Well....ARD is the German national public TV network.....which is the basis of Channel One.
A couple of years ago, ARD created what they call a 'media-library'. You can log on and various movies/TV shows/documentaries can be seen....for a LIMITED period of time (usually a month or two).
Most folks thought at the creation of the 'media-library'....it meant that it'd be up for a longer....more permanent period.
So back in October....ARD created something called ARD-Plus. Yes, a streaming video-service, that you pay 4.99 Euro a month for.....to get access to the stuff that fell off the limited time only library.
Here is the odd part of this streaming video story.....to get the public 'extra' deal, you have to deal with one of three non-public companies: Magenta, Apple, or Amazon. You go to their streaming video service, and the ARD service is 'extra'.
Any value added here? If you wanted to watch one of the Tatort crime series from the 1990s? Various documentary pieces from ten to twenty years ago? That's really the hook to the streaming video service.
I will admit that Netflix, Amazon, and WOW are a big deal deal currently....but it's hard to see any real interests exists for ARD's library. It would shock me if there were more than 10,000 attached customers to the service.
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