Disney to Price New Streaming Service Below Netflix


Although it isn’t expected to release until 2019, Disney’s upcoming streaming service will likely be on the radar of Star Wars fans everywhere as the media giant plans to stream all of it’s owned content on its proprietary service. But, Disney is not completely unaware of their own limitations as it seems they plan on a cost model that will proportionately reflect the volume of content available.

 

 

Earlier this week the reports of negotiations for Disney to potentially buy portions of 21st Century Fox created big waves in the industry. A lot of speculation around the deal had people thinking that Disney was looking for a big influx of content for this upcoming streaming service. A deal with a studio the size of Fox would greatly boost their offering beyond Disney’s own, robust, catalog.

 

But with those negotiations having failed for the moment, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced during Disney’s earnings announcement yesterday that the upcoming streaming service would be priced in alignment with their content level and should be introduced at a price substantially below Netflix.

 

From CNBC:

The Walt Disney Company share gained after the company said it plans to price its streaming service “substantially below” that of Netflix.

The company said, however, that its service will be cheaper because it will initially have a smaller library than what the streaming giant offers. Disney said its goal is to attract as many subscribers as possible when it launches the service.

The price tag would be adjusted over time to mirror the volume of content that is added to the service, Disney said during its earnings call.

 

 

So, from that announcement it would seem that Disney plans to introduce their offering below Netflix’s lowest package cost of $7.99 USD. Considering the sheer bulk of Disney’s content catalog just from their own studio and their subsidiaries, a cost that low would seem reasonable. The question will remain whether customers (outside of avid fans who will need a streaming option for their Disney owned fandom of choice…be it Star Wars, Marvel, or “The Mouse” himself) will be willing to plop down any amount of money for yet another monthly streaming service.

 

 

Head to CNBC for the full article which includes overall earnings information for Disney’s fiscal Q4 2017.

 

 

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83 thoughts on “Disney to Price New Streaming Service Below Netflix

  • November 10, 2017 at 6:19 pm
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    So $4.99 a month? I just hope that it won’t be split into tiers, like you pay an additional $2.99 for Star Wars & Marvel content etc. I like the idea of all this content being in 1 place, but cord cutting doesn’t seem to be a reasonable thing anymore, especially if you like sports.

    • November 10, 2017 at 6:32 pm
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      Or they do what CBS did with theirs and offer one level with commercials and if you don’t want to watch them it’s 3 times more expensive.

  • November 10, 2017 at 6:24 pm
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    If its cheaper than Netflix I basically have no reason not to get it. I honestly would’ve thought that Disney would knock the price up to 20 bucks a month or possibly more.

  • November 10, 2017 at 6:42 pm
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    I could see maybe dropping Hulu for Disney. I’ll only really miss The Handmaid’s Tale. We’ll see.

    • November 10, 2017 at 6:59 pm
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      Yeah, going full Game of Thrones on Star Wars would be epic. They’re a big enough studio with the resources to do it properly with decent visual effects etc.

      I’d say Old Republic would be a great place to place a TV series. New and different, but familiar. Jedi & Sith. Has so much potential, and my tip would be Dave Filoni heading it.

      Perfect storm !

    • November 10, 2017 at 7:17 pm
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      Don’t forget about Rick and Morty and Community, plus South Park. Plenty of great content on Hulu. Unfortunately everything is getting to spread out to the point of you’re paying an extra $25-30 a month to get all of it.

    • November 11, 2017 at 2:09 am
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      Your’re not watching The Orville. Missing out dude.

  • November 10, 2017 at 6:52 pm
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    I just hope they don’t hold back on 4K versions of movies until then. Sure, at that time point HD streaming may be more widespread but I still like the idea of owning a 4K version of Star Wars of my own. Call me old fashioned 🙂

  • November 10, 2017 at 6:55 pm
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    Seems it would have made more sense for disney to stay with Netflix, and Netflix could have offered a “Disney” package for an additional couple bucks a month. You save the over head of having to run your own streaming service.

    • November 10, 2017 at 8:06 pm
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      If they would do this, then other companies will want some part of that, too. Meaning, Netflix will fracture itself endlessy, until there’s no such thing as Netflix anymore.

    • November 10, 2017 at 8:30 pm
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      If Disney was already a premium network like HBO, Showtime, perhaps that could work as Hulu and Amazon offer different upgrades. However, Netflix wouldn’t be able to justify that move with other non-premium television partners that would want something similar to Disney.

      • November 10, 2017 at 11:25 pm
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        How many more subscription services have to come out before we are paying more than we did for cable/internet.

        • November 10, 2017 at 11:28 pm
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          Perhaps it just goes full circle and streaming services become packaged together like a cable package.

        • November 11, 2017 at 1:57 am
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          A lot more. I subscribe to Amazon Prime, Netflix, and CBS Now. That’s a grand total of about $25 a month; far, far less than a decent cable package full of stuff I won’t watch. I can afford to pick up a couple more services and still come in far below what I was once paying for cable.

          • November 14, 2017 at 8:47 pm
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            Do you count your internet provider in that cost? At least in Canada, unlimited internet is disgustingly expensive, but pretty much mandatory if you’re going to mostly rely on streaming services. As I remember, I didn’t have to pay my cable provider based on how many shows I actually watched.

          • November 14, 2017 at 11:28 pm
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            i’m not counting my Internet connection. I live in the States and my unlimited Internet is not exorbitant and I’d have one whether or not I used streaming services. Even with my Internet costs, I’m way under what I was paying for my previous Internet + Cable package.

    • November 10, 2017 at 9:54 pm
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      I think Disney knows more about how to make money than we do.

      • November 10, 2017 at 11:22 pm
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        Well, yeah. But this is an internet comment board. Speculation and personal opinion is pretty much the purpose.

        • November 11, 2017 at 12:02 am
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          Is it? I was not aware. But that doesn’t mean the speculation should be so baseless.

          • November 11, 2017 at 2:04 am
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            How is it baseless? Please elaborate oh wise one.

          • November 12, 2017 at 2:28 pm
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            You have no idea of the costs involved, with either Netflix or making their own.

            Or the eventual endgoal. Netflix has been getting rid of licensed content slowly and wants to be all original at some point. Disney is getting on the ball ahead of that.

            There are many other factors at work that we are not aware of so saying what would make more sense is baseless because we are not privy to that information.

    • November 11, 2017 at 1:55 am
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      “You save the over head of having to run your own streaming service.”

      Why in the world would Disney balk at running their own streaming service? That company operates one of the biggest entertainment conglomerates on the planet. I think they can manage.

      • November 11, 2017 at 2:07 am
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        You seem pretty confident the average person, which not a geek or child, is going to want to subscribe desperately to Disney. Not everything Disney touches turns to gold.

  • November 10, 2017 at 8:12 pm
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    No thanks, Bob, I’m sure it will have loot crates.

  • November 10, 2017 at 8:28 pm
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    I have Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu and I’m not buying another one. Anything that is on it I want to watch I’ll just pirate. I’m not going to buy every streaming service that is out there, its ridiculous.

    • November 10, 2017 at 8:43 pm
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      I mean, me personally, I wouldn’t admit to committing/planning to commit a crime via the internet. But I understand the frustrations.

    • November 10, 2017 at 9:54 pm
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      Yeah, I will just steal stuff is a mature reaction.

      • November 10, 2017 at 11:25 pm
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        Thanks, I appreciate that. Your opinion means the world to me.

        • November 11, 2017 at 12:02 am
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          Well, feel free to steal some of my wisdom.

          • November 11, 2017 at 2:14 am
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            Of course I will, oh great and wise random internet commenter.

    • November 10, 2017 at 11:22 pm
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      Until I get refunded for 30 years of worthless fan fiction I will not give them another dime outside of the theatre. Love me some torrents.

      • November 11, 2017 at 1:52 am
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        How is it worthless? Those books are still there for you to read and enjoy? Mine are. I’m pretty sure yours are too. Go check.

        And really, if you’re going to protest, do right and cut out everything.

        • November 11, 2017 at 2:03 am
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          I don’t care about non canon. It’s absolutely pointless. I am a passionate Star Wars fan. There are casual Star Wars fans who maybe aren’t as invested as some of us were and that’s cool. I cared more about the EU than I did about the movies and yes I grew up with the originals.

          who said anything about protesting? I am just not giving them my money.

          • November 11, 2017 at 2:17 am
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            “I don’t care about non canon. It’s absolutely pointless.”

            But the EU was never canon. Yes, Lucasfilm did the whole multi-level canon thing (an idea that I actually sort of like), but the EU novels and such were never canon. Never.

            So what’s the issue?

          • November 11, 2017 at 2:23 am
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            That is BS. Lucas said that all EU is canon except for when it conflicts with movies:

            Lucas Licensing editor Sue Rostoni elaborated further on the place of printed Expanded Universe sources in Star Wars Gamer 6,

            “Canon refers to an authoritative list of books that the Lucas Licensing editors consider an authentic part of the official Star Wars history. Our goal is to present a continuous and unified history of the Star Wars galaxy, insofar as that history does not conflict with, or undermine the meaning of Mr. Lucas’s Star Wars saga of films and screenplays.”

            Show me something that did not come out post Disney, that refutes that.

          • November 11, 2017 at 2:45 am
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            “I don’t read that stuff. I haven’t read any of the novels. I don’t know anything about that world. That’s a different world than my world. But I do try to keep it consistent. The way I do it now is they have a Star Wars Encyclopedia. So if I come up with a name or something else, I look it up and see if it has already been used. When I said [other people] could make their own Star Wars stories, we decided that, like Star Trek, we would have two universes: My universe and then this other one. They try to make their universe as consistent with mine as possible, but obviously they get enthusiastic and want to go off in other directions.” – George Lucas.

          • November 11, 2017 at 2:46 am
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            I’ll just repeat this for emphasis: “That’s a different world than my world.”

          • November 11, 2017 at 2:47 am
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            I have a few more things I can post if you’d like….

          • November 11, 2017 at 2:52 am
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            You do have something that is definitive right? Don’t really have time to debate interpretation. If you could provide something that trumps:

            “Lucas Licensing editors consider an authentic part of the official Star Wars history. Our goal is to present a continuous and unified history of the Star Wars galaxy”

            Im all ears.

          • November 11, 2017 at 3:15 am
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            It came out of Lucas’s mouth. How much more definitive does it need to get? I’ll take what George Lucas says over some marketing schlub any day.

          • November 11, 2017 at 8:49 am
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            Still waiting on a quote that says the EU is not canon.

          • November 11, 2017 at 2:27 pm
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            I gave you a paragraph.

          • November 12, 2017 at 1:18 am
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            Honestly, at this point, I just consider the New Canon an alternative timeline. One, that is okay, so far, but really Legends in my eyes is the main timeline where how the story went.

            I know some may not agree which is fine. But really, the one thing I find that critics of Legends neglected was how organized it was. The tier system of G to N canon was really robust. And quite honestly, it helped keep Legends organized for the most part.

            And while I appreciate someone like Pablo Hidalgo(even if he can come off as a condescending prick), honestly my issues with the NC is more the following: A) Sacrificing current storylines for past due to the mystery box and B) Patchwork when filling out the canon.

            I can elaborate on these in a future post. But overall, I can understand your frustration towards the NC. Hence, why I piecemeal it.

          • November 12, 2017 at 8:27 pm
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            “But really, the one thing I find that critics of Legends neglected was how organized it was. The tier system of G to N canon was really robust. And quite honestly, it helped keep Legends organized for the most part.”

            I agree. I liked some of Legends. A lot of it I didn’t. But the tiered system of how closely all this stuff hewed towards “canon” was a pretty slick movie. I’m enjoying the NC okay; some of it is pretty good, some of it is rotten. That said, i still think that a reboot of non-movie materials was the right decision. But, that’s neither here nor there and a completely different discussion.

            At some point, I think a tiered system is once again going to have to come into play with regards to the NC. There’s just ultimately going to be too much stuff to attempt to realistically wedge into some pretty limited timelines. In addition, a lot of story mediums don’t as cleanly fit into canonical timelines.

          • November 11, 2017 at 2:48 am
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            Him saying that is a different world than mine, does not mean it’s not canon. Everyone knew if the EU contradicted the movies the movies took precedence.

          • November 11, 2017 at 3:22 am
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            “Him saying that is a different world than mine, does not mean it’s not canon.”

            Heh heh. Yeah, it kinda does. He said it himself. Those stories exist outside of the movie timeline. Perhaps they skirt alongside it a bit…but they were not part of his vision when he held the intellectual property rights to the franchise. Not too many ways to interpret “different world.”

            Listen, I liked a bit of the EU. But my personal feelings of it (and, for that matter, yours) don’t decide the reality of the situation: the EU was only marginally “canon” to the extent that Lucasfilm needed it to be to sell books.

            And really, it’s all fiction anyway. How can you really get all that bent out of shape because something that never happened didn’t….I don’t know…officially happen?

            Long live Waru.

          • November 11, 2017 at 8:51 am
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            Everyone has their THING mine is Star Wars, and it did mean that much.

          • November 13, 2017 at 3:33 pm
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            The thing is that the meaning of the term “canon” has changed in regards to the new Star Wars stuff. Canon used to mean “authorized” works that exist in the SW universe. However, today, canon is the gospel truth in the SW universe. These stories are not just authorized for distribution, they are part of the official history of the SW universe. There are no longer two worlds, there is only one.

  • November 10, 2017 at 8:38 pm
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    SMART!

  • November 10, 2017 at 8:53 pm
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    Well, I almost subscribed to CBS just for Star Trek (almost), so if they put out a live action show, as well as their animated stuff new and old, it would definitely be worth it for me at that price – especially considering that my kids love Disney as well. As for Star Trek, I will wait until the season is finished, purchase a month of CBS and binge it from start to finish. I imagine the same could be done with Star Wars – especially if they add a season all at once. Get a month’s worth, watch the season, and cancel. Subscribe to another month when the next season comes out. Granted, I’m going to miss Disney being on Netflix, but it’s still better than being on one of their network channels that are not as easily accessible to all fans as a streaming service would be.

    • November 10, 2017 at 11:34 pm
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      The only way it would be worth another subscription fee is if they bring back everything in HD quality. I’m talking Duck Tales, Rescue Rangers, Tailspin, Darkwing all the way back to good morning mickey.

      • November 11, 2017 at 1:50 am
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        So…if Disney launches their service and premieres a new live-action show, you’re not going to subscribe unless frickin’ Duck Tales is offered in HD?

        • November 11, 2017 at 1:52 am
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          Let me clarify. I would not be a month to month subscriber. I would either subscribe for one month and watch it or borrow username and password from friend or family.

    • November 11, 2017 at 1:48 am
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      “The way I look at it, if the show is quality material, why wouldn’t I pay less than $8 to watch a full season of it? I mean, I pay $16 to watch a single SW movie in the theater (more than once).”

      Very true. I’ve heard more than one Star Wars fan bemoan that they might have to pay a small subscription fee in order to access future Star Wars television material. A lot of these folks, however, don’t hesitate to load up on toys and Pops and whatnot every time they walk into a Wal-Mart.

      I’ll pay for the Disney service. I have a good job and I got rid of cable a few years ago. I pay for Amazon Prime, MLB, Netflix, and CBS Now (for Star Trek). Another service still keeps me far, far below what I was once paying for a cable subscription filled with garbage I didn’t watch.

  • November 10, 2017 at 10:58 pm
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    i don’t need the movies (i have the blurays. i don’t even know why i put Rogue One on my netflix list… lol). However, i 100% will subdcribe for a live action star wars! i do the same for GoT. i’ll just sub for the duration of the series.

    • November 11, 2017 at 7:43 pm
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      but i cant figure out how to cram a blueray in my phone. when im bored in the train.

      • November 11, 2017 at 9:31 pm
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        Ultraviolet or just look out the window 🙂

        • November 13, 2017 at 9:21 am
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          tried… no tie fighters 🙁

      • November 12, 2017 at 6:37 am
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        well, a lot of people are ripping their blurays and creating a NAS (Networked Attached Storage) and streaming their blurays from a central location to all their devices. You could simply rip your collection for mobile use if you wanted.

        • November 13, 2017 at 9:21 am
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          is that possible?! wow

          • November 15, 2017 at 1:33 pm
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            of course lol. you will just need a bluray drive in your pc to rip them, then you can create a .mp4 or .mkv (and keep subtitles and all that jazz) or whatever and put it on your phone.

            Or, yeah, store all your movies on a small server pc, or just a simple external hard drive connected to your router (many routers have storage usb ports dedicated to this), and then you can stream your movies/misuc/images all over the house on computers, game systems, tvs, cell phones, etc.

            I’m old school though… i just put them in my ps3 lol

  • November 11, 2017 at 7:20 am
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    I’ll still buy the Blu-rays…never know when you’ll be without an Internet connection. But if future movies like IX become available to stream with subscription at the same time they hit digital purchase platforms like iTunes, that would certainly be a perk! An original series would be a draw too if it’s good.

  • November 11, 2017 at 7:30 am
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    $5 would about be my limit on this.

  • November 11, 2017 at 9:39 am
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    The rumors floating around about Disney acquiring Fox’s entertainment division/assets make a whole lot of sense in light of this announcement (and Disney doing its own streaming service in general). It’s all about building content for the new service, and the Fox library would add a big chunk to the total.

    • November 12, 2017 at 1:36 am
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      $5 bucks a month?

      • November 13, 2017 at 2:06 am
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        Not bad, but with that, Netflix , Hulu AANNNNNDD Amazon prime It can add up. I am not one of these people lol I only have Netflix, but I’m sure there are people out there that have it all. But who am I kidding? I’m a sucker for some Disney movies here and there and HELLO! STAR WARS ON THE GO! Yea, I’m probably gonna subscribe.

    • November 12, 2017 at 8:55 pm
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      Yeah, just go to that free server store and get some of that free electricity to power it. Come on Disney, what’s next? Paying for cinema tickets!?

      • November 13, 2017 at 2:01 am
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        I can stream shows for free on ABC, which is owned by Disney, by signing in with my cable provider. There are ways.

        • November 13, 2017 at 4:38 am
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          So your cable provider pays Disney and in turn wins over new customers with free ABC which is nice. But expecting this to be standard practice is ridiculous don’t you think 😉

          • November 13, 2017 at 5:54 am
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            It’s an example of how it can work. Not the way it should.

          • November 13, 2017 at 6:54 am
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            …with all the money y’all making it should be free…

  • November 11, 2017 at 9:33 pm
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    It should be $6 at the most. Hopefully they get all the movies on there and before they are released on blu ray. Live action tv show would be worth it

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