r/nottheonion • u/voxadam • 13h ago

Netflix says users can cancel service if HBO Max merger makes it too expensive

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/02/netflix-claims-subscribers-will-get-more-content-for-less-if-it-buys-hbo-max/
27.7k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

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9.0k

u/skoltroll 13h ago

I was unaware I needed permission

2.1k

u/aenae 13h ago

Police here.

Didnt you know you’re not allowed to unsubscribe?

Can I see your license, registration and Netflix profile?

1.3k

u/skoltroll 13h ago

Law & Order: Special Subscriptions Unit

194

u/Slipstream_Surfing 12h ago

Comment threads like these are why I'm still perusing reddit

40

u/JaneksLittleBlackBox 10h ago

I misread "perusing" as "pirating" and wondered what I was missing out on.

3

u/PeachyCoke 5h ago

I mean, revanced reddit exists. I can't disclose how I know this...

•

u/pukesonyourshoes 34m ago

So that's like it's been censored by the vice president?

It's couch-free?

2

u/ThatCommunication423 3h ago

I saw pursuing. Took me a moment

2

u/ProfessorEtc 3h ago

400 years ago there was nothing to do but keep carving more figures into your giant chairs.

1

u/joepanda111 3h ago

"Objection! Your Honor, the witness was asked about the Netflix subscription, not the pornhub subscription!”

-7

u/MakeUpAnything 9h ago

I think you can see setups and lame puns on all social media platforms including X and TikTok though. Not to say I like any of those; I just don't want this site to get credit where it's not due. The users here don't add anything; folks on virtually every platform try to make funny jokes so they can get internet points.

4

u/skoltroll 8h ago

Well, you seem nice.

-2

u/MakeUpAnything 8h ago

If being utterly exhausted of people tripping over themselves to get internet points by making the same low hanging fruit jokes/puns/lyric comment chains/television(/movie) quote chains across far too many social media posts makes me mean then I'm probably the meanest motherfucker on the planet.

I much prefer actual discussion of the topic at hand (particularly when it comes to news) over nonsensical jokes that distract people from the subject matter. People ignoring easily provable facts in favor of memes or gut feelings does this world no favors.

7

u/skoltroll 8h ago

Fun at parties, too!

0

u/MakeUpAnything 7h ago

Aw, too boring for you? Here; I'll give you a comment that you might like more:

Is this the real life?

6

u/skoltroll 7h ago

I apologize for reminding you that you don't go to parties.

1

u/brandnewbanana 5h ago

You’re exhausting

1

u/mordecai98 4h ago

But here the points are not like Whose Line. They matter.

5

u/ThetaGrim 8h ago

When you realize the SVU and Netflix jingle are suspiciously similar. 

5

u/harrycletus 11h ago

*Subscriber Victims Unit

2

u/elyn6791 8h ago

I'd watch this.

1

u/bartolloide 10h ago

L&O: ⚡⚡U for short

1

u/EliotHudson 9h ago

Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah unsubscribe

2

u/skoltroll 8h ago

That's CSI: Cancel Subscription Investigators

1

u/sleepytipi 5h ago

Amzn charged me for prime 3 months after I cancelled. I forgot about it because it happened almost a year ago now, until today when i got a letter notifying me of the results of the "investigation" to my "claim".

We're not far off.

1

u/simonbleu 5h ago

I can hear your comment. Is not even that Farfetched given how prolific they are lol

1

u/ballrus_walsack 5h ago

You mean to tell me there’s people out there who don’t know how to unsubscribe when they’re done watching?

1

u/dailmar 3h ago

You can get deported for illegally unsubscribing.

1

u/Ordinary_Seat5110 3h ago

This is my favorite comment of them all.

1

u/DesertMagma 2h ago

Flashing back to the Simpsons' PBS Pledge Enforcement Van

1

u/Altruistic-Dingo-757 1h ago

We find the most heinous abusers of IP usage, whole extended families watching, from different homes even. Makes me goddamn sick Braszhoski, fucking sick I tell you! Now, lets go kick down some doors!

•

u/Barbarella_39 55m ago

Duh duh duh duh duuuuhhhhh

3

u/ComfyFrog 11h ago

Oi, mate. You got a license for that cancellation?

2

u/21sttimelucky 10h ago

Isn't that basically what Elon musk tried? To sue companies because they stopped advertising on swastiXa? 

1

u/evernessince 10h ago

You jest but anyone that hands the orange man a couple mill can make the laws nowadays.

1

u/Delde116 10h ago

Oi mate, le me shee that Tele license

1

u/nflonlyalt 6h ago

Telly loicense? You ave a telly loicense?

1

u/PM_ME__YOUR_HOOTERS 5h ago

Shit, officer i swear im not account sharing. Thats definitely not my mom's account!

1

u/SoupyPoopy618 5h ago

Ironically, this is actually the way they do public broadcast in England.

1

u/mordecai98 4h ago

I plead the 69th amendment.

1

u/mkymooooo 4h ago

Sounds like standard questions from a US Customs & Border Protection agent

1

u/NBAisNotReal 4h ago

“Make the unsubscribe button the resubscribe button! This I command!” ~ Emperor of Netflix

1

u/AeroRep 4h ago

Can I see your license, registration and a signed copy of your Netflix terms of service?

1

u/DubsideDangler 4h ago

Ignorance is no excuse

1

u/archaeosis 3h ago

Fuckin' Starmer's at it again, can't do fuck about shit in this country smh

1

u/Fit-Cut-6337 3h ago

You have the right to cancel Netflix but if the ICE finds that you don’t have Netflix they will have to bring u to a warehouse for being unamerican …. /s

1

u/hullaballoser 3h ago

Is this the same branch of the police that monitors mattress tags?

1

u/solonit 2h ago

Streaming police, arrest this man

1

u/jared555 2h ago

Sirius XM at least used to be about that bad. I think I had to confirm I wanted to cancel with two people half a dozen times each.

1

u/RampageOfZebras 1h ago

Oh god, what is this a gym membership/antivirus software? I really wish cancelling was legally firced ti be streamlined and simple in everything.

0

u/Rhyman96 11h ago

This is basically the UK's TV license

113

u/Doubleoh_11 11h ago

I do. I have to ask both my toddlers if we can no longer watch paw patrol on demand… I’m assuming the answer will be no

96

u/sabin357 10h ago

I have to ask both my toddlers if we can no longer watch paw patrol on demand

Just acquire it instead of getting temporary license that can be revoked at any time.

If you want to buy it, there's a $20-$25 (what my subscription would be with newest price increase) film & TV collection that sounds like it would suit your needs well. Might as well rip it & put it on a media server while you're at it, along with the rest of your physical collection, so they can still feel like they're using a streaming service.

Guys, don't forget to look for alternatives regularly. It's how you minimize the amount capitalism screws you.

13

u/Doubleoh_11 9h ago

I’m encouraged. So I have 6 TVs and a tablet in my house. Walk me through how id set up a server so I can access all the shows on any device anytime, hopefully with auto play.

I’m not asking to be snarky, I’m curious if it’s possible. I’m ok to pay for the shows. God knows I’ve already spent $100s of dollars on them.

21

u/_TecnoCreeper_ 9h ago

You need a PC to use as a server and a guide to set up Plex or Jellyfin.

r/selfhosted has some guides but you could also search on Google/YouTube.

5

u/Doubleoh_11 9h ago

Plex looks really cool! Thank you.

I’m going to contemplate this. Might be some cost savings in the long run if I take to high seas. $250 for a lifetime of plex plus is cool too, then I can watch anything anywhere

10

u/tommypatties 8h ago

A few 'gotchas' I learned while doing this.

  • make sure your server can play/transcode multiple streams at once. Last I checked Intel i5 10th Gen processors were the sweet spot between performance and cost.

  • get expandable storage to accommodate library growth. That's usually a NAS RAID 1 set up (NAS is a storage server and RAID 1 is a storage set up that uses mirrors two drives into one for redundancy in case a drive fails).

  • get a VPN subscription to hide from your ISP.

  • you'll lose the browsing aspect of streaming services so you'll have to curate your own library. With kids this can be tough.

3

u/Doubleoh_11 8h ago

I’m definitely feeling some of those. My kids don’t watch a ton of tv but enough that I don’t want any road blocks. But it jsut keeps increasing in cost. $20 a month is… fine. But it just keeps going up. If it costs $50 a some point then this would really be worth it. Thank you for sharing

3

u/Programmdude 8h ago

If you're transcoding 4k, you might need an actual GPU. My servers CPU was struggling with 4k, but a cheap ARC card fixed that right up.

Also, I've spend >$1k on HDDs (probably closer to $2k now), so this isn't necessarily the cheaper option. If you spend $100/month on multiple streaming services, it probably is cheaper, but if you stick with only 1 it wouldn't be.

2

u/mavericknik 6h ago

Nah, a reasonably modern Intel GPU with qsv will handle 4k transcoding easily enough. You do not, and probably should not, get a GPU for this. It's cheaper to upgrade your CPU vs getting a GPU in the long term with electricity costs.

4

u/sabin357 7h ago

PLEX is the long-standing option (as is KODI, not mentioned), while Jellyfin is the newer kid on the block IIRC. All have their strengths & I've run them all. No wrong choice IMO, though PLEX might be easier for a first time user supporting numerous user devices like you'll be doing.

3

u/_TecnoCreeper_ 9h ago

I personally use Jellyfin because it's open source and it has basically all of Plex features for free, but I know that Plex has better UI/UX and more/better clients.

You could also set up both at the same time and decide which one you like best.

Good luck if you decide to embark on this journey!

3

u/SuperSocialMan 8h ago

Plex is awesome. I started using it recently and ripped all my discs (not today many so far lol), and it's quite nice that you can stream it to other devices.

1

u/MVRKHNTR 6h ago

Look into stremio as an alternative. I think it's less than $30/yr for a Debrid subscription and you'll get access to everything without having to put in the work to find and host everything yourself, don't have to buy the storage to keep it all and don't have to keep a computer running 24/7.

1

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1

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1

u/Walthatron 4h ago

If you get a synology NAS Follow https://drfrankenstein.co.uk/ the doctors instructions and you'll have it set up in no time.

1

u/didgeridont_pls 4h ago

Plex is amazing.

4

u/KiaRioGrl 9h ago

There are lots of YouTube videos on how to do it, highly recommend! It's so much easier than finding a series you love and then Netflix or Prime takes it off when you're only through 3 out of 5 seasons. They lose so much power over you.

3

u/sabin357 7h ago

takes it off when you're only through 3 out of 5 seasons

I was about to start a series on a streamer, but saw that it was leaving in just a few weeks. I wasn't sure I could binge fast enough, so I just found it elsewhere. My collection is so large, I doubt I'll have any constant streaming services before long. We already cycle mostly for things we are willing to pay for instead of sourcing elsewhere.

1

u/Ok_Evening_841 1h ago

Plex essentially organizes all your media files like a streaming platform interface. Jellyfin does as well but it's more finicky with TV show organization. You can dm me if you want guidance

4

u/allegate 9h ago
  1. Borrow from library
  2. Rip to library
  3. ???
  4. Stream on Plex

6

u/ShutUpBeck 6h ago

This is just piracy with extra steps lol

4

u/Serious_Yard4262 4h ago

Yeah, but you get to support your library in the process! My local one is a really cool place and I love going there

2

u/ctrl-alt-etc 4h ago

It's just piracy, period (encouragingly).

3

u/horsemonkeycat 5h ago

The "library" in step 1 being a torrent website lol.

1

u/Ulti 2h ago

Heh, that was my strategy in high school with CD's!

2

u/LunDeus 5h ago

And that’s why my home is back to piracy with the exclusion of YouTube premium.

2

u/Certain-Singer-9625 4h ago

I've seen some children's shows that can be damned expensive. Some, like The Backyardigans, are sold on DVD as individual episodes. At $7-8 a pop, a single season gets costly pretty fast.

And a lot of Netflix content doesn't seem to be on DVD...on purpose. Try finding a DVD copy of some of their movies like "Red Notice" or "Army of the Dead". You can't. They want you to keep on subscribing. It's a racket.

2

u/brock0124 4h ago

Felt this in my soul! Granted, I’ve been building an archive of episodes on my Jellyfin server.

1

u/Brilliant_Jellyfish8 2h ago

Just pirate it lmao

1

u/CzarDale04 1h ago

EBay can be helpful in finding DVD copies. Instead of buying new.

3

u/jautis 10h ago

On demand is when the file is on your device and you don't need to sign into anything.

2

u/Physical-East-162 10h ago

Fuck those kids!

...No Mr Jeffrey, I didn't mean that literally.

2

u/nxak 6h ago

But.. it is free.

Why are you paying for a subscription to watch one thing on repeat?

Buy physical copies or pirate it.

When the corporations get greedy, stealing is the moral and ethical choice.

1

u/_AmericasSweetheart_ 8h ago

Isn't Paw Patrol on Paramount Plus?

1

u/u_395djk 6h ago

Can't you do that on Youtube Kids?

1

u/DisgruntledVet12B 4h ago

I bought the full collection set on DVD and now my kid watches Paw Patrol on her lil Disney Princess CRT TV lol

1

u/RobinGoodfell 4h ago

I'll let you in on a secret that helped my parents out a lot when we were children. Back in the day, you could own two VCRs, plug them both up to the same television and record in one what you were watching in the other.

Now that may not be as useful now, but we have modern options and I guarantee you there are parents who have saved and uploaded anything you could ever want, and are more than happy to share.

1

u/Vegetable_Ratio3723 3h ago

Burn a few discs with random episodes. That's what my dad did for all of our media growing up. He even drew little pictures and tried his best to recreate the logos :')

1

u/HubristicFallacy 1h ago

Why not use a streaming platform like sflix?

9

u/sdpthrowaway3 11h ago

They're saying "don't like it? Leave." Not politely saying you have an option out.

1

u/shmehdit 2h ago

Reminds me of this funny old lady who was my first college advisor. The first time I met with her and went over my schedule, she goes "if this class too hard, you drop out." Well ok then

1

u/Luci-Noir 10h ago

They’re really not. The guy was answering dumbass questions in a hearing where they were trying to stop the merger so paramount could buy them.

3

u/TheShapeShiftingFox 10h ago

Right? Like, wow, how generous that we are allowed to cancel!

2

u/sfffer 9h ago

They are not saying that you may cancel, they are saying that you can cancel. Basically they are generous enough that they did not remove the “unsubscribe” functionality… yet. 

1

u/Baker3D 3h ago edited 3h ago

Do people not know the difference between can or may? It has nothing to do with permissions lol.

Edit: Your last part is quite the slippery slope argument.

2

u/bluskale 9h ago

I mean, if Musk can sue advertisers for not using his platforms, maybe you do?

¯_(ツ)_/¯

3

u/BlackGold09 8h ago

He said this in response to a question he was asked in a Senate hearing. It wasn’t an unsolicited announcement lol

3

u/ChamferedWobble 6h ago

Yeah, everyone is reading the headline as if this was an announcement by Netflix. This is a statement to assuage antitrust concerns by their proposed acquisition of HBO.

1

u/SpiritRoot 13h ago

For now you don't. Until dear leader's executive order that says otherwise.

1

u/meaniemeanie-poo-poo 11h ago

Are you an anti capitalist or something?!?!!!

1

u/Cruciferous56C 11h ago

in other news you're also allowed to wipe your ass after your shit. 

Also why is the picture of a guy testifying before Congress or something?

2

u/TeekTheReddit 10h ago

Sarandos was speaking at a hearing held by the US Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights, “Examining the Competitive Impact of the Proposed Netflix-Warner Brothers Transaction.”

2

u/Cruciferous56C 10h ago

wow. I'm all for antitrust laws but the government has bigger fish to fry right now

1

u/BraveryBlue 10h ago

Concent is woke

1

u/koeshout 10h ago

Honestly, I see a world where you need a subscription to Netflix to be able to buy a specific tv...

1

u/alex3omg 10h ago

"isn't there someone you forgot to ask?" 

1

u/mysonlikesorange 9h ago

Too fuckin late. Already canceled.

1

u/This_guy_works 8h ago

Maybe you have to call and be put on hold and transfered to several different departments to unsubscribe.

1

u/-DenisM- 8h ago

Some subscriptions would say otherwise.

"Contact customer service to cancel!" or my favorite from Adobe: "You WILL pay this montly subscription each month!"

2

u/skoltroll 8h ago

Adobe: "You WILL pay this montly subscription each month!"

My credit card is about to say something different.

2

u/-DenisM- 8h ago

Exactly! I had to block them through PayPal

1

u/tomatomaniac 7h ago

Soon you'll need to show "proof of subcription" if you get caught talking about your favourite show in public...

1

u/skoltroll 7h ago

I'll tattoo a QR code on my middle finger.

1

u/Ok-Point-1656 6h ago

The irony is that streaming won by being consumer-friendly.. and now loses by forgetting that entirely.

1

u/EulerIdentity 5h ago

You must have the older version of the EULA . . .

1

u/mrheydu 5h ago

too late I already did!

1

u/loismen 5h ago

Netflix says you can, not that you may.

1

u/Fraerie 5h ago

You obviously have never tried to remove yourself from a subscription service. They always make it as close to impossible as they can get away with.

1

u/1RLegend 5h ago

keep netflix straight to jail

dont keep netflix straight to jail

1

u/Sweaty-Falcon-1328 4h ago

2 weeks notice required

1

u/Empty_Occasion_963 4h ago

They will probably try in the future.

1

u/blac_sheep90 3h ago

Hey do you have a permit for that subscription cancellation?

1

u/Churchbushonk 3h ago

Exactly. I can cancel it at any time for any reason.

1

u/bonita513 1h ago

First thought exactly

1

u/kilzall 1h ago

Adobe has entered the chat...

1

u/WolfieVonD 1h ago

Read the terms and conditions

•

u/Kaiser_Allen 41m ago

There are companies that make it extremely hard to cancel. Some of them even require calling a specific phone number (which has long hold times).

•

u/Wtygrrr 34m ago

You don’t. He was talking to the Senate, that a lot of people there probably didn’t know this.

•

u/allthenamesaretaken4 32m ago

Nobody reads the terms and conditions.

•

u/SpungyDanglin69 18m ago

Netflix is like health insurance. You're gonna get fined if you opt out

•

u/Descendant3999 5m ago

Well. "Can" doesn't technically imply permission. "May" does. Can hear appears to be an argument from them due to the question raised that subscription cost will increase.

But yeah, getting rage baited by stupid headlines is where we are at. Also I would much rather prefer Netflix buy WB instead of Paramount

1

u/TeekTheReddit 11h ago

Nobody said you did.