Documentary+ is a new, free (ad-supported) streaming service for documentaries. It's available on the desktop and major streaming platforms like Amazon and Roku.
Gizmodo reports that:
A joint project between Tony Hsieh (the former Zappos CEO who recently passed away) and studio XTR, Documentary+ launched with a catalog of films by several high-profile directors and filmmakers, among them Werner Herzog, Terrence Malick, Kathryn Bigelow, and Spike Jonze, to name just a few. At launch, the service has a pretty broad selection of categories to choose from, including politics, sports, comedy, music, and true crime, among other genres, with a focus specifically on premium content. The service has more than 150 titles available at launch.
A spokesperson for Discovery+ told Gizmodo all of the films are licensed, and the library will change over time as some titles leave and others arrive. The aim is for the service “to always remain feeling highly curated and personal, like the [Criterion Channel] for documentaries.” Sundance Film Festival officially begins this week, and the company will be looking for potential acquisitions opportunities there as well.
Right now there are about 100 movies available on a range of subjects including music, politics, science and technology, and culture. I had a quick scan through an the quality level looked to be pretty high. I didn't see any of the quickie schlock titles that Netflix, in particular, has been putting out recently.
Canadian viewers should note that some of the titles (about a third in the ones that I tried to view) aren't available due to rights issues. However, a VPN will get you around that problem (I recommend ExpressVPN). I didn't watch any movies long enough to see how intrusive the ads are, but they couldn't be worse than commercial TV.
No comments:
Post a Comment