Cordkillers 430 - MAXimum Emmys (w/ Brian Dunaway)
Netflix with ads is here and we're seeing the technical silhouette of the project--missing media and incompatible hardware are on the menu so far. Plus, Warner Brothers-Discovery say they'll make a merged app and raise the price soon! All that and more on Cordkillers! With special guest Brian Dunaway ( https://briandunaway.com ).
This week on It's Spoilerin' Time: Twenty Five Twenty One (101), The White Lotus (202), Miami Vice (319, "Red Tape")
Next week: Twenty Five Twenty One (102), The White Lotus (203), Miami Vice (320, "By Hooker By Crook")
Download video http://archive.org/download/cordkillers-ep-430/CordkillersEp430.mp4
Download audio http://archive.org/download/cordkillers-ep-430/CordkillersEp430.mp3
CordKillers: 430 - MAXimum Emmys
Recorded: November 7 2022
Guest: Brian Dunaway
Intro Video
Lady Chatterley's Lover
Primary Target
Netflix’s new cheaper plan with ads doesn’t work on Apple TV at launch
With Netflix’s ads tier, you never know what you’re going to get
Netflix's Cheaper Plan: All the Movies and Shows You Can't Watch
- The streaming TV landscape is beginning to change as the rush to launch news services has ended and the fight to survive the culling by subscribers begins.
- One of Netflix's methods to keep subscribers is to launch Netflix Basic with Ads, a $6.99 a month service, its cheapest, that is supported by commercials. As previously announced, Netflix's ad-supported Basic With Ads tier went live in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Spain, the UK and the US. Netflix's support page notes that the tier isn't available on Apple TV at launch, although it says support is coming soon. Chromecasts prior to Google TV and the Playstation 3 are not supported, and Netflix doesn't list Roku or Xbox consoles as being specifically supported, they're just not listed in the support page. The Verge's Jay Peters took the new service for a spin. Some shows are not available on the ad-supported tier, though they show up in the interface, just with a red padlock button. But Peters was most impressed by the unpredictability of the ad load. While he said he got the 4-5 minutes of ads per hour Netflix estimated he was never certain where they would show up.
- Here's what he said he found. Ads were 15-30 seconds long. You can pause ads but not skip them. Netflix branded shows always had a pre roll ad but varied the mid roll ads, sometimes not having any in the middle sometimes having as many as 3. Some shows, like Community and Seinfeld, had no ads.
Combined HBO Max and Discovery+ streaming service launching earlier than expected
HBO Max Price Will Head Due “North” When It Combines With Discovery+ Next Spring, Warner Discovery Streaming Czar JB Perrette Says; Ad Load On Cheaper Tier Could Also Double
- Meanwhile Warner Brothers Discovery is taking the consolidation route. Its planned combination of HBO Max and Discovery+ is now going to happen this spring instead of int he summer. The two services now have 94.9 million subscribers combined though some of those may have both. It's not clear what the combined service of HBO Max and Discovery+ will look lie or be called but it will cost more. Warner's head of streaming, JB Perette, said prices will head "north." HBO Max is now $14.99 a month or $9.99 with ads and Discovery + is $6.99 a month or $4.99 a month with ads. By comparison Netflix's top tier is $15.49 a month. Warner also plans to launch its own Free ad-supported streaming service or FAST service next year as well.
How to Watch
Get more of your favorite content on YouTube with Primetime Channels
YouTube begins selling streaming subscriptions with its new streaming hub, ‘Primetime Channels’
- Channels like Showtime and Starz have been available as add-ons to other services for awhile now. You can add them to traditional cable-replacement services like Sling TV or Hulu Live or you can add them on to streaming services like Apple TV or Amazon Prime Video.
- YouTube TV - YouTube's cable replacement service-- has offered them as well. But now you can add them to YouTube proper, without having to have a YouTube TV subscription.
- Primetime Channels is available in the US with more than 30 channels that you can add to YouTube. When you add a channel this way, the channels appear on your YouTube Homepage next to your other subscriptions. So the new Star Trek: Picard might show up right next to Daily Tech news Show and CariCakes tour of Incheon. Paid channels will integrate with their free YouTube Channels. As an example, you pay for AMC+ on YouTube yo9u can go from watching the trailer for Interview with a Vampire on AMC's YouTube channel, straight to watching the new series. You'll also see cast interviews and behind-the-scenes videos.
- Among the channels available on Movies and TV shows hub are Showtime, Paramount+. Starz, AMC+, Epic, Shudder, AcornTV, Hallmark Movies Now and more.
What to Watch
James Gunn has been talking about some of his plans for DC
- On Twitter he told fans they are listening to concerns and that "All our initial focus is on the story going forward, hammering out the new DCU, and telling the Biggest Story Ever Told across multiple films, television shows, and animated projects.
HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’ Sets Early 2023 Release Date
- HBO has set January 15th as the premiere date for The Last of Us, based on the video game. “The Last of Us” stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey as Joel and Ellie.
Netflix is making a Gears of War movie and an animated TV series
- Netflix announced Monday that it will be making movies and TV shows in the Gears of War video game universe. A live action feature film will come first followed by an adult animated series, with more stories to follow.
‘Westworld’ Canceled After Four Seasons
- HBO has canceled Westworld, meaning the 4th season will now serve as its final one. Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy had hoped for a fifth season that would return the story to the original Westworld but it was not to be. A source told Variety the show was not canceled over cost-cutting measures.
‘Andor’ Season 2 Sets Filming Start Date, Creator Tony Gilroy Reveals
- Star Wars: Andor series creator Tony Gilroy told Collider that season 2 will begin filming on November 21st. Andor has two seasons planned. The first season covers a year in Cass Andor's life covered in 12 episodes. The second season will have 4 blocks of three episodes each, with each block covering a year, leading up to the events of the movie Rogue One.
Star Wars spinoff The Acolyte adds Lee Jung-jae, Carrie-Anne Moss, and more to cast
- In somewhat related news, Lucasfilm announced more casting for The Acolyte. The Acolyte is run by Russian Doll creator Leslye Headland, and set in the final days of the High Republic. It focuses on a Jedi Master and Padawan investigating sinister crimes. Lucasfilm already announced Amandla Stenberg as part of the cast, in addition to them is Carrie-Anne Moss and Squid Game's Lee Jung-jae.
Eyes On:
Brian D: Mike Judge's Beavis & Butt-Head
Brian: Space: 1969 Audiobook
Tom: Sports. Without a cable subscription.
On the Lookout: Exception
Front Lines
Comcast, Charter Announce Xumo as Name of Their Streaming Joint Venture
- Comcast and Charter have created a joint venture to create a a streaming service that includes streaming devices, content and a platform for content and advertising. The company will be called Xumo, and the existing FAST service opened by Comcast called Xumo will be renamed Xumo Play. Xumo Play will be the anchor app on Xumo's devices as well as remaining available independently. Comcast's Flex streaming box will be renamed Xumo Stream box and Comcast's Class TV line will become Xumo TV.
Paramount Plus sees a price hike in its future
- Paramount reported Paramount+ grew to 46 million subscribers in Q3. It's ad-supported Pluto TV service added 2.4 monthly active users to 72 million, with “strong double-digits year-over-year growth in total viewing hours. Paramount chief financial officer Naveen Chopra said on an earnings call Wednesday that the company sees “opportunities to increase price on Paramount Plus” and that we’ll see it “do that in the future.”
Roku Beats Q3 Estimates, Stock Plummets on Weak Outlook
AMC Expands Roku Deal, Adding 11 Free Streaming Channels to Roku Channel
AMC Networks Tops 11 Million Paid Streaming Subscribers as U.S. Ad Sales Drop 10% in Q3
- Roku added 2.3 million streaming accounts to reach 65.4 million last quarter. Total streaming hours also rose 1.1 billion to 21.9 billion hours in Q3. Revenue was up 12% and the company lost 88 cents a share, less than expected. Roku warned that an advertising slowdown would see revenue fall 7.5% next quarter. AMC Networks is bringing 11 new free, ad-supported TV (FAST) channels to the Roku Channel --- And AMC Networks announced it had 11.1 million paid streaming subscribers across AMC+, Acorn TV, Shudder, Sundance Now, ALLBLK and HIDIVE. It hopes to have 25 million by 2025.
The Hulu + Live TV bundle will cost at least $5 more starting in December
Sling TV Raises Prices by $5 per Month, Citing Rising Programming Costs
- Disney has been raising prices on various versions of the service and its Hulu Live TV cable replacement service is the latest. Starting December 8th The Hulu Live with ads, Disney+ without ads and ESPN+ bundle goes from $70 to $75 a month. For Hulu without ads in that same bundle it's $83 a month. Sling TV is also raising the price of its Orange and Blue packages, each by $5 to $40 a month. Orange is the one with ABC and ESPN, Blue is the one with Fox and NBC.
Netflix renewed The Sandman for a second season.
Marvel's Agatha: Coven of Chaos has added Aubrey Plaza to the cast.
Broadcast Network News Streaming Services Ready For Their Midterm Moments
- CBS News Streaming, NBC News Now, and ABC News Live will all stream US election coverage throughout the day Tuesday and then begin simulcasting with their broadcast networks during prime time.
Jimmy Kimmel will host the 95th Oscars next year. He previously hosted the Oscars in 2017 and 2018.
‘Stranger Things’: Title Of Episode 1 From Fifth & Final Season Revealed
- During Stranger Things day on November 6, Netflix announced the first episode of season 5 of Stranger Things will be called "The Crawl" and be written by series creators the Duffer brothers.
We got a trailer for Avatar: The Way of Water. It comes to theaters December 16th.
Dispatches from the Front
The discussion of the lack of new streaming services has me wondering lately what is the end goal? It seems streaming is far less lucrative than cable, given Paramount was hit hard in the stock market for its questionable future, which I feel could be said of Peacock and others. Cable topped out at around 100 million households and made fortunes with it. I just don't see how that same amount can do the same in streaming seeing the problems HBO Max has being near 100 million subscribers. What will it take for these services to find profitability? It's going to have to be answered soon seeing as cable households are dropping fast.
- Anthony
I recently had a re-up for Disney+ and for HBOMax.
They both offered discounts "if you subscribe for a year."
I felt D+ offered ME more value for the year's sub than DiscoveryHoBOMax. So, yeah, shop with your wallet -- monthly OR annually. :)
Later!
- Michael
I was utterly delighted by "Weird: The Al Yankovic Story". Watched it last night with my son and it was hilarious, self-referential, and actually really well done. Lots of cameos and parodies of a wide variety of genres. If you're even a slight Weird Al fan, you should love this. Watch it with someone else who is a fan and it's even more fun.
And stay all the way till the very end till you see the roku logo.
The Roku ads were annoying because I'm not used to them, but they were not too numerous.
It may also be in theaters.
4.9/5 Weirdly shaped stars
I'll probably watch this one again within the next month.
- Matt
Links
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