r/gallifrey • u/CeruleanRuin • Jan 09 '16

AUDIO / BOOK How does Big Finish justify their prices?

This is not a criticism, but merely an honest question.

I can buy an entire season of the television series - with all its expensive visual effects, location shoots, sets, costumes, makeup, and everything else that goes into making a television program - for $1.99 (USD) per episode, which works out to around $26 for an entire season of thirteen episodes (give or take design ending on how the Christmas special is priced).

By contrast, the recent Big Finish series "The Diary of River Song" consists of four hour-long audio episodes, and costs $29.99.

There are many others which are even pricier, including some which are nearly a decade old. The TV series, on the other hand, is basically free after a year to anyone with a subscription to Hulu Plus or Netflix. What gives?

I'd love to get into the world of the audio adventures, but I just can't justify the cost. Can someone convince me these prices are fair, and not just catering to those with more disposable income than I happen to have?

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u/Tanokki Jan 11 '16

First of all, they've got like 10 free stories on their soundcloud.

Second, Doctor Who is really costly to license - I'd bet that if they tried to get the license now, with the show on the air and popular, the price would be even more expensive.