jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

It's interesting how many movies are available to watch for free, but there are also many that require payment to rent or buy. Obviously, the newest, most popular movies will require payment, but I wonder why so many old movies also require a rental fee. I've found that some movies that were free in the past are now rentals, and some that were rentals are now free.

Offering a movie for a fee makes the company money, but I'd like to know what kind of system they use to decide what requires a fee and when to require it. From what I've observed, if one service is charging a fee for a movie, so are all the others. No one would pay a fee to Company A if Company B is offering it for free.

I'm asking this because I came across an old movie, Gaslight (1944), that is available for rental and purchase only.

Some info here -
https://www.google.com/search?q=why+are+some+old+movies+available+for+rental+only&oq=why+are+some+old+movies+available+for+rental+only&aqs=edge..69i57.11758j0j1&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

BebuLamar

They really have to study you that's why any information about your behavior or preferences are important to them. They then have their software analyze these info and figure which movies you're willing to pay and which they should let you watch free to whet your appetite.

therwol Loc: USA

But $2.19 to rent on Amazon Prime Video hardly seems a hardship for anyone.

Having said that, this is why I keep hundreds of discs acquired over time, and I still buy some. For example, I recorded So Big with Jane Wyman perhaps 20 years ago off of TCM with a DVD recorder. My wife was in the mood to watch this movie recently. Not streaming anywhere. Not avaliable to rent or buy anywhere. There has never been a commercial DVD of this movie released by the studio. The bootleg DVD listed on Amazon is out of stock.

Red6

Yes, there are some interesting and odd aspects of streaming movies. Many of the ones that you would think would be free are often pay-for-view.

Also, I have seen movies and TV series for sale or rent on one streaming service but free on others. I am a sci-fi fan and enjoyed the TV series Babylon 5 years ago. Amazon and one of the others wanted to rent or sell the series but I found all the seasons for free on Tubi.

I suppose it has to do with the business model. Tubi offers a pretty good selection of movies and older TV series with commercials, so I guess that is their payment model. That's OK, just like in the old days, commercials give you time to get refreshments etc.

Tubi is free with or without sign-up. However, signing in with an email address also keeps track of what you are watching and takes you back to where you were in the movie or series. It is becoming one of my favorite streaming channels.

Canisdirus

There are a lot of old movies out there...but they are still in the marketplace.
Company buys a series of movies...they now decide what they are worth.

It's a commodity...like anything else.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Not a hardship, but not a necessity. If you add up all the small charges every month, they result in a large total.

As for DVDs - exactly! I read so often that recordings are yesterday's technology because everything is available for streaming. That's simply not true. You must have an account, you most likely have to pay every month, or you have to rent it - if it's even available. I have a large wall shelf with over a thousand CDs. I'm sure that many of them are not available online for free. I have other shelves and cabinets with more CDs and lots of DVDs.

GEngel-usmc Loc: Spencerport NY - I miss Lakeland, FL

There’s also ‘Freevee’, an App that you have to watch a few commercials to watch, but I use it sometimes, if nothing else works.

lbrande

I decided long ago to maintain my DVD collection. I also use streaming services such as Paramount+, Disney+, Apple, etc. because sometimes the programs I watch are not available otherwise.
Some of my DVD's include shows such as Supercar, Fireball XL5, Stingray, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (TV). Many shows I enjoy are just not available streaming.

therwol Loc: USA

Realistically, I'll never get through all of the DVDs and Blu Ray discs that I have. I have a number of complete TV series, Car 54, Dobie Gillis, Magnum PI (original), Perry Mason, Ironside, Andy Griffith, MTM, Dick Van Dyke, China Beach, Route 66, Monty Python, Alfred Hitchcock, Start Trek... well, you get the idea, there are more, and I'm not even talking about hundreds of movies. But it's nice to have them. If any of these are available to stream, and I'm sure some are, then it would be annoying to deal with commercials.

Bret P Loc: California

A mystery, having to do with how they purchase rights to stream the movies, for how long etc., unlimited streams or pay-per-stream for rights. And mergers confuse the issue.

Aeon Flux was free on Prime, then unavailable, then rental, but now free on Spectrum on-demand yet still rental on Prime.

So my guess, Spectrum bought rights when Prime rights expired. Now Prime "rents" it from Spectrum for folks who don't have Spectrum but do have Prime.

Old Coot

Same here. I purchased hundreds of DVD's at a local thrift store. $1 for 5. Now in the process of copying them to a Hard Drive (5 Terra Bits) so that I can watch anytime I want either on a lap top or mirrored to my TV.