Cordkillers 160 - Leg-Numbing Content (w/ Owen J.J. Stone)

People have broadcast but not TVs, YouTube has a TV service, and Amazon pilot season is back. With special guest Owen JJ Stone (https://iqmz.com)

CordKillers: Ep. 160 - Leg-Numbing Content
Recorded: March 6 2017
Guest: Owen J.J. Stone

Intro Video


Primary Target

  • Broadcast growing in the era of cord-cutting
    - Nielsen universe estimates
    - Median cable network lost 2.3% of subscribers
    - Broadcast universe grew about 1.7 percent yoy
    - Rating still declined across the board
    - CMT fell 9.8%, Spike (the future Paramount network) fell 7.2%, ESPN and ESPN2 dropped 3.6%
    - Bucking the trend Sundance up 10.5% FXX up 7.5%
  • Americans have fewer TVs on average than they did in 2009
    - The US Energy Information Agency survey
    - 2009, average household 2.6 TVs, 2015 2.3
    -  Periodics survey. 5600 respondents in person
    - Percentage without TVs now 2.6 % after years steady at 1.2-1.3%.
    - Number of TVs per household falling too


How to Watch

  • YouTube launches its own streaming TV service
    - YouTube announced YouTube TV that combines live content from broadcast and cable networks with all other YouTube content. Networks from ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC, are included along with local broadcast channels. Programming from Turner, Viacom, AMC, Discovery and A&E is not. It will be available on all platforms where YouTube currently exists and have unlimited cloud DVR storage. The product is separate from YouTube Red but will contain all of YouTube Red’s original programming. YouTube TV arrives this spring starting at $35 a month for up to six users at a time.


What to Watch

  • Amazon's spring Pilot Season debuts five new shows on March 17th
    - Amazon will release five new pilot TV shows March 17. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, written and directed by Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino, is about a 1958 housewife trying to make it as a Greenwich Village comedian with Rachel Brosnahan from House of Cards and Tony Shaloub as her father. Oasis is based on Michael Faber’s The Book of Strange New Things. Game of Thrones’ Richard Madden travels to a distant planet to establish a colony. The other three are half hour comedies. The Legend of Master Legends about a Las Vegas street hero, Budding Prospects about city boys growing pot in rural northern california and The New VIPS an animated comedy about low-level employees getting control of their company after accidentally killing their boss.
  • CNN’s streaming service opens to cord cutters, adds original programming
    - CNN is introducing an expanded lineup of original shows to the CNNgo streaming platform available without a cable subscription. The first of the new series is Mostly Human with Laurie Segall about people’s relationship with technology, premiering March 12.
  • Netflix is releasing a stand-up comedy special each week for the rest of 2017
    - Netflix plans to release a comedy special every week for the rest of the year. Netflix has deals with Dave Chappelle, Louis CK, Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, and Amy Schumer. Dave Chapelle has two specials vault coming to Netflix March 21st. One from Austin in 2015 and one from last March in Hollywood.
  • Netflix's New Series Dark Looks Like the Scarier German Version of Stranger Things
    - “A missing child sets four families on a frantic hunt for answers. Their search for a culprit unearths a small town’s sins and secrets.” That’s Netflix’s new German series Dark coming this winter.
  • Watch the teaser for Netflix’s next prestige film War Machine
    - War Machine, starring Brad Pitt as General Glenn McMahon, is a comedy set in the war in Afghanistan. based on the 2012 bestseller The Operators, about retired General Stanley McChrystal. It comes out May 26th.
  • Iyaz Netpicks


What We're Watching


Front Lines


Dispatches from the Front

Tom & Brian,

I appreciate the plug for Apple TV but is the latest Apple TV 4 worth 5 times as much as a Roku Express or 3 times more that Fire TV stick? Just curious your thoughts on price vs features/benefits.

Very Respectfully,
- Gregory

 

 

 

Hey Brian and Tom
My husband and I were talking about why Apple hasn’t come out with a 4K Apple TV yet. He was wondering why it was taking them so long to get 4K capable hardware. I brought up a point that I wanted to share with you guys that I don’t think has come up much when people talk about a 4K Apple TV, content. The main reason the Apple TV exists, at all, is as a platform to sell and consume iTunes media. Everything else it does is just to get the box in your house. So I argue, Apple isn’t going to put out 4K hardware until they have 4K movies/TV shows available in the iTunes Store.

So the real question is not, why doesn’t their box do 4K, but rather why don’t they offer 4K content? Im sure they can easily get 4K version of many movies and TV shows form the studios, plus I’m betting Car Pool Karaoke and ::cringe:: Planet of the Apps will be shot in 4K. The only reason I can think of is they don’t have a smooth way to stream it to the customer yet. As we all know web services are not Apple’s strong suit. So maybe they are waiting until they develop a better delivery method and thus better user experience (Apple’s strong suit) before rolling out 4K. In true Apple fashion I believe they will both be announced at the same time in a keynote.

Thats just my thoughts, figured I would throw it out there for you guys to discus.

Keep up the great work, love the show.
- Chip from Boston

 

 

 

 Just watched CK 158. You were discussing digital personnas of screen actors (Humphrey Bogart, Rob Lowe etc).

I was immediately reminded of the farcical and magical SF film "The Congress" (2013). It starred actress Robin Wright (House of Cards etc) as *HERSELF* and being offered the opportunity of being full-body digitized by a major motion picture studio. She agrees and the plot thickens...

Check out the Wikipedia description [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Congress_%282013_film%29] or -- better still -- watch it! It's great!

- Michael

 

 

 

 Hi Brian and Tom,
I just wanted to share my recent "chicken challenge" experience with Direct TV. I was on a plan that was costing me $115/month. I found that I could get the exact same programming through DirecTV Now for only $35. Unfortunately, it doesn't work with Roku and that is our preferred streaming device. I set up a free trial of Playstation Vue and my family was ready to cut the cord. When I called to cancel, I told the representative that I love the service and would stay if they could reduce my bill to around $50. The rep said she could only give me a $10/month credit for the next year. I thanked her for the service and canceled. I was given the instructions for returning the equipment and told I would have to pay around $120 for canceling 6 months early. I agreed as I knew I would save way more over those next 6 months. The next day, I had two representatives calling me to get me back. I ended up getting to keep the two boxes with DVR at no additional cost and I have the same programming minus the Cooking Channel for $53/month. I don't understand why I had to completely cancel just to get my bill cut in half, but I wouldn't have had the courage to do so without the information provided by your fine program. Thank you for what you do.
Very respectfully from swarthy Fort Gordon, GA
- Jeramie

 

 

I'm your boss but not a bossy boss, I just want to say you kids are doing a great job keep it up!!!
PS I know your backed up with TPS reports and all but please try to find the time to fix the copier (watch "Patriot" on Amazon)

- Mike
 


Links

2016 Winter Movie Draft
patreon.com/cordkillers
 

Tom MerrittComment