Cordkillers 288 - Business By Madlibs (w/ Merrill Barr)
AppleTV+ is on the verge of launching and reviews are in! Netflix is bringing back Ghost in the Shell in full CGI. HBO Max is reviving Adventure time for four specials. With special guest Merrill Barr.
This week on Spoilerin' Time: Parasite, Watchmen (102), Mr. Robot (404), The Good Place (405), The Larry Sanders Show (105-106)
Next week: Watchmen (103), Mr. Robot (405), The Good Place (406), The Larry Sanders Show (107-108)
CordKillers: 288 - Business By Madlibs
Recorded: October 28 2019
Guest: Merrill Barr
Intro Video
VICE Investigates
Primary Target
Apple TV app launches on Amazon Fire TV devices
- Apple has launched its Apple TV app on the Fire TV Stick 4K, the Fire TV Stick (2nd Gen), and the Fire TV Basic Edition with more Amazon Fire TV models to come. The Apple TV app on FireOS lets you view your Apple TV and movie purchases including subscribed channels, as well as Apple TV+ content when it launches on November 1. You cannot make purchases through the FireOS version of the Apple TV app. Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty released a note Wednesday projecting Apple's service revenue to grow by 20% next year. Huberty believes Apple TV+ will grow into a $9 billion business by 2025.
Morgan Stanley predicts Apple TV+ to be a $9 billion business
Here's a roundup of all the early Apple TV+ reviews for See, The Morning Show, For All Mankind and more
Apple TV+ launches Friday November 1 for $4.99 a month
How to Watch
AT&T Loses Whopping 1.4 Million TV Customers in Q3, Telco’s Three-Year Plan Appeases Activist Investor
- ATT pledged to make no major acquisitions through 2022. Its expects instead to sell $5 to $10 billion in non-strategic assets in order to pay down debt. ATT CEO Randall Stephenson told analysts Monday that "there are no sacred cows" when asked whether the company would consider selling all or part of DirecTV. DirecTV lost 1.16 million subscribers while ATT TV Now lost 195,000 subscribers for a total for the OTT service of 1.1 million.
WarnerMedia revenue fell 4.4% for the quarter in large part do to a weaker theatrical slate compared to the year before.
Behind AT&T's plan to take on Netflix, Apple and Disney with HBO Max
- AT&T COO John Stankey told Reuters that the upcoming HBO Max streaming service will be free to the 10 million AT&T customers who already subscribe to HBO, including DirecTV and wireless customers. A source told Reuters that WarnerMedia expects HBO Max to reach 80 millions subscribers, 50 million in the US, by 2025. Those sources say Warner will launch a lower-cost ad-supported version of the service in 2021 followed by the addition of live programming. AT&T wants to use HBO Max to retain wireless subscribers and add to valuable data used to sell advertising.
- WarnerMedia is expected to announce HBO Max pricing and details on Oct. 29
HBO Max may get a cheaper, ad-supported tier in 2021
HBO Max Will Be Free to AT&T’s HBO Subscribers
ATT CEO earnigns report
ATT Earnings
What to Watch
‘Star Wars: Rise of the Skywalker’ Final Trailer Brings Back Luke, Leia and Palpatine
- Tickets for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker went on sale Monday along with the release of the final trailer. Atom tickets reported it was the most first hour tickets ever for the service and the second most first day tickets behind Avengers: Endgame. Fandango reported it was the fastest selling of the three Star Wars film in the opening hours. But what did we think of the trailer?
Netflix releases first teaser trailer for Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045
- Netflix released a teaser for its CGI series Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045. The series will be made by Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex's Kenji Kamiyama and Appleseed's Shinji Aramaki. netflix annocuned it will use 3DCG animation which emulates hand-drawn anime. The series will come to Netflix sometime in 2020.
Freddie Prinze Jr. has signed on o the Punky Brewster reboot coming to Peacock. He'll play Punky's ex-husband Travis. He's a working musician described as being a great father with lingering chemistry with Punky.
Apple TV+ adaptation of 'Foundation' will star Jared Harris and Lee Pace
- APPLE TV+'s production based on Isaac Asimov's Foundations series will star Chernoby;s' Jared Harris as ari Seldon and Guardians villain and Pie Man Lee Pace as the Emperor of the Galaxy, Brother Day. Showrunner David Goyer, wrote Terminator: Dark Fate and is working on The Sandman for Netflix.
HBO Max Brings Back ‘Adventure Time’ With Four Specials From Cartoon Network Studios
- HBO Max will bring back Adventure Time with four one-hour specials. Adventure time ended a year ago after ten seasons. The first special, BMO, follows the show's robot, the second focuses on Marceline & Princess Bubblegum, the third tells the story of Peppermint Butler as a wizard school student and the last, called Together Again reunites Finn and Jake.
Eyes On
Brian: Parasite, The Good Place, Mr Robot, Watchmen, The Larry Sanders Show, watched penny play Journey
Tom: High Life (starring Robert Pattinson, directed by Claire Denis)
Merrill: Daybreak
On the Lookout: This Old House on Pluto
Front Lines
Sony Explores Sale of Vue, Signaling Shift on Streaming
- The Information reports that Sony began talks with banks several months ago to explore the sale of its Playstation Vue streaming service, according to sources. The service reportedly has a subscriber base around 500,000 households, and any potential deal would be valued in the tens of millions of dollars. Despite raising prices three times since launching in 2015, Playstation Vue reportedly remains unprofitable for Sony.
Netflix testing variable playback speed on Android
- Android Police notes that some Netflix users on Android have seen an option on the video playback menu to adjust the speed of video to 0.5, 0.75 - so slower -- or 1.25 and 1.5-- so faster. Do we want this? Because Jud Apatow definitely does not want you to have it.
NBCUniversal Chief Steve Burke: Peacock Can Reach “Cruising Altitude” More Quickly Than Subscription Streaming Rivals
- NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke told analysts during an earnings call Thursday that he believes the Peacock streaming service will "get to cruising altitude much more quickly than a subscription service." Peacock will be free with ads and be featured on Comcast and Sky cable TV platforms. He also mentioned NBC will "keep selling to other companies" meaning NBCUniversal productions will continue to appear on other services like Netflix and HBOMax. Peacock is scheduled to launch in April.
Verizon Will Give One Year of Disney Plus for Free to All Unlimited Wireless Customers
- Verizon will give 12 months of Disney+ service to new and existing customers for free when Disney+ launches on November 12. The offer applies to unlimited mobile wireless, 5G Home and FIOS customers. It also became clear this week that some Disney+ Titles may disappear from he service for short periods time due to pre-existing licensing deals with other outlets.
Disney+ downloads will disappear from devices if a title is pulled from the service
Nvidia’s new Shield TV Pro and Shield TV add Dolby Vision and AI 4K upscaling
- Nvidia launched two new Shield TV boxes running Android TV. Both run on faster Tegra X1+ processors, ethernet, micrSD and support Dolby Vision HDR. Nvidia now upscales HD to look closer to 4K. The new Pro version of the Shield TV has twice the storage at 16 GB and 3 GB of RAM vs 2. The pro also comes with two USB 3.0 ports and support for Plex media Server. The Shield TV pro costs $199.99 and the Shield TV sells for $149.99.
Quibi Says It Has Sold Out $150 Million First-Year Ad Inventory
- Quibi announced it has sold out its $150 million in advertising revenue for its first year. Quibi launches in April. Quibi said it booked $100 million in upfront commitments from six advertisers: Procter & Gamble, PepsiCo, ABInBev, Walmart, Progressive and Google. It also has launch partnerships with Discover, General Mills, T-Mobile and Taco Bell. If Quibi fails to deliver on audience guarantees made to upfront advertisers, it will provide make-goods.
Dispatches from the Front
Hey Tom and Brian,
My wife and I chose to go to a local movie theater to see El Camino (studio movie grill, a small chain with dine in and comfy seats). We booked our tickets a week ahead of time, thinking that it wouldn't be busy... We barely got seats for the day and time that we could go. It wasn't a giant theater, also not at capacity, but besides the lower front rows there were few open seats.
Like Tom, I wonder if the new AMC service will join Movies Anywhere. I think it's interesting that AMC struck deals with Lionsgate and Paramount, since these two studios do not participate in Movies Anywhere.
Separately, I wonder if the reduction in average movie ticket price is due in part to the theatres creating clubs and other discount programs.
Yours in cord cutting,
Alan
Links