By Vera Quill | LOS GATOS, Calif.
For streaming subscribers who have spent the past several years comparing plans, prices and advertising options, the question of what a monthly subscription actually includes has become increasingly complicated.
Netflix, the streaming company headquartered in Los Gatos, California, offers different subscription options, while viewers across the industry have grown accustomed to navigating price changes, advertisements and restrictions on how accounts are used.
The expanding number of choices has left some customers comparing not just what to watch, but how much of the viewing experience they are willing to pay for.
In a satirical scenario familiar to anyone who has stared at a subscription comparison chart, Netflix has taken that logic one step further: a new premium feature that allows subscribers to finish the movie they started.
Under the imaginary Complete Viewing Experience plan, viewers would receive access to the final 20 minutes of a film, including the resolution of major plotlines and the closing credits.
Standard subscribers could continue watching the opening scenes and most of the second act before being offered an opportunity to upgrade. Customers declining the offer would receive a short written summary of the ending.
The proposed feature would also include uninterrupted dialogue during emotionally significant scenes and a guarantee that the screen would not display a new pricing comparison immediately before the climax.
An internal presentation, invented for this story, describes the offering as an effort to give viewers greater control over their entertainment choices, provided those choices are made within the appropriate billing tier.
The fictional plan has already inspired speculation about which familiar viewing controls might be offered next. Fast-forwarding is under consideration, while rewinding could be reserved for subscribers who wish to experience the same moment twice.
The company has not actually announced such a plan. In the world of this story, however, executives are reportedly preparing a Still Watching Plus upgrade that would allow customers to answer “Yes” without first watching a commercial.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0. Photo source and license.
About the writer
Vera Quill covers politics & entertainment for The Tea Bag Times. Meet our newsroom.
