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Warner Bros Joins Disney In Suing Sling TV For Making Streaming Video Cheaper And More Convenient (www.techdirt.com)

submitted 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) by themachinestops@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/piracy@lemmy.dbzer0.com

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Earlier this month we noted how Disney and ESPN had sued Sling TV for the cardinal sin of actually trying to innovate. Sling TV’s offense: releasing new, more convenient day, weekend, or week-long shorter term streaming subscriptions that provided an affordable way to watch live television.

These mini-subscriptions, starting at around $5, have already proven to be pretty popular. But, of course, it challenges the traditional cable TV model of getting folks locked into recurring (and expensive) monthly subscriptions. Subscriptions that often mandate that you include sports programming many people simply don’t want to pay for.

So of course Time Warner has now filed a second lawsuit (sealed, 1:25-mc-00381) accusing Dish Network of breach of contract. In the complaint, Warner Bros lawyer David Yohai argues that this kind of convenience simply cannot be allowed:

“The passes fundamentally disrupt this industry-standard model by allowing customers to purchase access to the most sought-after programming, such as major sports events, essentially a la carte for a fraction of the cost that the consumer would have had to pay to watch the event on a pay-per-view basis. For example, a sports fan could simply purchase a day pass and watch select programming, such as a highly popular sports game, without purchasing a month-long subscription or paying a higher pay-per-view fee.”

Not disruption and convenience!

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[-] sfxrlz@lemmy.dbzer0.com 99 points 7 months ago

The quote is chefs kiss they’re not even trying to hide that shit. Imagine you could watch a sports event without getting virtually mugged

[-] DebatableRaccoon@lemmy.ca 66 points 7 months ago

They're suing over the creation of competition in the market? Certainly an interesting strategy. I hope WB, Disney, and every other scum-sucker that thinks suing is acceptable gets raked across the coals.

[-] suzucappo@lemmy.ml 19 points 7 months ago

This is suing for the ability to price fix.

They said it without directly saying it. They want to be able to price fix to keep their investors happy and someone is now stepping on the toes of the investors and they want to force sling to raise their price or pay them (mafia tactics) to continue operating.

Any company involved in this lawsuit should be forced to provide their subscription to all current users for free for the next 2-5 years or shutter their streaming service indefinitely.

[-] DebatableRaccoon@lemmy.ca 7 points 7 months ago

I know what it's about. Best part is that at an entry fee of $5, Sling aren't even undercutting the market enough to allow an anti-competition lawsuit against them. So long as Sling can afford the lawyer fees, a dismissal and reversal should be a cake walk.

[-] relativestranger@feddit.nl 2 points 7 months ago

it pretty much depends on what their distribution agreements have in them--there could be something in there that requires monthly or longer terms for subscribers. if there isn't, there sure af will be from now on for streaming services carrying 'cable' channels

[-] half_fiction@lemmy.dbzer0.com 19 points 7 months ago

Yeah, this sure sounds like the "free market" correcting itself as these people love to prattle on about.

[-] kami@lemmy.dbzer0.com 60 points 7 months ago

This is basically mafia. Boycott them, people!

[-] aramis87@fedia.io 56 points 7 months ago

The passes fundamentally disrupt this industry-standard model

Funny how they didn't care about how streaming in general disrupted cable. Or how cable disrupted broadcast. Or how tv disrupted radio ...

[-] antipiratgruppen@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

"Video Killed The Radio Star", even, was distributed in Canada and Brazil by WEA [Warner, Elektra, Atlantic], according to Discogs. Interesting!

EDIT: But wait for their next big release with a more aggressive tone: "Sling TV Pissed Off Conglomerates"...

[-] chisel@piefed.social 50 points 7 months ago

Sling couldn't have asked for a better marketing campaign

[-] Zink@programming.dev 8 points 7 months ago

I was actually going to comment that I now know about this cheap option thanks to the lawsuit, lol.

I don't watch live TV because I value my time, but every once in a while there's a reason to tune into that one thing.

[-] cupcakezealot@piefed.blahaj.zone 38 points 7 months ago

i ask everyone i meet if they've accepted their lord and saviour jellyfin into their lives.

[-] ThePantser@sh.itjust.works 7 points 7 months ago

I pray to no false gods. But I do cherish Jellyfins daddy Emby. I would probably use Jellyfin but I have a lifelong emby paid from donating when they first took over MB.

[-] Cerothen@lemmy.ca 2 points 7 months ago

I too have lifetime Emby and still use it today. Media browser renamed to Emby. They took the M and B from the old name to get the new one.

[-] chisel@piefed.social 6 points 7 months ago

Wake me up when Jellyfin does live sports

[-] teft@piefed.social 8 points 7 months ago

It already does. Just google iptv on jellyfin and find one of the articles that teaches you how to load a .m3u into jellyfin. Boom live tv.

[-] HertzDentalBar@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 7 months ago

It's a little annoying to get going but it's doable.

[-] Mic_Check_One_Two@reddthat.com 1 points 7 months ago

Jellyfin can use .m3u playlists for live TV. It’s a bit of work to get it going, but it is possible.

[-] remon@ani.social 2 points 7 months ago

Wrong prophet but I like the religion.

[-] LoafedBurrito@lemmy.dbzer0.com 35 points 7 months ago

This is so petty and a perfect example of why american capitalism is horrible and the government does nothing to control corporations or monopolies.

[-] ThePantser@sh.itjust.works 22 points 7 months ago

So it's the lightbulb syndicate again eh?

[-] blueworld@piefed.world 7 points 7 months ago

I always wonder why people venerate Edison so much. He did innovate, but man was he a shifty barron.

[-] Trainguyrom@reddthat.com 2 points 7 months ago

Edison's lightbulb invention story makes for a really good rugged individual story. Dude keeps trying after 400 failures finally finds the one that worked and becomes rich and famous for it

[-] blueworld@piefed.world 2 points 7 months ago

Ah yes, American exceptionalism. Silly me. Have to win as an underdog. If only we had education and learning history as part of our American ethos.

[-] november@piefed.blahaj.zone 17 points 7 months ago

The passes fundamentally disrupt this industry-standard model by allowing customers to purchase access to the most sought-after programmin

Wait wait wait, I thought disruption was good? 🤔

[-] arararagi@ani.social 10 points 7 months ago

Only when Silicon Valley does it to someone else!

[-] FunctionallyLiterate@lemmy.ca 16 points 7 months ago

Normally I'd say Sling didn't have a prayer under this administration, but Disney has pissed everybody off - including the Grand Cheeto - so I'm just gonna go stock up on some popcorn...

[-] JakenVeina@midwest.social 12 points 7 months ago

There's maybe a bit of an argument here if Sling is subsidizing their low prices with losses or debt or revenue from other projects. And let's be real here... that's absolutely what they're doing, cause that's what they ALL do. Offer services at unsustainable prices, in the hope of cornering a chunk of the market, and exploiting it for profit, later.

[-] MangioneDontMiss@feddit.nl 10 points 7 months ago

you know whats cheaper than sling? VPN!

[-] OozingPositron@feddit.cl 10 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

...access to the most sought-after programming, such as major sports events, essentially a la carte for a fraction of the cost..

KEK, this sounds like the best add ever for Sling TV.

[-] DFX4509B_2@lemmy.org 7 points 7 months ago

I wonder if these guys somehow have something to do with the DRM lockdown that ATSC 3 is trying to pull for OTA broadcast TV as well.

[-] obviouspornalt@lemmynsfw.com 2 points 7 months ago

It's already been pulled. All 4 major networks in my area have had the flags enabled on their 4k streams for months now.

[-] kbal@fedia.io 7 points 7 months ago

Business idea: Get subscriptions to Disney and ESPN streaming services, then let other people buy access to those accounts for one day at a time. You'd log in for them and give them the session cookie, or something like that. Shouldn't be too hard to find a country in which that isn't breaking any laws, although I'm guessing it's probably not the USA.

[-] chisel@piefed.social 5 points 7 months ago

It's certainly breaking TOS, so the country you're in doesn't matter.

[-] kbal@fedia.io 8 points 7 months ago

I'm not a lawyer, but I suspect that you may be overestimating the extent to which every piece of bullshit inserted into a TOS document that nobody reads is universally enforceable.

[-] chisel@piefed.social 4 points 7 months ago

It's not a legal issue. They'd just shut down any accounts doing this. They already detect and shut down account sharing and this is just a variant of that. No law or government intervention necessary.

[-] kbal@fedia.io 3 points 7 months ago

One could make it technically somewhat difficult to shut down, but better yet would be to get some timely government intervention, on the side of defending our rights to do such things on the same kind of principle as the well-established doctrine of first sale.

[-] Fedegenerate@lemmynsfw.com 7 points 7 months ago

Warner bros joins Disney in the "shit I'm going to avoid giving money to" list

[-] DarthAstrius@slrpnk.net 7 points 7 months ago

🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️

[-] jason_is_back@tucson.social 2 points 7 months ago

⛵🌊

🎶Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me🎶

🎶We pillage, we plunder, we rifle, and loot🎶

[-] samus12345@sh.itjust.works 2 points 7 months ago

We download and jailbreak and don't give a hoot

[-] DieserTypMatthias@lemmy.ml 6 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

Use Kodi and Elementum.

this post was submitted on 29 Sep 2025

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