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YouTube Now Streams Free Ad-Supported Movies -- Including 'The Terminator' and 'Hackers' (techcrunch.com)

Posted by EditorDavid on from the Zero-Cool dept.

YouTube's "Movies & Shows" page added a "Free to Watch" section last month. They're trying to compete with free ad-supported online movie offerings from Roku, Walmart, and Tubi, while "Amazon is rumored to be working on something similar," reports TechCrunch: Before, YouTube had only offered consumers the ability to purchase movies and TV shows, similar to how you can rent or buy content from Apple's iTunes or Amazon Video.... Currently, YouTube is serving ads on these free movies, but the report said the company is open to working out other deals with advertisers -- like sponsorships or exclusive screenings.

YouTube's advantage in this space, compared with some others, is its sizable user base of 1.9 billion monthly active users and its ability to target ads using data from Google.
The 99 free movies include the first five Rocky movies, and four movies in the Pink Panther series (all from the post-Peter Sellers era, including the forgotten 1993 film in which the title theme is sung by Bobby McFerrin), as well as Pauly Shore's dreadful 1996 comedy Bio-Dome (which received a 4% rating on Rotten Tomatoes). Also available is James Cameron's original 1984 film The Terminator, the 2010 documentary With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story and the 1995 film "Hackers" starring Angelina Jolie.

"In this cyberpunk thriller, a renegade group of elite teenage computer hackers rollerblade through New York City by day and ride the information highway by night. After hacking into a high-stakes industrial conspiracy, they become prime suspects and must recruit the best of the cybernet underground to help clear their names."

47 of 86 comments (clear)

  1. Makes cord cutting that much easier by Crashmarik · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Content with adds is most of what you pay the cable company twice for.

    1. Re:Makes cord cutting that much easier by markdavis · · Score: 3, Interesting

      >"Content with adds is most of what you pay the cable company twice for."

      No, because I record everything on a TiVo and skip whatever I want. I haven't been forced to watch ads for 25 years and won't start now. Perhaps some people can tolerate it, I can't. This is why "streaming" is particularly dangerous- it is easy for a service to start adding ads that can't be skipped or fast-forwarded through.

      Haven't listened to ad-laden radio for just as long.

    2. Re:Makes cord cutting that much easier by Crashmarik · · Score: 1

      Not to be nitpicky but the content still has adds, you're just removing them. Or did TIVO ever get it's ad skip feature back ?

      Either way if you're comfortable with it, more power to you.

    3. Re:Makes cord cutting that much easier by Tom · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I haven't been forced to watch ads for 25 years and won't start now.

      This is how I feel about the Internet. I cringe every time I sit on some computer that doesn't have an adblocker installed, and I wonder how the heck do these people get anything done and not get seizures or something?

      Once you get rid of ads in a part of your life, you understand just how much of an annoyance they are and you don't want to go back. In fact, I'd like to get rid of them in many more ways. Someone invented a prototype of glasses that filters out billboards. I'd buy that if it became available.

      --
      Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
    4. Re:Makes cord cutting that much easier by markdavis · · Score: 1

      >"Not to be nitpicky but the content still has adds, you're just removing them. Or did TIVO ever get it's ad skip feature back ?"

      Both. And yes. Most content still has ads, you can fast forward through anything, and some shows allow a skip feature.

      >"Either way if you're comfortable with it, more power to you."

      As long as we don't move to a model that forces unskippable/forwardable ads on most content, I am happy people have choices.

    5. Re:Makes cord cutting that much easier by Bobrick · · Score: 1

      Yes, but cutting the cord AND staying away from ad-supported content means you're free from ads entirely. (with a helping of NoScript and Adblock)
      Try it, you won't go back.

    6. Re:Makes cord cutting that much easier by fluffernutter · · Score: 1

      Nothing aggravates me more than having to fast forward through ads. Eventually I get so tired of doing it over and over again I just give up and watch them. Honestly, I find it better that way. If any box would auto-skip them, that would be fine, but a lot of the time I want the TV on while I'm doing something and having to grab the remote every 7.5 minutes is really annoying.

      --
      Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
    7. Re:Makes cord cutting that much easier by markdavis · · Score: 1

      >"So you **are** watching the ads. You're just doing it in fast motion"

      Well, no and yes. On those that are not skip-compatible, I am zooming past them at very high speed. About 5 seconds to skip through 4 or 5 minutes of them.

      >"I just watched a coupe of movies on YouTube. The ads occur 10-15 minutes apart and are one ad long, which is sometimes as short as a five second flash screen."

      That's not too horrible. But I am guessing if the content is more current/important/expensive, the ads would eventually start approaching what is done on broadcast/cable TV; if not now, then when it gets popular.

    8. Re:Makes cord cutting that much easier by gravewax · · Score: 1

      I would rather not watch a movie than watch one with ads during its playback. don't think I have watched a movie with ads at all in the last 5 years.

    9. Re:Makes cord cutting that much easier by DeputySpade · · Score: 1

      This is probably the first and only time Biodome and the phrase "quality content" will ever be used in conjunction.

      --


      This space intentionally left blank
  2. Not available in your country by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Seems Google didn't make these available after all.

    1. Re:Not available in your country by j-beda · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Seems Google didn't make these available after all.

      I wonder if this is likely to increase piracy of the movies in question that are "video blocked in country".

      "Hey, that Stan Lee thing seems interesting."

      "Oh, not available. :-("

      "I wonder if there is a torrent...."

    2. Re:Not available in your country by grep+-v+'.*'+* · · Score: 5, Informative

      "Hey, that Stan Lee thing seems interesting."
      "Oh, not available. :-("
      "I wonder if there is a torrent...."

      Obligatory Link: I tried to watch Game of Thrones and this is what happened.

      I don't know of an XKCD link, sorry about that.

      --
      If the universe is someone's simulation -- does that mean the stars are just stuck pixels?
    3. Re: Not available in your country by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I got "not available in your state" back to piratebay I guess.

    4. Re:Not available in your country by JaredOfEuropa · · Score: 2

      Of course it does. In my case it does so for ebooks, or rather it used to do so.
      "We're sorry but this ebook is not available in your country (but we are happy to ship a hardcopy)"
      Oh well maybe I can fool it by paying with credit card... Nope
      Ok, maybe I can fool it by using PayPal and entering the address of some random US hotel... Nope
      Oh look, the Pirate Bay has the torrent.

      I do try to buy my stuff legally. Music is generally available these days, legally, with decent terms, no DRM, at a decent price... the last time I actually pirated music must be 15 years ago. And it looks like the ebook publishers - unlike the movie industry - are learning hard lessons in a hurry. But if you refuse to sell to me in my country, for whatever messed up reason (I don't really care what it is), then I will pirate your stuff, with a hearty f*ck you and a bottle of rum. And guess what: that was the position my government held as well, until the EU forced them otherwise.

      --
      If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
    5. Re:Not available in your country by j-beda · · Score: 1

      Of course it does. In my case it does so for ebooks, or rather it used to do so.

      I get irritated by authors/publishers who do not even have ebook versions of their books. How hard would it be to take the torrent of the fan-transcribed book and sell that one? OK, maybe you want to read it over to make sure that it doesn't have too many typos but it seems like it would be almost pure profit.

  3. Video not available. by Hamsterdan · · Score: 5, Insightful

    And content producers are probably still wondering why people download stuff

    --
    I've got better things to do tonight than die.
  4. "Hackers" ad-supported? by GameboyRMH · · Score: 1

    Does it delete ads from your memory in return for watching Hackers?

    --
    "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
  5. Trying to compete... by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Trying to compete with Kodi and the Pirate Bay?

    1. Re:Trying to compete... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      Trying to compete with Kodi and the Pirate Bay?

      No, because it looks like these are 480p.
      Reliving my 1980's childhood with low quality video, complete with ads isn't really my thing.

  6. In the meantime by bobstreo · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Criterion Collection (AKA WarnerMedia) has announced their plans to make their entire collection available for $9.99 a month or $89.99 for a year (for charter subscribers) to replace FilmStruck. It will be known as the Criterion Channel.

    https://www.criterion.com/curr...

    Bio-Dome? I don't even think they play that on cable.

    1. Re:In the meantime by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      Criterion Collection (AKA WarnerMedia) has announced their plans to make their entire collection available for $9.99 a month or $89.99 for a year (for charter subscribers) to replace FilmStruck. It will be known as the Criterion Channel.

      I'll pay $10 a month for the Criterion Collection in a heartbeat.

      Bio-Dome? I don't even think they play that on cable.

      Pauly Shore was robbed in the Oscar nominations that year. ; )

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
  7. Not Available On Your Country. by martiniturbide · · Score: 2

    Take that "Rest of the World" !!!!

  8. Hmm. by Presence+Eternal · · Score: 2

    Hackers, heh, I need to watch that again now that I know better.

    I was pleased while rewatching Wargames though. It has aged well since it was pretty good about using actual hacking techniques.

    Rewatching Manhattan Project was...weird. Totally fine film in and of itself, but man, the world is a very different place now.

  9. ...by country by Tom · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Not everyone gets to watch. They are all blocked in my country. Maybe some of the 99 aren't but I didn't try them all. Those I checked are all marked as "not available in your country".

    *sigh*... ok, here comes the VPN. Why they do such nonsense to us?

    --
    Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
    1. Re:...by country by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      they are all blocked for me.

      * fires up torrent client *

  10. Need to fix the ads first by hackertourist · · Score: 4, Interesting

    In about 50% of ads I see on YouTube, the player fails to return to the video I want to watch at the end of the ad. I have to reload the page.

    1. Re: Need to fix the ads first by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      You watched two whole movies 15 minutes ago?

    2. Re: Need to fix the ads first by houghi · · Score: 1

      Since when did they start with ads on Youtube?

      --
      Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
  11. Ads? by Mark+of+the+North · · Score: 1

    The combination of Pihole and Adblock has meant that I don't see ads on Youtube, except on our Nvidia Shield. On the Shield, Pihole blocks nearly all ads that interrupt a video, but not the ones that play at the beginning. This is just barely acceptable.

    I turned off Pihole for an hour to solve an unrelated problem and experienced the full-fat ad experience on the Shield. This is not something I could stomach and would pay for Youtube Premium...at least for the winter months when the weather pushes me into hobby mode and hit Youtube a lot more.

    Having content interrupted by ads is not something the majority of cord-cutters will put up with. I'd rather stare at the wall.

  12. Please combine them. by kaoshin · · Score: 2

    We need a terminator+hackers crossover sequel where the believed to be crashed Gibson is acquired as an asset of Cyberdyne Systems, and naked people come from the future to hang out with Mac PowerBook users who are mankind's last hope.

  13. Old and new again by thewolfkin · · Score: 1

    YouTube used to have a movies section with a ton of free classic movies. Most of them not as recent as Hackers but there was lots of movies across many genres. They then disappeared it and now they're back with more current films and ads.

    --
    Just another second banana
  14. Big deal by thadtheman · · Score: 1

    I don't know about terminator but you can catch Hackers on the local over the air station once a month or so.

  15. Re:They Need More Revenue... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    And don't forget the POQZMQ channels and the HJMQZGG channels, not to mention the ever popular GIOWWE channels.

  16. Don't care by AndyKron · · Score: 1

    I was demonetized for not having enough views so I don't care.

  17. If applied intelligently, it could be great by mykepredko · · Score: 1

    There are a ton of old movies that are periodically put up that studios don't seem to be interested in investigating whether or not there would be any public interest in them. For the price of scanning them in (which they may have done already), they can put them up on YouTube and gauge customers' interest while bringing in a few bucks.

    For the public, this could mean finding lost classics as well as giving scholars a chance to look back in history. There are a few movies I'd love to go back and watch ("The Louis Pasteur Story" with Paul Muni being a big one for me) again.

    --
    Mimetics Inc. Twitter
    1. Re:If applied intelligently, it could be great by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      For the public, this could mean finding lost classics

      archive.org already has been filling that need. They archive classic movies for posterity, without ads and other nonsense youtube foists.

    2. Re:If applied intelligently, it could be great by mykepredko · · Score: 1

      Thanx for the link - unfortunately, I really couldn't find any classic Hollywood movies.

      --
      Mimetics Inc. Twitter
  18. Strange Love by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

    If you want to see a good film noir on YouTube right now, check out THE STRANGE LOVE OF MARTHA IVERS (1946), starring Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin and a 24 year old, smoking hot Lizabeth Scott. It's good nasty fun and there are no commercials. It was directed by the great Lewis Milestone.

    Here's a link. Don't ever say I ain't done nothing for you.

    https://youtu.be/wHVGP8S984c

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
  19. And...? by TJHook3r · · Score: 1

    Ok, it's great to have free films made available but sounds like most of these are leftovers from the Blockbuster bargain bin. You can't give away most DVDs now, they are literally worthless.

  20. Re:They Need More Revenue... by tepples · · Score: 1

    MGTOW is "men going their own way", which I understand to refer to a subculture of men who have embraced a life path other than a romantic relationship with a woman. What do the other initialisms stand for? Does GIOWWE have something to do with professional wrestling? Google Search couldn't find anything relevant for the other two.

  21. “Rocky” was a great movie by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 2

    Thank goodness Stallone and his team didn’t succumb to avarice and produce any cookie-cutter sequels.

    --
    #DeleteChrome
  22. "Not available in your country." by timerider · · Score: 1

    I.
    HATE.
    Geoblocking.

    Just saying.

  23. Re:Video unavailable The uploader has not made thi by fluffernutter · · Score: 1

    Same for me.

    --
    Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
  24. Re:1.9 billion? But only 1 country can watch by fluffernutter · · Score: 1

    Also totally useless because most people who want to see these movies have seen them already.

    --
    Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
  25. Re:Shit, I was really hoping this would work... by fluffernutter · · Score: 1

    My error was much more straight forward:

    VIDEO UNAVAILABLE
    The uploader has not made this video available in your country.

    I take it as a message that they want me to pirate.

    --
    Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
  26. At Last by temisbliz · · Score: 1

    At least this is a start so we will see as this goes.