Cordkillers 351 - The Cock and the Mount
Cable CEOs say cable is being priced out. Alamo Drafthouse files bankruptcy and closes a few theaters. The Queen's Gambit will become a...musical? All this and more on Cordkillers! With special guest Grant Davis.
This week on It's Spoilerin' Time: WandaVision (109), Raised by Wolves (103-104), Hannibal (201)
Next week: Assembled: The Making of WandaVision, Raised By Wolves (105-106), Hannibal (202)
CordKillers: 351 - The Cock and the Mount
Recorded: March 8 2021
Guest: Grant Davis
Intro Video
Thunder Force
Primary Target
Charter CEO Tom Rutledge
WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar
- What's the future of TV distribution?
- Nobody knows
- At Morgan Stanley’s annual Technology, Media & Telecom conference, Charter Communications CEO Tom Rutledge said linear packages - aka traditional cable, "is being priced out of the market in many ways and the new streaming and on-demand products really haven’t been successful from a linear perspective yet." In other words the YouTube TVs of the world don't look like a viable alternative to cable.
- Pay TV is used by 65% of the Us according to Moffett Nathanson, down from a peak of 87% in 2009.
- Rutledge thinks Charter can be " a storefront and an aggregator" of streaming services as "The industry will segment into much narrower niches." Recently deals with Disney and NBCUniversal included distribution of Disney+ and Peacock along with carriage of the usual channels.
- At the same conference, WarnerMedia -- and former Hulu-- CEO Jason Kilar was asked about how many services a typical household will subscribe to in the future. Kilar said projecting that is difficult guessing less than seven or six.
How to Watch
Alamo Drafthouse Movie Chain Files For Chapter 11, Selling Assets To Investor Group, Closing Three Theaters
- One of the ways cord cutters like to watch movies is in a movie theater. Not all but some. It's part of the "where you want" aspect of controlling how you watch. Yes, we're like HBO Max's day and date movie release strategy to be a permanent one so we get to choose. By the way Jason Kilar hinted that we'll have to wait and see on that.
- But to watch in theaters you need theaters and COVID has been very hard on theaters. We've been waiting to see how theaters would survive as they continue to find creative ways to keep the lights on throughout 2020 and into this year.
- Now we have our first major bankruptcy.
- Alamo Drafthouse, which the hosts of this show agree is one of the best ways to see a movie, has filed for voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
- This Isn't as bad as it might sound. It's a reorganization that sees the company sell its assets to an investor group that includes one of the founders, Tim League and other original investors. That's a bit of corporate paperwork that brings ins one new money and new investors but keeps a lot of the original folks involved.
- It will keep all but three of its locations open. A location in Kansas City, New Braunfels, Texas and the 6th street Austin location will all close.
What to Watch
‘The Queen’s Gambit’ In Development As Stage Musical
- Entertainment company Level Forward has acquired the rights to turn Walter Tevis's novel; The Queen's Gambit into a broadway musical. Level Forward has previously produced What The Constitution Means To Me, Oklahoma!, and Jagged Little Pill.
Pedro Pascal, Nick Jonas, Rosario Dawson Among Cast of Apple TV Plus’ ‘Calls’
- March 19 Apple TV Plus will launch an adaptation of the Canal Plus series "Calls." The show uses audio and abstract visuals to tell non individual short-form stories through a series of phone calls. In other words you don't see anybody's faces, just wavy lines and such. The series includes performances from Rosario Dawson, Mark Duplass, Karen Gillan, Judy Greer, Nick Jonas, Pedro Pascal and many more.
Peacock Orders New Bill Nye Series ‘The End Is Nye’ Examining Earthly Threats
- Bill Nye will executive produce and hosts. Series called "The End is Nye" for Peacock. Brannon Braga will serve as showrunner and direct the episodes. Each episode will investigate existential threats like volcanoes, asteroids, climate change and chemical warfare.
David Simon, George Pelecanos Set HBO Limited Series About Baltimore Gun Trace Task Force
- David Simon and George Pelecanos are bringing a limited series set in Baltimore to HBO. Yes these are two of the folks who did the Wire. This new limited series is based on the Baltimore Gun Trace Task Force and based not he Book "We Own This City"
Kalinda Vazquez Set By Paramount To Script Original ‘Star Trek’ Movie
- Paramount has hired Kalinda Vazquez to write a script for a new Star Trek movie. Vazquez is named after a character from the original series episode "By Any Other Name" has writen for Star Trek '' Discovery and Co-executive produced Fear the Walking Dead. The script is said to be an original idea from Vazquez.
Fast and Furious 9 got moved again. The new date is just a month later than the previous one. F9 will now supposedly arrive in theaters June 25th.
Ted Lasso' Season 2 Adds Sarah Niles to play Sharon, a sports psychologist. She has recently been in I May Destroy You and Catastrophe.
Apple has ordered a series called Dr. Brain based on a Korean webtoon. It tells the story of a scientist who uses technology to search through memories.
‘The Simpsons’ Renewed for Season 33 and 34 at Fox
- The 700th episode of The Simpsons airs March 21st. And if you were thinking maybe now that they reached this milestone they would finally stop, they won't. Fox has approved two more seasons, insuring 757 episodes by the end of season 34 in 2023.
Netflix to release 41 original Indian shows and movies this year
- Netflix plans to roll out its biggest annual roster of Indian content this year, with 41 Indian films and shows in 2021, three times more than the last two years combined. Netflix previously committed to invest $420 million on locally produced Indian content in 2019 and 2020.
And Kim's Convenience's 5th season will be its last
Eyes On
Grant: Mythic Quest
Brian: Real Steel
Tom: For All Mankind
On the Lookout: Start up
Front Lines
Revamped Google TV app could soon work as a remote control, code suggests
- XDA Developer Editor Mishaal Rahman discovered the Google TV app on Android includes code for a new feature to use the app as a remote control for navigating an Android TV device. In an official announcement Google is adding kids profiles to Google TV in the US this month which lets you choose which apps are available for kids to use. It also will recommend age appropriate shows and let parents set time limits.
Google TV is adding kids profiles this month in the US
Plex now works with the Apple TV app, but not all content is available
- Plex now integrates with the Apple TV app meaning some of what you're watching in Plex will show up in the "Up Next " section and be searchable using Siri. However this only works for Plex's free ad-supported content, not your own library of material.
Sony PlayStation Store Will End Movie, TV Show Purchases and Rentals
- Sony's Playstation Store will no longer offer TV or movie purchases and rentals as of August 3rd. Customers will still be able to access purchased content for playback on PS4 and PS5 consoles, as well as mobile. Sony basically said too few of its customers were using it, favoring other streaming services instead.
Why Yellowstone, Paramount's biggest show, isn't on Paramount Plus
- Paramount Plus launched last week but the biggest hit of the Paramount network cable channel, Yellowstone, isn't available. You have to go to Peacock to watch it. Similarly, South Park is on HBO Max. Why? Apparently ViacomCBS brings shows to where they can make the most money and that is not yet Paramount Plus.
How Did The Billie Eilish Movie Do? In Blurry World Of Streamer Audience Numbers, It’s A Global YA Smash For Apple TV+
- Apple premiered a documentary of singer Billie Eilish called "The World's a Little Blurry" in 100 countries on Apple TV Plus and in theaters. Deadline reports Apple says it Brough 33% new viewers to Apple TV Plus mostly young adults. Half the audience came from outside the US.
BBC Three, Home to ‘Fleabag’ and ‘Normal People,’ to Return as Broadcast Channel in January 2022
- The BBC shut down BBC Three broadcasts in 2016 making it streaming only. BBC Three is targeted at people 16-34. Last Tuesday the BBC confirmed it will bring BBC Three back to broadcast in January 2022 based on research that there are enough people who want it as a broadcast channel after all. It will broadcast as it did before from 7 PM to 4 AM. BBC Three has been the launchpad for worldwide hits like Killing Eve and Fleabag.
Dispatches from the Front
Hi Tom/Bryan/Bryce - I wanted to give you some first-hand information on the India Market which as you know is completely different to the US Market. This is based on some unscientific research based on calls to family and cousins by me who sits here in the US.
- Hotstar is the default that everyone subscribes to.
- Netflix is not that popular and hence the multiple pricing changes and mobile only plans.
- Netflix's struggles are in part due to limited Indian content which limits the market to Urban areas.
- Netflix is investing heavily in Indian content this year. But is keep going for Mature content it will continue to struggle.
- Amazon is a strong second mainly due to it aggressively going for Movie Streaming rights. And it does it for International streaming.
- I am from the South of India and pretty much get every new South Indian movie within the month on Prime and so do my parents in India. During this Pandemic, Amazon has been the lifeline for most film distributors.
- Though this has been more for the South Indian film industry which is smaller and segregated to each state based on the language and doesn't have huge studios like Bollywood.
- Amazon also doesn't have a lot of local series but the movies are more than making up for it.
And a curious note regarding international rights, Game of Thrones is streamed on Hotstar in India.
Thanks,
- Josh
I have no issue with “The Cock”. It is short and easy to associate with Peacock.
“The PP Place” is hardly shorter and harder to associate with Paramount Plus. I think “The Mount” would be a more practice shorthand.
Is that new show on the Cock or the Mount?
- James