My feeling is that since PBS is largely funded by taxes and donations, all their content should be available freely just about anywhere. They really ought to publish directly to YouTube as well.
As taxpayers are only 15 percent and this may reduce PBS's funding needs it's probably a good approach to licence the content widely for a reasonable cost.
You _could_ load it in your browser and cast the tab, but the quality is terrible and you end up playing it in two places...
Only because they are very successfully at monetizing their content which was originally bootstrapped by tax and donations. After this exclusive deal that percentage may drop further.
As others have noted, this isn't a great deal for consumers who also happen to already pay for some of the content via taxes.
> All of the titles moving to Amazon will still be broadcast on local PBS stations, on PBS’s website and the PBS Kids Video app. Amazon Prime will have the streaming rights to shows approximately six months after their premiere date on PBS stations.
Also, from what I've seen most kids (mine included) are now watching PBS via streaming apps and not live tv. PBS is now locking most of their kids content behind one corporation.
Their priority is not profit, but public service. Since this reduces the availability of their programming, it is a disservice to the public that supports them through taxes, regardless of how much richer they are now.
Public service can be defined many ways. Is it better to have less programming that is available on Netflix and Hulu or more programming that is available on Amazon? Amazon Prime has very wide reach, this may actually increase the number of kids with streaming access. If it did increase the number would you be for the move?
I understand they cannot neglect the broadcast TV segment, but this is nuts.
BTW, it's odd to me the Department of State doesn't see PBS as a powerful propaganda tool. It's your BBC.
Possible? That is certainly the case.