alt Hacker News> I have no concern whatsoever whether this is about licensing or just money grubbing. You're making things suck for the paying customer.
That's the thing though. Streaming services have very little say in how the content is licensed.
> the last few drops of blood from the stone trying to stop people from actually watching from two screens they paid for in two different locations and other idiocy.
Those restrictions you're talking about? They literally come from licensing terms that rights owners impose.
(Most) streaming platforms would gladly not spend a lot of time figuring the devices, what they are playing etc.
My post obviously struck a nerve, but I would rather pay a higher subscription fee than experience a crappy customer experience. Ads are an exception here, if I'm paying, no ads, and also why I cancelled my NYT subscription long ago.
However, that is not the storyline services like Disney and Netflix have been telling. They have gassed on and on about stopping piracy. 2 screens isn't piracy, it's any family with someone who travels or is away at college.
The solution would appear to be an official android API for streaming content from mobile devices that has resolved these issues or locked out the rights holders. That would require spine so not expecting it, sigh. But they're sure happy to pick on sideloaders.