AgitoZ wrote:Actually Toei has "tested the waters" before with shows like Fist of The North Star, Pretty Cure, Slam Dunk, and Digimon Adventure Zero Two. Even allowing them to be downloaded, for a fee of course. But it ended with results Toei did not like and no home release being plan for such shows. This could be because they charged for the shows first (can't recall if streaming came first or later) or not enough popularity. Some shows weren't even completely subbed.
Oh, I remember that little business venture performed by Toei perfectly. The problem, at the time, was that Toei didn't bother doing their market research correctly and those who did pay for the downloads were met with sub-par quality video and questionable translations. If I paid for a show by the episode, I would expect quality and professionalism that could rival that of a professional fansubber. Needless to say, nobody wanted to put up with shit quality and Toei in the end was forced to back out of their own distribution methods. However, it didn't mean that Toei decided to just up and leave like a spoiled child. They eventually struck distribution deals with FUNimation and Crunchyroll for their content and allowed for free ad-supported streaming which worked out much better for both sides. While I do feel bad for the people who paid by the episode (and I can relate), in the end, everyone in R1 finally got the chance to watch great classics like
Fist of the North Star,
Captain Harlock, and
Slam Dunk. I'm now the proud owner of the first TV volume set of
Fist of the North Star that was put out by Discotek and I love every moment of it!
Now if only
Slam Dunk gets its DVD set distribution deal, I'll be a happy camper.
Bottom line is that streams can really help get new fans into series which can lead to DVD sales. FUNimation doing this now for Dragon Ball can only mean more chances for DVD sales down the road.
Newer shows have more potential since they are the "hot thing" straight out of Japan, they have hype surrounding them, streaming these can increase that. Older shows might be more "hard to sell". I understand it's less risky to stream first for a potential market, but sometimes shows won't find that market and no plans for a release will be made. I'd rather just have them release the whole thing and be done with it. But I know it will never happen.
You can't expect wholesale exposure overnight. It takes time for shows to get recognized. I understand where you're coming from in terms of "older shows" being "too old" but I have a hard time buying that excuse. Quality entertainment is quality entertainment no matter the time period. Streams are a great way to show people what the show is like and if people like it, they'll pitch in for DVDs. Again, I stress the fact that it is more cost-effective this way since no excess production costs are being spent to get these series onto market with no guarantee that the discs will sell.
penguintruth wrote:I'd be curious to see whether they use the US broadcast music for the dub streaming or whether they've phased that out for this, too. Not that I'd be that interested either way, with the quality of the dub.
I wonder if "selectable" options for music and voices will be available as part of the streams? It's a stretch but you never know.
TripleRach wrote:There's also the fact that free streams aren't completely "free." They're supported by advertisements, purchased by American advertisers that only market domestically. Foreigners probably aren't going to buy the advertisers' products (if it's even possible for them to buy it), so why should companies spend money to advertise their products to people who probably won't be interested in them? (On that note, it adds another positive for DVD owners: You don't have to watch stupid commercials.)
The streams are free in the sense that the viewer doesn't have to pay.
