Cordkillers 340 - That Piece of Sh...ow (w/ Iyaz Akhtar)
WarnerMedia shocked the world by announcing their 2021 films are going to HBO Max same-day as theaters. Discovery's new streaming service seems meek, but could have a ton of background content. YouTube is streaming 19 James Bond films for free?! All this and more on Cordkillers! With special guest Iyaz Akhtar.
CordKillers: 340 - That Piece of Sh...ow
Recorded: December 7 2020
Guest: Iyaz Akhtar
Intro Video
Queen of England Full Take - Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun
Primary Target
Warner Bros. to Debut Entire 2021 Film Slate, Including ‘Dune’ and ‘Matrix 4,’ Both on HBO Max and In Theaters
Warner Bros Sets Entire 2021 Movie Slate To Debut On HBO Max Along With Cinemas In Seismic Windows Model Shakeup
HBO Max kills 1-week free trial before Wonder Woman 1984 hits Dec. 25
- The 90-day window is not looking like it will survive the pandemic.
- WarnerMedia announced Thursday that its entire slate of movies in 2021 will debut on HBO Max in 4K HDR at the same time they appear in theaters.
- That means Dune, Suicide Squad, The Matrix 4, Godzilla vs. kong, the whole slate.
- Each movie will be available on HBO Max for a month. Theaters like AMC will run the movies as well and may continue to run them after the 30 days.
- Coincidentally, HBO Max just stopped offering a 7-day free trial. And don't forget that HBO Max is not yet operating on Roku but executive vice president and general manager of WarnerMedia's direct-to-consumer products Andy Forssell said in an interview Thursday that they will get a deal done.
- WarnerMedia had already decided to do a simultaneous theater and HBO max release with one movie, Wonder Woman: 1984. But in that case theaters were given larger cut of ticket sales. Variety reports that won't be the case with the 2021 movies.
- Chair and CEO of WarnerMedia Studios, Ann Sarnoff, said, "most theaters in the U.S. will likely operate at reduced capacity throughout 2021. With this unique one-year plan, we can support our partners in exhibition with a steady pipeline of world-class films, while also giving moviegoers who may not have access to theaters or aren’t quite ready to go back to the movies the chance to see our amazing 2021 films.
- Chief Operating Officer, Warner Bros. Pictures Group Carolyn Blackwood said, “We don’t think we’re changing the economics of these movies any more than the pandemic has. "
AMC Theatres boss criticizes Warner Bros. for HBO Max 2021 release plans
Regal Cinemas Owner Cineworld Hopes For Amicable Agreement After Warner Bros.’ HBO Max Shocker
AT&T Boss John Stankey Says Movie Theaters Will Always “Have A Role In Society”, But Streaming “Horse Left The Barn”
HBO Max exec on Roku deal: 'We'll get it done'
AMC Opposes Warner Bros.’ Plan to Stream 2021 Theatrical Releases Immediately
AMC Theatres boss criticizes Warner Bros. for HBO Max 2021 release plans
Bart & Fleming: While WGA, CAA & WME Fight In Court, Streamers Rewrite Movie Paydays; Will Legendary Challenge WarnerMedia Over ‘Dune’ & Godzilla Vs. Kong’ HBO Max Move?
‘Dune’ Producer Legendary Entertainment May Sue Warner Bros. Over HBO Max Deal
- Apparently Warner did all this without consulting anyone. AMC CEO Adam Aron said in response to the announcement that "Warner Media intends to sacrifice a considerable portion of the profitability of its movie studio division... to subsidize its HBO Max startup," and "we will do all in our power to ensure that Warner does not do so at our expense." Regal Theater's owner Cineworld released a statement saying it plans to reopen cinemas in Q1 and believes "WB will look to reach an agreement about the proper window and terms that will work for both sides."
- Meanwhile, in an interview with the Washington Post, AT&T CEO John Stankey said this could be a "lifeline" for theaters. He pointed out that once people go back to theaters you may see all the studios release a bunch of movies at once creating a bubble where the movies don't make as much as they would be expected to otherwise. And Stankey added that the company realized “we’re going to have some really good content here that’s spoiling and can be used for other purposes.”
- And Mike Fleming from Deadline said "Legendary had no advance notice before last week’s announcement that both Dune and Godzilla Vs. Kong were part of the HBO Max plan." Variety reports Legendary is considring legal moves.
- Oh and... Disney's Investor Day is December 10....
How to Watch
Discovery to launch streaming service in January starting at $4.99 per month, Verizon customers get year free
Discovery Says New Streaming Service Can Rival Netflix, Disney+ In Unscripted; Aims For “Tens Of Millions” Of Subscribers
Discovery+ Unveils Original Content Slate Including ‘90 Day Fiancé’ Spinoff & Series From Kevin Hart, David Schwimmer, Martha Stewart & Michael Urie
Discovery+ starts streaming in the US on January 4th for $5 per month
- Discovery will launch its streaming service Discovery+ in the US on Jan. 4, 2021, with a $4.99 per month ad-supported tier and a $6.99 per month ad-free tier. Discovery is partnering with Verizon , Sky and Telecomn Italia to give subscribers access with their existing subscriptions. Discovery says it will have 5.2 million subscribers at launch. Discovery owns the Discovery Channel, HGTV and Food Network and will partner with A&E to also offer its networks including the History Channel and Lifetime. The service expects to offer 55,000 episodes from 2,500 shows in the US.
- Reportedly Discovery brings in about $7 per subscriber between affiliate fees and advertising but expects Discovery Plus to bring in $7-$9 per subscriber.
- Discovery+ will have content exclusive to the service including David Schwimmer-narrated wildlife series Mysterious Planet, a 90 Day Fiancé spinoff and a competition show on topiary with Michael Urie and Martha Stewart.
- No word on what platforms it will launch apps on.
What to Watch
YouTube is streaming the first 19 James Bond movies for free
- YouTube is streaming the first 19 James Bond movies for free in the US, in partnership with MGM. The movies cover all the Bonds from Sean Connery to Pierce Brosnan, but no Daniel Craig fare since Sony makes those.
New Wonder Woman 1984 trailer shows Diana getting cozy with Steve Trevor
-A new trailer is out for Wonder Woman: 1984 focusing on Diana's relationships with her family and Steve Trevor. Warner Media also announced last week that Wonder Woman: 1984 will be the first movie to stream in 4K 60 frames per second on HBO Max when it premieres December 25.
Exterminate! BBC drops trailer for Revolution of the Daleks special
- The BBC released a trailer for the Doctor Who holiday special "Revolution of the Daleks" schedule to air New Year's Day. The episode will feature Captain Jack Harkness and will mark the final appearance of the Doctor's current group of three companions.
Black Mirror creators announce 'Death to 2020' Netflix comedy special
- Netflix released a teaser for a comedy event called "Death to 2020" from the makers of Black Mirror. All we know is it will feature Samuel Jackson, Hugh Grant, Lisa Kudrow, Kumail Nanjiani, Tracey Ullman, Samson Kayo, Leslie Jones, Diane Morgna, Cristin Milioti and Joe Keery and it's coming soon.
‘The Mandalorian’ Retains Third Place in Nielsen’s Streaming Top 10, ‘Great British Baking Show’ Rises
- Nielsen is publishing weekly rankings of streaming series based on the amount of minutes consumers stream of a show during the week. Nielsen covers Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu and Disney Plus. The ratings announced last Thursday had The Queen's Gambit at number one followed by The Office (on Netflix) The Mandalorian, Schitt's Creek (on Netflix) and Criminal Minds on Netflix.
Eyes On
Iyaz: Doom Patrol
Brian: Community, Fletch
Tom: The Flight Attendant
On the Lookout: Happiest Season
Front Lines
HBO Max creator might roll out two more streaming services
- The Information's sources say Warner Media is discussing launching two new streaming service. A paid CNN service would feature deep-dive original series and international content to launch in 2021. A free ad-supported stream would offer entertainment content from TBS and TNT aimed for 2022.
‘The Crown’: Netflix Has “No Plans” To Add A Disclaimer, Says Its Members Understand “It’s A Work Of Fiction”
- UK Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden wrote a letter to Netflix asking for a disclaimer before The Crown to make it clear it is a fictionalized account. Netflix has declined the request. In statement to Deadline, Netflix said “We have always presented The Crown as a drama – and we have every confidence our members understand it’s a work of fiction that’s broadly based on historical events.”
Hulu officially launches its co-viewing feature, Watch Party
- Hulu released its co-watching Watch Party feature to all subscribers, whether on ad-supported or commercial free tiers. Clicking on the Watch party Icon when viewing an on-demand show in Hulu will give you a link that can be shared to watch the program together with up to 7 other Hulu subscribers. Watch Party includes an integrated chat. The feature was originally released as a test for Commercial Free subscribers in May.
- If you pause, it won't pause the movie for others and when you return you can either choose to stay behind or click to catch up and get back in sync.
- Amazon, Twitch, HBO, Plex, Instagram and Facebook all launched co-watching features this year and third parties offer co-watching for Netflix and other services.
Amazon adds webcam support to the Fire TV Cube
- Amazon Fire TV Cube can be used with a Webcam for video chats. You'll have to find a supported webcam and plug it into the micro-USB port, meaning you'll also need an adapter. Calls can be made to the Echo Show or any phone or tablet with the Alexa app running. Fire TV will also be able to answer spoken questions about unrelated things like the weather, without interrupting video playback, by showing the answer in a small overlay not the screen. And Amazon Fire TV's news app is getting content from 12 local US TV stations with another 90 to be added next year.
Amazon Fire TV Adds Local News In 12 U.S. Cities, With 90 More Coming In 2021
CBS All Access Joins Comcast Xfinity X1 Lineup In First-Of-Its-Kind Pay-TV Integration
- Comcast will offer CBS All Access as part of its Xfinity X1 Pay TV offering. X1 already offers access to Hulu, Spotify, Peacock, Netflix, Prime Video and YouTube. Essentially Comcast adds the cost fo the service to your cable TV bill so you pay just one bill.
Dispatches from the Front
Hi Tom, just following up on my email from last week.
I have gone to a few Fathom Events presentations of bands, Broadway shows, opera ect. However when Fathom events do it they are in theaters without the premium sound system and or they are not sound mixed to take advantage of the surround sound, All of the Fathom events productions I have gone to were very disappointing. The sound was lackluster at best. I would eagerly pay a premium price for a concert presentation done right.
- Cliff
Now it's cheaper to go to the theater than stay at home I think.
Long time writing first time listening. My wife has been wanting to watch Mulan the whole year but I scoffed (scoff I say!) at paying an additional $30 for a movie on a service I've already paid for.
Now over the past couple of months my family has started a Family Movie Night tradition where we watch a movie none of us have seen, it breaks the monotony and gets the kids excited. The first movie was Over the Moon on Netflix and we did the popcorn, nachos, hot dogs, etc. from our own supplies. It was a big hit and everyone enjoyed the experience (movie wasn't that bad either). Over the past couple months we've started ordering out for food like pizza or McDonald's for movie night.
With Mulan now being added to Disney+'s regular catalogue my wife has proposed we order Red Lobster ($100+). Now I think the movie theater experience might be a cheaper option. I'm hoping this is a one off situation but am curious if anyone else is having similar situations and think it's cheaper to go to the theater now.
Thank you for the show! Would give a contribution but I guess we're having Red Lobster tonight for Family Movie Night if I want to stay off the couch.
- Zeke
@acedtect I assume there'll be an episode of spoilerin time on this, yes?
Lifetime @lifetimetv
Mark your calendars because Lifetime and @kfc have partnered for a Lifetime Original Mini-Movie you don't want to miss! "A Recipe For Seduction" starring @mariolopezviva premieres Sunday at 12PM.
- Akylle
Links
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