RE: Pay per view: PH Blog

[SpeedBall]

3,500 views of the latest DRIVE+ video in three days is pretty grim.

[sagarich]

SpeedBall said:

3,500 views of the latest DRIVE+ video in three days is pretty grim.

Remember that they're now on Vimeo too, so this doesn't necessarily show the whole picture.

From the outside the Vimeo platform seems to have been well received... albeit long overdue.

I just hope the communication gets better and how about releasing a schedule?

[Craikeybaby]

Has anyone subscribed on Vimeo? Is it better than YouTube as it seems to be?

[TheArchitect]

Mobile app sucks for finding content but otherwise it matches YouTube

[b0rk]

Fundamentally there is a lack of content on drive+ vs the cost of subscribing.

Compared against netflix, nowtv or amazon prime the service offered has settled into basically 30 to 60mins of weekly viewing tops for half the price of one the major streaming networks with hundreds of hours of content. Digital versions of "old fashioned" automotive print media currently offer more content which I find somewhat telling. Drive+ is IMHO the kind of service/channel that really needs to be tagged into a wider subscription bundle.

[darth_pies]

Well i'm disappointed with Drive+ and just unsubscribed.

Big fan of Monkey's videos. Have met him a few times over the years and thought he was a top bloke, so i've got no issue with him charging for his content.

But in 2 months of subscribing (=a fiver) i've watched 3 or 4 Harris videos and nothing else...its just not worth it.

Sniff Petrol does a great parody of the kind of American car 'journalist' that makes us the rest of Drive's non-Harris content ...meet Colby Dousche

Would love to see Harris and a few other quality journos get together and do their own app/channel/tv show/whatever in a "Driver's Republic done right" style.

[F-Stop Junkie]

b0rk said:

Fundamentally there is a lack of content on drive+ vs the cost of subscribing.

Compared against netflix, nowtv or amazon prime the service offered has settled into basically 30 to 60mins of weekly viewing tops for half the price of one the major streaming networks with hundreds of hours of content.

The more niche something is, the more it will cost. Evo is a fiver, while the Metro is free. Certainly feel like I'm getting my money's worth with Evo though.

Netflix takes a lot of cheap content (Mostly old TV shows, older films, excluding original content), paid for by thousands/millions of subscribers and provides it all for a low price. I don't know how much the BBC receive per watch of an old Blackadder episode, but I suspect it wouldn't pay for the whole production!

I agree though that a bundle (and revenue share) of niche programming networks would certainly help. Small production teams still have substantial fixed costs, but it's the old battle of having all of a small pie, vs a share of a bigger pie. At the moment, no one knows - or can base a long term decision - on the potential size of the pie.

[sagarich]

Now this looks interesting.

They've just released a trailer for a film/documentary coming 2015 - APEX: The Story of the Hypercar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMHLNcwysd8

[KTF]

sagarich said:

Now this looks interesting.

They've just released a trailer for a film/documentary coming 2015 - APEX: The Story of the Hypercar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMHLNcwysd8

That assumes they havent gone tits up by 2015.

[Kolbenkopp]

Craikeybaby said:

Has anyone subscribed on Vimeo? Is it better than YouTube as it seems to be?

Works just fine. Compared to YT: no subscription, either buy a single clip pay per view style, or an entire season (30 vids) for € 12. Fair enough IMO. Another advantage: direct download in MP4 format is possible on Vimeo, and no DRM bullenscheisse. Like that a lot as it speeds up getting stuff on mobile devices, reduces the 3G bill and makes it easy to watch from any device connected to the home network.

[Mezzanine]

sagarich said:

Now this looks interesting.

They've just released a trailer for a film/documentary coming 2015 - APEX: The Story of the Hypercar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMHLNcwysd8

It that not just a host if their previous hypercar films stitched together though? Certainly recognise some of those clips from previous Drive videos...

[Mezzanine]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

I think he was just trying to appear clever.

[KarlMac]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

See their NBCSN videos recently published for the evidence if this. Its a cost effective way of getting content out there, but the P1 vids didn't even have new narration, its was more or less the previous P1 vid with some discussion pieces cut in.

[thegreenhell]

That may be fine for a mass audience who most likely haven't seen the original clips, but is not a particularly good deal for the paying subscribers who almost certainly will have seen the originals. As a paying customer you'd expect some new content, not just regurgitated and repackaged stuff that is available for free in its original form.

Meanwhile, it's almost a whole month since the last Monkey video on the channel...

[andyps]

thegreenhell said:

Meanwhile, it's almost a whole month since the last Monkey video on the channel...

He has been busy writing though - resignation letters take a lot of thought

[sagarich]

Remind me what I'm playing for on Drive+ again... Not a single video this week and again no real communication from the Drive team.

I'm only persevering because the I know they make great enjoyable content... but it's getting frustrating.

Come on guys, a least give us an update!

[Beefmeister]

Bin the subscription and just buy them when they appear on Vimeo.

That's what I'm doing now, not that there's been anything to watch....


Methinks it's about to go tits up. Monkey looks like he has something up his sleeve, with leaving PH etc...

[andyps]

Beefmeister said:

Monkey looks like he has something up his sleeve, with leaving PH etc...

He'll have to do something quick to salvage what reputation Drive may have left, or he will need clear distance from it.

[sagarich]

andyps said:

Beefmeister said:

Monkey looks like he has something up his sleeve, with leaving PH etc...

He'll have to do something quick to salvage what reputation Drive may have left, or he will need clear distance from it.

I assume that he's in the states trying to fix and address all of the drive issues right now.

[loudlashadjuster]

Seems Mr H is going to give it another whirl, answering what most of us seem to want.

http://chris-harris.kinja.com/statement-from-chris...