Can’t pay, won’t pay: impoverished streaming services are driving viewers back to piracy

 

With a trip to Florence booked, all I want is to rewatch Medici. The 2016 historical drama series tells of the rise of the powerful Florentine banking dynasty, and with it, the story of the Renaissance. Until recently, I could simply have gone to Netflix and found it there, alongside a wide array of award-winning and obscure titles. But when I Google the show in 2025, the Netflix link only takes me to a blank page.

 

I don’t see it on HBO Max, Disney+, Apple TV+, or any of the smaller streaming platforms. On Amazon Prime I am required to buy each of the three seasons or 24 episodes separately, whereupon they would be stored in a library subject to overnight deletion. Raised in the land of The Pirate Bay, the Swedish torrent index, I feel, for the first time in a decade, a nostalgia for the high seas of digital piracy. And I am not alone.

 

For my teenage self in the 00s, torrenting was the norm. Need the new Coldplay album on your iPod? The Pirate Bay. The 1968 adaptation of Romeo and Juliet? The Pirate Bay. Whatever you needed was accessible with just a couple of clicks. But as smartphones proliferated, so did Spotify, the music streaming platform that is also headquartered in Sweden. The same Scandinavian country had become a hub of illegal torrenting and simultaneously conjured forth its solution.

 

More:

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/aug/14/cant-pay-wont-pay-impoverished-streaming-services-are-driving-viewers-back-to-piracy

Yep was thinking this the other day when my Aussie subscription for Netflix went up $2 to just over 20 a month, and you know I search and search for something to watch then get tired and turn the telly off, My AFL team will be crap next season so I can save about $250 for AFL Watch and just use my pirate streaming box to watch live, AFL is a bit fast for this slow box but it will do, then they want 7700 B to stream the NFL this season....I guess I will pay but Netflix is on shaky ground... 

Lotsa ripoff streaming companies for the lazy and gullible who don't torrent. Too afraid of Big Brother, haven't heard of VPNs.

I wanted to watch a recently released movie that is no longer in theaters. I found it on several online services. It costs $19.99 to rent. I completely understand why some people turn to piracy.

What do you mean, back to piracy? The smart people never stopped.

21 hours ago, unblocktheplanet said:

Lotsa ripoff streaming companies for the lazy and gullible who don't torrent. Too afraid of Big Brother, haven't heard of VPNs.

Gullible ? 

Not at all but many of us have zero idea how to go about it.

If you want to download all the latest TV series, from all streaming platforms, including Apple (just downloaded The Studio) without having to torrent, this is the site that will have almost all TV series you seek, if they are current obviously not from the 70s if you're 80 years old.

 

Now, the good news is you will get the mkv file almost instantly the download is very fast. And they have almost all the latest series. And it's totally free. 

 

However, the downside is of cours that you get ad pop ups first. So you just close them, sometimes 3 come up in a row. Close, rinse and repat, until you get what you want. You will get it.

 

Again, the anti-virus doesn't like this site and will protest, you will have ads pop up that you need to close. Use at your own risk. But they do have the series and it's free.

 

https://o2tv.co/

35 minutes ago, gargamon said:

What do you mean, back to piracy? The smart people never stopped.

 

I've been using the same private tracker since 2009. Its wonderful.

 

Ps...I have 4 invites if anyone is interested. Dm for details. More than happy to share.

Recently Amazon started blocking certain apps on the Firestick ie, Ocean streams, live nettv etc but a couple of days ago reinstalled them and they are back up and working 🤔  

20 hours ago, Cameroni said:

Now, the good news is you will get the mkv file almost instantly the download is very fast. And they have almost all the latest series. And it's totally free. 

 

However, the downside is of cours that you get ad pop ups first. So you just close them, sometimes 3 come up in a row. Close, rinse and repat, until you get what you want. You will get it.

 

Again, the anti-virus doesn't like this site and will protest, you will have ads pop up that you need to close. Use at your own risk. But they do have the series and it's free.

 

https://o2tv.co/

Wow, Cam eroni, what  seriously great find. I think I'll have a good time with this one. Thanks!

8 minutes ago, unblocktheplanet said:

Wow, Cam eroni, what  seriously great find. I think I'll have a good time with this one. Thanks!

 

My pleasure, just click through the pop-ups.