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NEWS: Anime Network Adds Online Subscription Tier for Videos


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PetrifiedJello



Joined: 11 Mar 2009
Posts: 3782
PostPosted: Tue May 19, 2009 7:11 am Reply with quote
Note: The "announced" link is invalid.

It'll be curious to see how many people sign up. After reading the forums, not much information is given on the "subscriber" tier.

While I commend ADV for at least trying, I can't imagine becoming a subscriber. Not only because they're competing with fan sub sites, but their very own ANOD.

I get it for free. Others pay. Having the ability to view new content "quickly" doesn't seem to be very enticing to subscribe. One poster in their forums noted the "double dipping" for the same paid service was reason not to subscribe.

I wish ADV would add significant value to its subscriber tier. To start, offering several $20 off coupons for ADV box sets or $5 off singles would be nice.

ADV offers no downloading option, and that's extremely disappointing. $6.95 for the ability to stream is competing against its own free service, let alone ANN, Crunchyroll, and those other sites.

I don't see this new tier doing well. The entire point of service is to offer what others don't.

I'd be curious if the paid subscription service is available to those outside the U.S. For it's these folks who may be the targeted audience willing to pay for the service.

Just for curiosity, I went to see the offered videos and noticed how the new revamp works. It seems many of the episodes are now "locked" under the premium tier in order to view.

I also noticed that one can watch the first 4 episodes of [i]Magical Play[i] on this site for no cost versus having to pay to watch it on AN's website.
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hikaru004



Joined: 15 Mar 2004
Posts: 2306
PostPosted: Tue May 19, 2009 7:27 am Reply with quote
Actually, this is similar to what CR does right down to the price. And yes, people do sign up for this kind of stuff. The magnitude of the response is going to depend on what titles get announced and put into the subscribed tier imo.

For example, titles like Basquash, Pandora Hearts, 07-Ghost and Eden of the East would go well in the subscribed tier.
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LordRedhand



Joined: 04 Feb 2009
Posts: 1472
Location: Middle of Nowhere, Indiana
PostPosted: Tue May 19, 2009 8:09 am Reply with quote
This is a smart move in the right direction (gives free with advertisements to make back but also add a direct revenue stream for new titles immediately.)


PetrifiedJello wrote:

I wish ADV would add significant value to its subscriber tier. To start, offering several $20 off coupons for ADV box sets or $5 off singles would be nice.

ADV offers no downloading option, and that's extremely disappointing. $6.95 for the ability to stream is competing against its own free service, let alone ANN, Crunchyroll, and those other sites.


Lets see here, first they can't really give discounts off their product (especially in this economy you know where to go to get deals from stores both physical and online which they no longer handle all Rightstuf for ADV films in terms of distribution. They used to have when you ordered from them they would give you a free volume 1 of another anime series regardless of what you ordered single, boxset so on, but not anymore. Also giving out coupons just because you viewed or are paying for the capability to view anime is a little skewed or trying to get blood from a stone.)

As to downloads I'd first see them as something seperate fro,m this and a DTO model where you are paying a nominal fee per episode. If you must look at it this way, think of it as a targetted tax on those who would be interested in the show as oppossed to the other alternative.
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Rolando_jose



Joined: 04 Jan 2007
Posts: 240
Location: Ahhhh it's vacation time again!
PostPosted: Tue May 19, 2009 8:15 am Reply with quote
Access can be denied if you live in a weird region... like me. Evil or Very Mad
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LordRedhand



Joined: 04 Feb 2009
Posts: 1472
Location: Middle of Nowhere, Indiana
PostPosted: Tue May 19, 2009 8:19 am Reply with quote
Rolando_jose wrote:
Access can be denied if you live in a weird region... like me. Evil or Very Mad


I'm used to dialing long distance to just call people up the road (a block or so) so it will work out.
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hikaru004



Joined: 15 Mar 2004
Posts: 2306
PostPosted: Tue May 19, 2009 9:30 am Reply with quote
Rolando_jose wrote:
Access can be denied if you live in a weird region... like me. Evil or Very Mad


Then complain to the Japanese owner of the title and not ADV.
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Teriyaki Terrier



Joined: 26 Mar 2008
Posts: 5689
PostPosted: Tue May 19, 2009 9:49 am Reply with quote
Unlike Crunchyroll, Anime Network doesn't show with illlegal fan subs. This is great that ADV is doing this, if I watched as much anime as I read manga, I would join.
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Leon Evolon



Joined: 26 Sep 2006
Posts: 212
Location: Crazytowne
PostPosted: Tue May 19, 2009 10:07 am Reply with quote
ADV is trying so hard to hang in there. This is a good move on their part but I don't think they have the crowd-drawing selection that'll make people shell out the extra monthly at this point. We'll have to wait and see what they come up with in terms of new licenses. Here's hoping! Smile
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dragonrider_cody



Joined: 14 Jun 2008
Posts: 2541
PostPosted: Tue May 19, 2009 10:36 am Reply with quote
First of all, to correct a previous post. Right Stuf doesn't do distribution for ADV. They are only a warehouse service, and send product to some online retailers and VMI's, like Ingram, who then ship it to stores like Best Buy. Also, Right Stuf's distribution to B&M stores actually appears to be handled by ADV, as all Nozomi releases at Best Buy and FYE are shipped in from ADV and are listed in our systems as ADV products.

Also, I do know several people have already signed up for the service, including myself. I don't think competition with their free VOD service is going to be a problem. The online site offers many more titles than TAN On Demand, and allegedly will offer a bit more than it's SVOD service. Thouh as far as online streaming goes, there is a ton of competition, both free and subscription, most notably Crunchyroll and You Tube.

I would like to add, that Anime Networks streaming site actually works much better than some others, namely Funimation's. At least you don't have to start the stream, go kill an hour and hope the stream is buffered enough to play. They are still some kinks to be worked out, like the episode numbers aren't listed - only pictures are shown, but overall it's a nice system and a big improvement over their previous player. They just need to get some exclusives straight from Japan, similar to Crunchyroll Smile
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LordRedhand



Joined: 04 Feb 2009
Posts: 1472
Location: Middle of Nowhere, Indiana
PostPosted: Tue May 19, 2009 10:48 am Reply with quote
Strange, my last ADV order that I made came from Rightstuf, with their label on it and everything. Of course this is me as an individual customer ordering directly and not a store, so that may have something to do with it.
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bayoab



Joined: 06 Oct 2004
Posts: 831
PostPosted: Tue May 19, 2009 10:55 am Reply with quote
PetrifiedJello wrote:

I'd be curious if the paid subscription service is available to those outside the U.S. For it's these folks who may be the targeted audience willing to pay for the service.
Their player is US/Canada only.

Quote:

I also noticed that one can watch the first 4 episodes of [i]Magical Play[i] on this site for no cost versus having to pay to watch it on AN's website.
They moved a ton of formerly free content into free for 2-3 eps, pay to watch the rest. About half of the content on that site was formerly free or can be found free legally elsewhere. This is a rather different model than CR as there is no suggestion they plan on making these episodes free ever.

LordRedhand wrote:
This is a smart move in the right direction (gives free with advertisements to make back but also add a direct revenue stream for new titles immediately.)

Except they have 0 outside ads.


Quote:
As to downloads I'd first see them as something seperate fro,m this and a DTO model where you are paying a nominal fee per episode.
Many of these are available on other services in DTO form. (itunes, XBL, etc)

hikaru004 wrote:
Rolando_jose wrote:
Access can be denied if you live in a weird region... like me. Evil or Very Mad


Then complain to the Japanese owner of the title and not ADV.
No, this is ADV's fault. They use some screwed up geo-detection system that doesn't work properly.

Teriyaki Terrier wrote:
Unlike Crunchyroll, Anime Network doesn't show with illlegal fan subs.
There haven't been any fansubs on CR for a while now.
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The_X_box_360



Joined: 04 Apr 2009
Posts: 91
PostPosted: Tue May 19, 2009 11:15 am Reply with quote
I've been waiting for a major competitor to arrive and give Crunchyroll.com a run for it's money in video quality, title content, site service, community atmosphere and future potential......
That way, what current show one site doesn't license/simulcast, the other would license/simulcast, and I'd be good with a subscription to both sites. Anime hyper

After combing through AN, it's obvious that they aren't even coming close in any of those five areas, right now. <.<

Furthermore, I don't see many people paying for their services if they can't even offer top 720p video streaming quality to subscribers-only AND provide some simulcasts in their lineup. -_-

I don't know where so many people get the notion that Crunchyroll Anime subscribers are just suckers who threw their money at Crunchyroll.com for the hell of it....
If CR didn't have the simulcasts and the HD 480p/720p streams, I wouldn't have gotten the anime membership. I can find plenty of ways to support the anime industry without watching crappy streams of old, no longer airing, anime series. -_-

Hopefully, this is just the beginning for "change" at AN, and they have much more on the way for us.... They just might become that CR competitor I've been waiting for, yet. Smile
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Jetstream2



Joined: 28 Oct 2007
Posts: 32
PostPosted: Tue May 19, 2009 11:21 am Reply with quote
Their video player and site has been greatly improved since I last watched something there. Hopefully this will work out well for them.

There is no way I will be subscribing to this. Between all of the free videos hosted on YouTube, Hulu, Joost, CrunchyRoll, FUNimation and ANN, I have enough to watch online.

Some of their "premium subscriber" shows, like Best Student Council, can be seen for free in other places like Joost. I don't see the point in watching it there, when I could just watch it for free elsewhere. Thats the only problem that I can see with this change.
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SXAniMedia



Joined: 15 May 2009
Posts: 139
PostPosted: Tue May 19, 2009 11:45 am Reply with quote
There are some things to be worked out from what I have been told. It's going to be constantly updated and this is certainly not the finished -- there's more to come.

They are also looking for feedback on what users or potential users want to see to improve it, so I'm sure they'll be reading this thread.

bayoab wrote:


hikaru004 wrote:
Rolando_jose wrote:
Access can be denied if you live in a weird region... like me. Evil or Very Mad


Then complain to the Japanese owner of the title and not ADV.
No, this is ADV's fault. They use some screwed up geo-detection system that doesn't work properly.


They've been working to address these issues. Lately people experiencing this problem have been in the minority, only like 1-2% of users at most from what I have seen in public and what I've heard. It's been something they've been working to improve over some months and it seems to be paying off. But if someone is still experiencing this issue though it can be reported on their forum for the techs to look into specifically.

In Rolando's case, though based on his previous posts I am guessing he's in Spain... then no this service is not available there per hikaru's comments.
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dragonrider_cody



Joined: 14 Jun 2008
Posts: 2541
PostPosted: Tue May 19, 2009 12:15 pm Reply with quote
LordRedhand wrote:
Strange, my last ADV order that I made came from Rightstuf, with their label on it and everything. Of course this is me as an individual customer ordering directly and not a store, so that may have something to do with it.


Like I said, Right Stuf provides warehouse services for them. Actual distribution of product is another matter entirely. Distributing the product actually means sending it to retail channels, like Best Buy, FYE, Anime Nation, etc. But since ADV no longer has their own warehouse, any direct orders for individuals would come from Right Stuf's warehouse.
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