Earlier this year, Adult Swim released a nifty iOS app that let users stream Adult Swim shows on their devices for free. Now, the functionality has been ripped out and streams are reserved for cable subscribers only, something no one is particularly happy about. The issue isn’t so much about the lack of streaming shows but rather the events that lead up to this point.
First off all, Adult Swim used to stream its shows for free — and not for a week or two or anything, but a matter of months. That being the case, the removal of the functionality seems like little more than a cruel ending to an awesome feature that has now been retconned into a tease. Secondly, it seems that Cartoon Network (or Adult Swim, whoever is really in control) are attempting to spin this change as a feature, promoting the fact that you can now stream shows if you’re a cable subscriber, conveniently failing to mention that you used to be able to do that even if you weren’t.
The change was brought to our attention via Techdirt, who heard about it from an unnamed intellectual property attorney. Here’s what he had to say on the subject:
I do not have cable. and, just to make it clear, I am a late 20-something, practicing intellectual property attorney, and I cut my cable not because the economy is bad, but because it is an outrageously overpriced, single direction service that forces me to choke down a ton of content I do not care about, in addition to forcing me to watch ads.
I was happy to watch my favorite cartoons, for free, but with ads, ostensibly, the profits of which go directly to the stations with less dilution than if they had been broadcast, but now I will probably go back to doing what I did before my iPad: not watch stuff, wait for it to come out on DVD and Netflix/Qwikster it, or, potentially, even ‘infringe’ it.
Sorry folks, looks like you’ll have to go about getting your Squidbillies in a more annoying or more conventional way from here on out.
(via Techdirt)
- Remember how awesome it was when this app was announced?
- or that MAD Magazine show?
- or the 3D Looney Tunes reboot?
