DCU Exclusives Will Only Be So Temporarily

General Discussion
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The full first season of Titans is getting released to digital on March 21st with a DVD/BluRay release coming soon after.

The first thirteen episodes of Young Justice Outsiders are already on iTunes.

And I’m not sure how I feel about it.

I mean, I kind of figured this would be the plan eventually - you want to build hype for second seasons, so you want to get the shows into the faces of folks who missed them the first time around. And I totally support anything that will keep these shows around for more seasons (especially YJ. Fourth season announcement soon, please). The more money that flows into DCU’s/WB’s pockets, the better their chances.

Y’see, I know that I’m an anomaly. I happily signed up for DCU because of my life-long love affair with DC Comics and their media properties. I’m right smack dab in the bullseye of their target demographic and plan to be subscribed until the 31st century at least.

But there are undoubtedly others who will feel short shrifted when it comes to their subscriptions. Titans ended in December, YJ in January - and they’re available to non-subscribers already? That’s bound to cause some consternation among those who subscribe on a monthly basis or even those who wait for all episodes to be released so that they can marathon.

I guess it just makes me worry. If people know they can wait a month or three and get their binge on somewhere else, how does that affect subscriptions? I love this service and want it to stick around, WB streaming merger or not. Feels like we may be giving some of our best assets away too quickly.

I could be wrong, of course. It happens a lot.

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Darevil season are all on Blu Ray, not on Itunes but for non comicbook fans I think it is great it will be on Blu Ray or Itunes much later. The exclusive is DC will get it first and will always have it streaming where.

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I don’t think you’re an analmoly. I signed up for DCU because of my life long fandom as well. Honestly, I had little faith that Titans would be as awesome as it was. And Young Justice is as good as ever, and Doom Patrol is fantastic. Away this point, I’m pretty pumped about all the upcoming video content.

But yeah, I worry about DC’s business plan as well. To attract new customers, I think they need to be very clear about what you’re getting. For example:

At DCU, you’re the very first the see “whatever.” We’re currently under restricted by several exclusive partnerships with other vendors (CW, Hulu, “whatever”). As soon as those deals are up, DCU will host “whatever” that content is. It may not be a DCU exclusive, but it’ll be here. As for comics, we’re offering “whatever” percentage of the entire DC lineup from all “whatever” time period. This content will rotate (or not) based on “whatever” criteria.

Wherever you see “whatever,” they should provide details.

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Netflix has their original shows in stores. I always see Orange is the New Black at Walmart. They also cost a lot more than a month of the service.

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I’m no expert on any of this, but here’s what my limited knowledge and understanding tells me:

  • DCU is a niche service. It caters to DC fans, comic book fans and superhero fans. The potential audience is much smaller than Netfilx and Hulu. They need to generate income in other ways than the membership fees. Otherwise those fees would be much higher, which would drive more people away.
  • It’s a fast moving digital world we live in now. What’s hot today, tomorrow is yesterday’s news. The shows going to Netfilx or digital after a few months does not bother me at all. It only expands exposure to DC.
  • If subscribers to this service are only here for the new content, the fair-weather fans are bound to leave pretty quick. It’s 4 shows a year compared to dozens on other services at a comparable price.

Given the niche nature and the ungodly competition, I think they need to generate other revenue streams. I think of DCU like a “fan club”. We get first looks and some nice “member benefits” like this forum, but in no way does it fill the need for DC to be on mainstream services. That is how they make their money. DCU is a nice way for them to make some extra cash by catering to the more hardcore fanbase.

Of course I could be very wrong and this thing blows up and becomes the next Netflix…which would make us all very happy :slightly_smiling_face:

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No worries @TomJones. I too am enjoying the service and hope it is successful now & in the future. I hope I didn’t imply otherwise in my comment. Was ultimately trying to say that more DC in more than 1 medium (with DCU being one of those mediums) is ultimately good for DC as a whole. Widen your reach, while making sure your more faithful fan base isn’t neglected :slight_smile:

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I can understand this perspective, but as someone who butters their bread with DC Universe’s existence, I hope you all won’t mind my chiming in.

Some Folks Are Still on The Fence. Giving people an alternative way to see the amazing content we put out will encourage them to subscribe in the future, so that…

…They Can Be a Part of The Beginning (and skip the FOMO). People, especially us geek-people, love seeing things before anyone else. We’re a fan service, by fans, for fans. If people buy the DVD set and love the first season, you better believe they’ll start subscribing to catch the first episode of the next season ASAP. How many folks do you think wait for Game of Thrones to come out on DVD? And that’s when those new subscribers will learn…

DC Universe Is More Than Originals. We have a HUGE and ever-increasing library of comics and TV/Movie classics at our disposal. We offer exclusive shop items and a holistic DC fan experience that can’t be found anywhere else. That’s hopefully how we inspire people to feel good about…

Supporting DC Universe However They Choose. We’re providing options to everyone to enjoy our content in the way they see fit. If they want to wait for DVD, that’s their prerogative. But it still benefits our service if DVD sales do well. The people, they want what we have! It’s highly, highly unlikely shows like this will ever go straight to DVD, so any purchases made towards supporting DC Universe and increasing visibility of our product is a good thing.

I appreciate what @harley.333 pointed out above, and I’d like to try and fill in the "whatever"s:

“At DCU, you’re the very first the see --##DC Universe Original Series (Like Titans, YJ:O, DP, ST, SG, HTAS), full episodes of DC Daily, & Comics (like the Young Justice Exclusive Issues)##–
We’re currently under restricted by several exclusive partnerships with other vendors (CW, Hulu, --##Well, yeah, whatever here because the list of other vendors could get us to the moon##–).
As soon as those deals are up, DCU will host --##This whole sentence is not entirely accurate, as the expiration trigger does not necessarily indicate it will go on this service- there could be theatrical re-releases, artistic rights, etc. Whatever it must remain!##-- that content is.
It may not be a DCU exclusive, but it’ll be here. As for comics, we’re offering --##I simply don’t know it percentage-wise, but we’re offering a library of 5,000 comics and growing##-- percentage of the entire DC lineup
from all “–##Anything older than one year from shelf date and back; bearing in mind LOTS of comics from the Golden, Bronze, and Silver Age are still pending digitization##-- time period.
This content will rotate (or not) based on --##Request frequency, bigger engagement themes like Aquaman, Shazam!, Batman Day, and popularity##-- criteria.”

This was probably more than anyone wanted to read, but I hope it’s worthwhile to hear an employee perspective. :slight_smile:

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I agree with the OP. I was waiting to give DCU my money since it was first announced. Die-hard fans will always be here. But this definitely will fuel trolls and others who aren’t so cool with forking over the $75/year for a subscription if the “exclusive” will be available to non-subscribers after three months.

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You also have to consider that DCU is only available in America unlike Netflix. Releasing Titans on DVD/Digital will allow them to make money internationally.

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The Game Of Thrones approach love it!

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Young Justice will there be anymore installments or are they done?:tv:

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Considering most people can’t even seem to even u derstand the concept of waiting until June for the second half of YJ ssn 3, I doubt there will be too many people willing to wait 4 extra months or whatever time it will be to buy it on bluray or digital. In fact, I think many people will probably subscribe to watch it, then go and also buy it so they have their own copy once it comes out, making DC even more money.

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Thanks for your comments, all. Especially AppleJack - it’s nice to hear from inside the factory.

I do still think that our shows (‘our’ - look how possessive I am already) are being released far too quickly. Somebody above mentioned Daredevil, for instance. Released on Netflix in March of 2016. BluRay Released in August of 2017. That seems a more reasonable timeframe for exclusivity.

But again, I’m not a marketing guru. If the bottom line is that DCU gets to continue and grow, I’m all for it.

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A psychotic lunatic once said “It’s all part of the plan.”

More cheddar for DCU (and WBTV/WBHE) keeps the mice running in their wheels and the lights on in the lab.

To quote a convict: “It’s a good thing.” =)

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I don’t think it’s a big deal. Enough time has passed since those shows launched as exclusives here where DC/WB can seek out home video revenue streams from other vendors.

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First, I have no objection to DCU selling original material after the fact it makes good sense.

But as someone whose main reason for being here are the comics I have a question for

@Applejacks

You twice menton that the comics section is ever growing. If that is not an error, it is very exciting. For some reason I thought there was to be a (rotating) cap of 5000 comics in the library. Is that actually a number that will increase over time? Boy, I would love it if it is DC’s plan to increase that number even if done slowly.

Am I (hopefully) wrong about the cap?

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I’m proud that something from this service merits a DVD!!!

Lots of other services out there, streaming services, and their shows never show up on a DVD cuz not enough people are watching… like say my YouTube channel, lol

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Truth be told alot of content from other services doesn’t get a physical media release because of the dwindling sales of said media form. Sad but true.

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@LonelyLobo, you have keen observation skills.
:zipper_mouth_face::zipper_mouth_face::zipper_mouth_face:

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More comics yes! Also other than hoping DC can establish more revenue streams I care about how I access & pay for my content. Don’t really care if it’s exclusive or not. And 75$ a year for me is a bargain.

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