The expansion’s streaming fiasco proves why we need physical media

According to Jonathan Klotz
| Published 9 seconds ago

Area is one of the greatest sci-fi shows of all time, and it only gets better with age, as nothing released in the last decade can touch its unique blend of drama, politics, action, world-building, and the greatest ship physics ever put on screen. . It also became the latest flashpoint in the ongoing battle between streaming services and the public, with Amazon casually revealing in various regions that the first three seasons would be pulled from Amazon Prime. The worst-case scenario hasn’t happened yet, but it’s another reminder of how easy it is for the show’s greatest to disappear forever.

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Adapting the best-selling novels by Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, who write together as James SA Corey, Area introduced viewers to the world of space colonization, tenuous peace and the mystery of a missing girl who will ultimately change the fate of humanity forever. A heavy hug science fiction It became a cult favorite in its own way, but ratings on SyFy remained abysmal, prompting Amazon to pick it up after season 3. This led fans to believe that the series was safe as Amazon was producing the back half of the series. surely it should always have a home on Amazon Prime, but that’s not happening.

Area is being downloaded in specific regions and languages, including Germany and the United Kingdom, and varies from the first three SyFy-produced seasons to the entire series. Although it still is streaming in most regions and languages, the uproar over the mere thought of the show being pulled has caused a firestorm among the fanbase, and rightly so, which has reached the writers as well, with Abraham himself reaching out to Amazon to ask what’s going on. Maybe they don’t have Star Wars numbers, Star Trekor even Stargate fanbases, but don’t doubt the dedication Area fans who crowdsourced answers to the fate of the show.

Each series can disappear forever

It is today Areabut tomorrow it could be any other series, like countless other SyFy shows, including Eureka, Warehouse 13or Sanctuarywhich will disappear from all streaming services forever. Even Battlestar Galactica went through a period where they were hard to find digitally. Physical media has been abandoned by most studios, forcing fans to rely on the whims of streaming services, but at least with DVD or Blu-Ray you don’t have to worry about it becoming unwatchable without warning.

As studios consolidate and the rights to various franchises become more and more obtuse, the likelihood of any show or movie slipping through the legal cracks and disappearing forever increases. Check out the complicated rights behind James Bond that was part of it MGM when Amazon bought the studio, but it still disappears from services, including Amazon Prime, sometimes as soon as a month after arriving. If one of the most iconic franchises in film history can’t be streamed from start to finish on one service, what does hope do Area have in the future?

Embrace physical media

The answer is of course no, but luckily Area at least it came out on DVD. Embracing physical media is the only way forward for fans who want to guarantee access to their favorite shows and movies. It’s been this way for years, but Blu-Ray is disappearing from big box retailers like Best Buy or Walmart, and Warner Bros. Discovery is pulling countless animated series from Maxthe situation will get exponentially worse before it gets better.

That means you should go streaming Area on Amazon Prime right now and experience a sci-fi series better than anything Star Trek or Star Wars has produced in a decade. Then, if you ever want to experience it again, look for the complete box set of the series, because it’s the only way to stop corporate greed from destroying the art.