Macross streaming on Disney+ (under the "Star" label; Star/Hulu of D+)

[Big s]

On 8/22/2024 at 6:03 PM, Duke Togo said:

I've tried using my VPN (PIA) to stream Disney+ from Japan, but it's blocked.

I’ve been hearing that from a few people that have tried the vpn thing. I don’t know if there’s one that does work, but it seems Disney is blocking them fairly well unfortunately 

[Seto Kaiba]

It was inevitable that the streaming services would get wise to the trick, since half of the VPN apps out there these days advertise themselves as being useful for circumventing region-based blocks on content. 

Edited August 24 by Seto Kaiba

[Knight26]

So, Canada has Macross now, when do we get it on US D+?

[azrael]

On 8/24/2024 at 9:07 AM, Seto Kaiba said:

It was inevitable that the streaming services would get wise to the trick, since half of the VPN apps out there these days advertise themselves as being useful for circumventing region-based blocks on content. 

Streaming services have known about VPN-usage longer than you think. They're more focused on password sharing (i.e. free-loaders).

[Big s]

3 hours ago, Knight26 said:

So, Canada has Macross now, when do we get it on US D+?

Been wondering myself. Hopefully soon

[Seto Kaiba]

2 hours ago, azrael said:

Streaming services have known about VPN-usage longer than you think. They're more focused on password sharing (i.e. free-loaders).

Oh I'm sure they've known about VPN usage for ages, and while they are focusing on their various efforts to crack down on the password sharing in order to put off acknowledging that infinite growth is not possible for a little while longer, they're definitely also starting to quietly crack down on the now widely advertised use of VPN clients to circumvent the service's region specific blocks on content. 

That's what we're seeing here with people who are trying to access Macross content on Disney+ using VPN from countries where it's not supposed to be available yet.

[Dangard Ace]

12 hours ago, Knight26 said:

So, Canada has Macross now, when do we get it on US D+?

Really?  I may get around to re-subscribing to check it out.   

 

Maybe.

[mikeszekely]

On 8/22/2024 at 9:03 PM, Duke Togo said:

I've tried using my VPN (PIA) to stream Disney+ from Japan, but it's blocked.

When I tried (with NordVPN) I couldn't get in from their Tokyo server, but their other Japan server worked.  They just didn't have Zero, SDF Macross, DYRL, or Macross II available yet, but that was around two weeks ago.  Apparently they were added now.

[camk4evr]

Disney+ (Canada) has just recently added Macross FB7, Maceoss 7: the galaxy is calling me, Macross Plus, and macross plus movie edition

[jrhudson311]

Nothing yet in the US it seems.

Edited August 31 by jrhudson311

[Big s]

Here in the U.S. they just gave us access to the usual 💩

no macross yet

[Old_Nash_II]

Nothing in Brazil too

[Seto Kaiba]

They're really dragging this release process out. 🤣

I'm glad that the Japanese releases are getting official English subs still, because at this rate it'll be 2025 before the biggest anime market in the west gets anything.

[Old_Nash_II]

7 minutes ago, Seto Kaiba said:

They're really dragging this release process out. 🤣

I'm glad that the Japanese releases are getting official English subs still, because at this rate it'll be 2025 before the biggest anime market in the west gets anything.

All a scheme of HG for not release Macross on US 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[SSK]

Nothing in Europe too, but there's rumors we won't get it. Too many translations needed I guess. I really hope it's wrong.

[Big s]

2 hours ago, Seto Kaiba said:

They're really dragging this release process out. 🤣

I'm glad that the Japanese releases are getting official English subs still, because at this rate it'll be 2025 before the biggest anime market in the west gets anything.

I think the official posters said 2024. Unfortunately December 31’st at 2359 in whatever the last time zone is, still counts as a 2024 release to them

[Seto Kaiba]

4 hours ago, Big s said:

I think the official posters said 2024. Unfortunately December 31’st at 2359 in whatever the last time zone is, still counts as a 2024 release to them

True... 31 December at 23:59:59 is still technically "this year".

I will laugh long and hard if that's the case, because I rules lawyer deadlines that way at work all the time.

 

[Big s]

2 hours ago, Seto Kaiba said:

True... 31 December at 23:59:59 is still technically "this year".

I will laugh long and hard if that's the case, because I rules lawyer deadlines that way at work all the time.

 

I’ll start by laughing, but then I’ll celebrate the new year with some Macross, even if it’s Delta

[Graham]

On 8/31/2024 at 4:22 PM, camk4evr said:

Disney+ (Canada) has just recently added Macross FB7, Maceoss 7: the galaxy is calling me, Macross Plus, and macross plus movie edition

Same here  in Hong Kong, all those added a couple of weeks ago.

[Knight26]

(hopefully) Maybe they are dragging their feet on the US release in order to "influrnce" HG into allowing SDF and DYRL.  Mind you, big D could probably buy HG outright if they  wanted to for less then they spent on their last movie flop.

[camk4evr]

I assume the rather piecemeal release to D+ depends, at least in part, on how fast the licensees can translate and subtitle the various series. I have no idea why Canada got it before the US. 

[Seto Kaiba]

1 hour ago, Knight26 said:

Mind you, big D could probably buy HG outright if they  wanted to for less then they spent on their last movie flop.

HG's a privately owned company, so the Agramas would have to be willing to sell...

... and it's unlikely they'd be willing to, for fear that Disney's attorneys and accountants would find things the Agramas would rather remain unfound while examining the company's books.

Spoiler

HG was named in two separate indictments of its founder, Farouk Agrama, for tax fraud, tax evasion, embezzlement, and false accounting practices in the 2000s and 2010s.  The evidence was strong enough to secure a conviction on the first set of charges, and Farouk Agrama only avoided serving prison time for it because of his age.

The current President and CEO, his daughter Jehan Agrama, has also been investigated for tax evasion at least once already in connection with unreported income.

Selling a company that, according to Italian prosecutors, was set up as part of an international money laundering and tax evasion scheme is definitely a risky proposition if there is ANY evidence of financial improprieties in its books.

 

[Graham]

Currently re-watching Frontier on Disney+ and it just blows my mind that it's already 16 years ago since Frontier was first released.

Where does the time go?

To me it feels like like just a few years since Frontier came out.

[djivaldi7]

This morning I contacted Disney.  Although there is still no release in the USA, their CS rep said announcements and possibly the release itself will be influenced by customer requests.

So, if you are willing to invest 5minutes for the rest of us :

Go to https://help.disneyplus.com/

Scroll down to "Give Feedback".

Scroll down to Select Feedback Type" and there you'll find the option to recommend a new movie or show. You know what to do....

For subscribers willing to add in more emphasis...

Call 888-905-7888, hit option 4 to speak live, and go through similar ritual with their live agent for about 5 more minutes. 

 

[Shawn]

Sorry to sound like a jerk, but what?
"This morning I contacted Disney.  Although there is still no release in the USA, their CS rep said announcements and possibly the release itself will be influenced by customer requests."

I wish all you Canadian based Macross fans would have contacted the America based fans, so we could have all went in on our official request to Disney together.

ok sarcasm mostly off now
Its awesome that you contacted them, but that response is disappointing. For a US release they are holding back until they get requests?
Did other countries have some social media Macross campaign I was supposed to sign up for?

[Shawn]

ok sarcasm totally off now

I know that is just a standard customer support request response...If you are interested in a title please let us know
Just a bit frustrated the US market hasn't been addressed yet, as I had assumed it was one of the big driving forces with the new WWM license agreement..

Maybe they are prepping some official larger launch thing in the future with some other tie-ins, who knows.

[Duke Togo]

I'm sure that CS person had never heard of Macross. 

[Shawn]

Oh I agree

The CS is putting the ticket in as "across frontier" and it is probably being categroized by the AI back end as a Star Trek request.

[Seto Kaiba]

3 hours ago, djivaldi7 said:

This morning I contacted Disney.  Although there is still no release in the USA, their CS rep said announcements and possibly the release itself will be influenced by customer requests.

Disney+ has already licensed the shows, announced the impending release, and is in the process of rolling the shows out worldwide.

You got a scripted response from a customer support person (or a ChatGPT voicebot) that has no knowledge of, or involvement with, the release process.  A scripted response that's almost certainly meant as a non-answer to people asking why shows Disney+ hasn't licensed aren't available on the service.

 

Edited September 22 by Seto Kaiba

[MisaForever]

Who is this "Shawn" person and what is he mumbling about?? 😁 /totally not sarcasm but maybe is.

[djivaldi7]

Okay...  So, no it was not scripted. The live agent I spoke with was Liane.  Very polite.  She found no release info on her internal platform, so she escalated two layers up and said all she could see was that it's scheduled to happen in 2024.  Which we already knew of course.   So, addressing loosely what the comments to my earlier post said above...   she encouraged me without prompting to put in the written request, and extrapolated that Disney like any other sales-related organization is going to pay attention if a large quantity of customers/subscribers ask for expediency and more thorough communication.

To that end while we likely won't influence the ultimate release date, whether it be October 1st  or 11:59PM on December 31st, a significant number of customer inquiries has the potential to compel Disney to at least make formal announcements earlier rather than later....if that hint matters to anyone  But, I don't know if a 30% participation rate from those who have read this thread amounts to anything significant enough to move the needle, but if any younger social-media savvy types on here could get more participants involved, I'd have to believe it would draw attention as a more popular consumer/subscriber request. Could it expedite a release date? Not likely since "anticipation" is a Disney staple.

But I can't prove that, just speculating.  So, while I agree the USA got screwed by being last in line, again, at least Disney communicates that the series will air here in calendar 2024. And an appeal for better guidance on "when" might prove successful.

As far as WWM, Japan doesn't really react to our demand, or at least that's what several of my hobby shop owner friends always tell me, and why I buy all my DX Chogokin and Yamato on Mandarake and TOM.   Yoyakunow being close third....

[Big s]

32 minutes ago, djivaldi7 said:

so she escalated two layers up and said all she could see was that it's scheduled to happen in 2024.

At least she still has it showing for them that it’s happening this year. That’s more hopeful than a random poster image. The fact that it’s something that shows up on some type of vague schedule that she can even pull up is a far better response than huh? McWhat? 

[Shawn]

Thanks for the update! That is definitely more promising that the standard general response. 

 

[Seto Kaiba]

The whole call might not've been scripted, but you still totally got fobbed off with a scripted non-answer. 😉

They just redirected your inquiry to an automated customer support web form that isn't even for that purpose and isn't monitored by an actual person.

We already knew from Big West's announcement six months ago that the Macross titles are coming to Disney+ this year.  Spamming a subscriber feedback web form with a title they've already licensed and announced release plans for isn't likely to yield any feedback at all never mind change a release date that can only be at most about 3 months out.

[SSK]

On 9/23/2024 at 12:15 AM, djivaldi7 said:

But I can't prove that, just speculating.  So, while I agree the USA got screwed by being last in line, again, at least Disney communicates that the series will air here in calendar 2024. And an appeal for better guidance on "when" might prove successful.

If you mean last in line regarding to English audience, then I totally understand the frustration since the US is the main target in the west. And I bet Big West feel the same.

But on a worldwide range, they've only completed English, Chinese and Korean subtitles. That's a big part of the world without anything, wondering if Disney+ is willing to add more languages and so countries regarding the countless translations it needs.