All articles tagged with #paywall
The New York Times argues in a court filing that OpenAI copied millions of copyrighted articles to train its AI, despite acknowledging this posed an existential threat to publishers and was driven by commercial gain. OpenAI contends training on publicly available content is fair use and that its models transform material rather than substitute for publishers, with Microsoft named as a co-defendant in the case.
World of Warcraft Forever charges real money to unlock the Skyborne race through three bundles ($30 with a mount, $60 with beta access and 30 days of sub, $80 with all prior goodies plus Warcraft III: Reforged). Access to Skyborne is separate from a subscription, prompting wide debate over value, lore implications, and whether this sets a precedent for future paywalls; the controversy is unlikely to fade soon.
An OutKick opinion notes Georgia’s week-one highlight video was locked behind a $20 paywall on Glory Glory, with money routed to NIL funds. The piece argues NIL-era content access and pay-to-play models fuel fan frustration and threaten the sport’s soul, framing it as part of broader sustainability and political battles surrounding college football. It warns of a slow decline in the sport—“death by 1,000 papercuts”—if such practices continue and calls for reforms to save college football.
Crunchyroll’s store is now paywalled for Mega/Ultimate subscribers and has dramatically reduced its physical lineup, removing most manga, light novels, manhwa, and danmei titles along with the vast majority of Blu-ray/DVD sets. What remains mostly consists of merchandise, with only a handful of Blu-rays from Sony-owned labels (Funimation), Crunchyroll, and Aniplex still listed. Fans blame Sony’s wider push away from disc-based media and acquisitions like The Right Stuf International for the shift, viewing it as part of a broader move toward subscriptions over physical purchases. It’s unclear whether this is temporary or permanent, and Crunchyroll hasn’t publicly explained the strategy beyond noting the paywalled shift. The online backlash has been swift and vocal.
Baseball’s Field of Dreams game (Phillies vs. Twins) in Iowa will be streamed on Netflix this year instead of Fox, placing it behind a Netflix paywall and sparking widespread fan frustration over access and pricing. The piece highlights Netflix’s ad-supported and premium plans and the awkward shift in how fans must subscribe to watch, while also noting other sports tidbits like LLWS regional moments and Tricia Whitaker’s cottage getaway.
Rockstar and Netflix will debut an extended GTA 6 trailer exclusively on Netflix for six hours on August 27, before it appears on Rockstar’s YouTube later that day, sparking backlash over paywalling a major reveal, though Netflix argues it broadens storytelling reach; the game is priced at $80 with a $100 Ultimate Edition and launches November 19 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Crunchyroll’s store overhaul will require a paid subscription to browse the shop, with reports of a $14 monthly access fee and Ultimate subscribers at $17.99/month receiving manga-library perks; the change aligns with Sony’s broader push away from physical goods, and is accompanied by a temporary 50% off sale and new final-sale terms as the store transitions, even as some inventory appears missing.
Netflix's first foray into live MLB broadcasting with the Home Run Derby drew strong backlash for a paywalled stream, chaotic and disjointed camera work, a long pregame, and flat commentary, prompting critics to question MLB and Netflix’s focus on revenue over fan engagement.
GTA VI fans are furious over Rockstar’s pricing, with an $80 standard edition and a $100 Ultimate Edition that locks much of the story content, shops, cars, and customization behind a paywall. In the first 24 hours of pre-orders, the game reportedly attracted about 39 million orders, generating over $3 billion on a budget around $2 billion. Critics call the approach anti-consumer and warn of rising game prices, while a poll cited by Insider Gaming says more than 80% of gamers plan to buy the $100 edition; preorder buyers also get a free month of GTA+ that auto-renews.
Dana White announced the UFC White House fights will stream exclusively on Paramount+ with no CBS simulcast, driven by Paramount+'s rights deal and despite ongoing litigation surrounding the event.
Free YouTube Music users can view lyrics for up to five songs per month; beyond that, lyrics are blurred and a prompt to unlock with Premium appears, signaling a broader rollout after earlier testing.
Bethesda’s Fallout 76 introduces the Mojave Bundle—a cosmetic pack featuring Ranger Power Armor and other items—for $30, with no in‑game currency (Atoms) or Fallout 1st discounts. The price has sparked backlash since the base game costs under $10 and recent expansions have been free, continuing the ongoing debate over paid cosmetics in the Fallout 76 ecosystem.
Instapaper will charge for its Send to Kindle feature starting Feb 19, requiring a Premium subscription at $6 per month or $60 per year to keep sending digests to Kindle. The company says the service is server-intensive and costly. Kobo users will keep the feature for free via the API, while others can still opt for manual transfers (USB) or Amazon’s Send to Kindle extension as alternatives.
The rollout of Google's Gemini for Home smart device service has faced issues, including bugs, incorrect task responses, and features being locked behind a subscription paywall, leading to user frustration and a less than ideal experience compared to the mobile app, with Google needing to address these problems quickly.
The next Xbox is reportedly planning to eliminate the paywall for online multiplayer, potentially making PS6 the only upcoming console charging for online access via PS Plus, which could lead Sony to reconsider its online multiplayer policies.