babies. You'll continue to pay for it... Even though you hate it. Because at the end of the day... What else can you do? Do you want to continue to play online games? Do you want to watch Netflix? If the 360 is your only console then you've got no choice.

    urahonky on
  • HenroidHenroid Mexican kicked from Immigration Thread Centrism is Racism :3Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    While I'm sure some people will unsubscribe, I think for the most part people are just blowing some steam. At the end of the day, they'll realize how much they actually value the service. And maybe they'll give the new function a shot.

    Henroid on
  • amnesiasoftamnesiasoft Thick Creamy Furry Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    urahonky wrote: »
    You guys say you'll unsub.... But you won't do it. Buncha babies. You'll continue to pay for it... Even though you hate it. Because at the end of the day... What else can you do? Do you want to continue to play online games? Do you want to watch Netflix? If the 360 is your only console then you've got no choice.
    This guy speaks the truth. I haven't even touched multiplayer for over a year. My subscription is still intact.

    amnesiasoft on
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  • Ninja Snarl PNinja Snarl P My helmet is my burden. Ninja Snarl: Gone, but not forgotten.Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    I think lots of people are just overreacting. Microsoft could charge extra for plenty of bits on XBL and they don't because they know it'd obviously be a bad move. They could easily charge even a pittance for Netflix access, but they don't. Putting a mandatory extra charge on XBL Gold for just a single channel is a clearly terrible move.

    Ninja Snarl P on
  • amnesiasoftamnesiasoft Thick Creamy Furry Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    But worrying senselessly is more fun. Stop ruining our fun.

    amnesiasoft on
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