Cordkillers 445 - It's All Timeshares on the Moon
Does HBO have the last great timeslot or is Sunday night on the outs? Plus, WBD announces Discovery+ is too good to only bundle and more Lord of the Rings films are on the way. All that and more on Cordkillers!
This week on It's Spoilerin' Time: The Last of Us (107), Twenty-Five Twenty-One (116), Picard (302)
Next week: The Last of Us (108), The Mandalorian (301), Picard (303)
Download video http://archive.org/download/cordkillers-ep-445/CordkillersEp445.mp4
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CordKillers: 445 - It's All Timeshares on the Moon
Recorded: February 27 2023
Guest: None
Intro Video
Am I Being Unreasonable?
Primary Target
The Last of Us Signals the End of an Era
- Wired has a story by Angela Watercutter called "The Last of Us Signals the End of an Era
- As HBO Max morphs into a new streaming service, the show feels like the final salvo for a particular kind of viewing experience."
- She writes "it stands to be one of the last, if not the last, breakout show to premiere before HBO Max—the streaming service where most people watch the series
- Merges with content from Discovery+" Well the merger is already happening but I assume Watercutter means before the big relaunch.
- But I think she's on to something. Timed release watching is rare even with shows like Picard or Poker Face that come out weekly and have large followings. The Sunday Night HBO release has a certain early century vibe to it that the other drops don't. Part of it is HBO's insistence on dropping the episodes at the same time they premier on linear, 9 PM Eastern. Other streaming shows usually arrive at midnight on their release day, leaving viewers to watch throughout the day on their own schedule. More people watch Sunday HBO shows within the hour after it drops.
- Should HBO keep that? Or is it a habit of a bygone age valued only for nostalgic reasons?
How to Watch
Discovery+ Economics Justify Continuing It As A Stand-Alone Streamer After Launch Of Merged HBO Max Offering, WBD CEO David Zaslav Says: “Why Would We Shut That Off?”
- Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav confirmed that it will continue to offer Discovery+ separately from HBO Max while adding Discovery+ content TO HBO Max. Zaslav said the decision was made because Discovery+ makes money. He said, "Our strategy is: ‘No sub left behind.’ We have profitable subscribers that are very happy with the product offering of Discovery+ Plus. Why would we shut that off?” He also noted that Discovery+ is viewed passively for several hours a day while HBO Max is watched in the evenings by families. Updates on what will happen with HBO Max will come at an April 12 press event.
House of the Dragon’ Likely to Return Summer 2024 — Plus, HBO Boss on ‘Succession’ Spin-Off Odds and Killing ‘True Blood’ Reboot
- HBO's Casey Bloys confirmed that House of the Dragon will return sometime in 2024. Bloys specifically said it was a good guess it will not qualify for the 2024 Emmy awards which would mean summer 2024 or later. When asked if there would be other Game of Thrones spinoffs, Bloys said "There’s probably a natural limit to how many fans want, but I’m open to any as long as we feel really good about the scripts and the prospects for a series.” Bloys also poured cold water on the idea of sequels or spin offs for other franchises like Succession. And he noted that comedy budgets have got too high and he expects to see contraction there.
And Succession creator Jesse Armstrong told The New Yorker that Succession will come to an end after its fourth season, which begins March 26th.
-Warner Bros. Discovery continues to lose money despite success of ‘The Last of Us’ and ‘Hogwarts Legacy’
- Discovery+ costing $5 and $7 a month and HBO Max currently at $10 and $16.
-The company insists it is ahead of its own projections for the profitability and reach of its streaming portfolio by 2025.
- Streaming segment increased by 6% in revenue at $2.45 billion, beating Wall Street forecasts]]
- Failed to beat subscriber estimates, adding just 1.1 million subs across HBO, HBO Max and Discovery+, versus a predicted 1.6 million net additions, bringing the new total to 96.1 million.
What to Watch
New ‘Lord of the Rings’ Movies Set at Warner Bros.
- In the next few years you may be watching new Lord of the Rings movies from New Line Cinema. Studio leaders Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy have brokered a deal to make “multiple” films. Peter Jackson and his “Lord of the Rings” co-producers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens said Warner Bros. and Embracer “have kept us in the loop every step of the way. The two said in a stamens, “We look forward to speaking with them further to hear their vision for the franchise moving forward.” Variety notes that De Luca and Abdy left MGM last year after Amazon acquired it. Amazon of course is making LoTR TV shows.
The Morning After: ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ and the problem with too much VFX
After ‘Ant-Man 3’s’ Second Weekend Box Office Collapse, Should Marvel Get Concerned?
- Matt Smith at Engadget writes that " Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania suffers from too many special effects, sadly." It was shot on ILM's StageCraft set, the virtual sets used in the Mandalorian as well. They're massive LED walls that synchronize footage with the actors so they can shoot in the landscapes added by VFX. Burt are we getting too used to this? Do we see the wires now? Or did Ant Man just rely on it too much since they were in the "Quantum Realm?" (Ant Man and the Wasp:Quantumania's ticket sales dropped 69% in its second weekend, the biggest second weekend drop of any of the Ant man movies.)
Warner Bros. Discovery sues Paramount in South Park streaming fight
- Warner Brothers is suing Paramount because even though Warner got to put all the episodes of South Park on HBO Max, Paramount made South Park ``specials" that were only available for streaming on Paramount Plus.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Is Back in Action, and His First TV Series, in Netflix’s ‘Fubar’ Trailer
- Netflix released a trailer for Fubar, starring Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as a father who discovers his daughter has been hiding that she is a CIA operative. He has been hiding that he is a CIA operative form his daughter as well. The 8-episode series arrives May 25th.
‘Ted Lasso’ Season 3 Drops First Full Trailer
- Ted Lasso dropped a full trailer in advance of the return of the show on March 15th. Rather than rehash what we keep saying every time there's a new trailer running up to the show, let's each pick 3 words to describe our reaction to this trailer.
Eyes On:
Brian: Modern Rogue
Tom: Taxi Driver season 2
On the Lookout: Hello Tomorrow!
Front Lines
Amazon just made it easier for people with hearing loss to stream content
Amazon hamstrings free app that makes Fire TV remotes reprogrammable
- Amazon partnered with Cochlear to launch a new app letting Fire TV devices stream over Bluetooth to a cochlear implant, including any apps supported by the platform. Amazon says this will provide a “dramatically cleaner, clearer signal,” than audio from speakers. Amazon does not want you reprogramming the Fire TV remote's buttons. A software update for the Fire TV Stick 4K Max, blocks the functionality of "remapper", a free program that let you change what the launcher buttons like Netflix and Hulu do. AFTVnews' Elias Saba who created the app expected it to be blocked soon on other remotes and doesn't expect to find a new workaround.
Apple takes another step toward ads on TV Plus
- The Information reports that Apple has hired advertising executive Lauren Fry to build a video ad business for Apple TV Plus. The Verge says this sounds separate from the ad business being created around MLB and MLS streams.
It Is ‘Everything’ Everywhere This Weekend, But Oscar Race Is Shaken In More Ways Than One
- The Academy Awards are happening in two weeks so everyone is looking at all the other award shows, like the SAG awards and producer's guild for clues as to who academy members might be voting for. Everything Everywhere All at Once is sweeping everything which seems to make it a lock. Except for the fact that All Quiet on the Western Front isn't competing for awards in all eh same contests. But one that did compete in the BAFTA's it swept. And on Oscar night, the two films are only in direct competition for Original Music Score and Best Picture. So there won't be any real way to tell how they're doing against each other until the end.
Netflix Cuts Subscription Prices in Over 30 Countries
- The Wall Street Journal reports Netflix cut subscription costs in more than 36 countries in recent weeks, across the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, and Latin America. In some countries, subscription prices dropped up to 50%. This comes as Netflix rolls out restrictions on sharing accounts between households in some regions.
‘Animal Control‘ Becomes Fox’s Most-Streamed Scripted Debut in Delayed Viewing
‘Hacks’ Pauses Season 3 Production as Jean Smart Recovers From Heart Procedure
Google TV Updates User Interface, Adds Navigation Features
Golden Globes Set 2024 Date With No Broadcast Partner Yet
FuboTV Ends 2022 With 1.4M North American Subscribers, Passes $1B In Yearly Revenue; Company Announces $68M In New Fundraising As Investors Blitz Stock
‘Jeopardy!’: Stephen Fry To Host Rebooted ITV Version Of U.S. Classic
Netflix Teams With Pokémon On Stop-Motion Animated Series
Netflix’s live Chris Rock special will have celebrity-packed pre- and post-shows
- Merrill Barr recommended Fox's comedy "Animal Control" last week and after its premiere Feb.16 it now has become Fox's most streamed scripted debut.
- Production on season 3 of Hacks paused as star Jean Smart recovers from a successful heart procedure.
- Google TV changed its interface Thursday, with four new content pages under the apps row in the "For You Tab". Those pages are Movies, Shows, Family and Espanol. These changes will be available on Chromecast with Google TV and other Google TV devices.
- The 81st annual Golden Globes awards will be held Sunday January 7th next year but we don't know where they will be televised.
- The FuboTV streaming service ended 2022 with 1.4 million subscribers and one billion dollars in yearly revenue.
- Stephen Fry will host a 20-part run of Jeopardy in the UK for ITV.
- Netflix and The Pokemon company released a trailer for a stop-motion animated series called Pokemon Concierge, coming soon.
- Chris Rock's live Netflix special "Selective Outrage" is Saturday at 10 PM eastern. Comedian Ronny Chieng will host a reshow at 9:30 PM and David Spade and Dana Carvey will host The Show After the Show, featuring appearances by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, J.B. Smoove, and Arsenio Hall. Guests will include guests like Leslie Jones, Amy Schumer, Cedric the Entertainer, Jerry Seinfeld, Kevin Hart, Matthew McConaughey, Paul McCartney, Sarah Silverman, Wanda Sykes, and Ice-T.
Dispatches from the front
Hi Guys,
I have a question on how using gift cards works w/ subscriptions. Some workplaces have a reward system as a benefit. Basically, if someone did something above and beyond, they might get ""points, "" which can be used for purchasing things from gift cards to luggage to an iPad. My husband has an anniversary coming up, which normally would mean a dump of points. So we'd like to get an Apple gift card and use it to get an Apple TV subscription for the year, or a google play card and sign up for HBO & Hulu for the year.
Do guys know of any issues with gift cards being used for subscriptions? I know Amazon does not let you use a gift card to subscribe to their channels. You can rent or buy movies/tv shows but not subscribe to channels. I am just hoping google and apple don't have that same issue.
Thanks
- Nicky
What you can buy with your Apple Gift Card or Apple Account balance
What Can I Use My Google Play Gift Card For?
Hi Cordkillers,
I'll be honest about the whole account-sharing thing. I believe a company should only scale pricing over how many profiles and simultaneous streams. Maybe not counting profiles age locked to 13 and under might be a thing but I don't like a company deciding who my family/household is. Four people is four people no matter how spread out they are.
Instead, they should just be encouraging easy profile transfers and making campaigns on that.
Is your kid going to college? Buy them a year subscription for whatever discounted price. Have the price locked at a lower rate for 2 or 4 years (college) and make it ""cool"" for them to roll off the plan. (this way parents can't see what the 'kid' is watching).
Couples getting engaged/married or moving in together. Get them a year subscription and have it really easy for them to roll their profiles together. Netflix should be making this about you wanting to 'gain independence"" or some such not ""cracking down"" on password sharing.
Well what will be will be..
Keep killing those cords.
- Nicky M.
Maybe I've missed something obvious but I keep waiting for someone to bring up the issue of people who leave their home for entire seasons. Many people who live in the Northern parts of the country move South for the coldest winter months, often keeping a second residence just for that purpose. They are certainly not making it to their primary home network every 30 days. Is there anything in our current understanding of the possible Netflix rule that explains how they would handle that circumstance?
Thanks,
- Dan
Tom and Brian,
With Netflix rolling out account sharing restrictions such as the 30-day check-in for roaming devices, I wanted to share a potential workaround. By connecting your roaming devices to your home network through a personal VPN, your device will always route traffic through your home network's IP address. Netflix servers should always think it is at home.
I have my iphone and laptop set up with Wireguard to my home server so these devices tunnel all traffic through my home's internet connection. This is primarily for security purposes, but would likely solve the issue for Netflix access during extended periods of time.
I looked at Netflix's terms of service and this shouldn't violate anything, so long as you remain in the same country. Using this solution outside of your home network's country is potentially a gray area.
Love the show!
Thank you,
- Tyler
Hi Team - I wanted to share my feedback based on the use of the new MoviePass.
I used MoviePass to watch Ant-Man Last week and it was pretty seamless. Below is the process for a Regal next to me.
1. Check in on the App to select which movie you want to watch. (You can only do this when you are close to the theatre.
2. Once Checked in Walk in and buy your ticket and pay with the Moviepass card.
It was pretty straightforward and worked well. Since it was a Friday at 6:30 showing it cost 30 credits. But most days for my theater a movie costs about 10 credits. So that’s about 3 movies a month for $10 which is a good deal if you ask me.
Thanks,
- Josh
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