Cordkillers 577: Paywalls and Pathways
Plex finally starts enforcing its remote-access paywall, and a wave of new series orders, remasters, and licensing plays reshapes the week in streaming. Meanwhile, Warner Bros. Discovery’s sale process gets messy as bids heat up.
This week on The FULL Experience: Taxi (403 - "Vienna Awaits")
Next week: Taxi (524 - "Simka's Monthlies")
YouTube: https://youtu.be/_u4ZnB7n2iU
Supply Run
Plex begins enforcing its remote-access rules, requiring either a Plex Pass subscription or a $2 Remote Watch Pass for guests, starting first on Roku and expanding to all major platforms in 2026.
Search Party
(Shows and Channels – What to Watch)
FX orders a Far Cry TV adaptation, with Noah Hawley and Rob Mac attached; Mac will also star.
HBO Max’s new 4K Mad Men accidentally includes a visible crew member in Season 1 Episode 7 due to receiving the wrong cut from Lionsgate.
Amazon makes Fallout Season 1 free on Samsung TV Plus from Dec. 3–25.
NBC News launching an ad-free subscription streaming service, consolidating shows, podcasts, and live feeds with a mobile-first design.
Netflix expands theatrical screenings of the Stranger Things finale, adding 150 locations nationwide starting Dec. 31.
Amazon’s God of War series gets a two-season order, with Frederick E.O. Toye directing the first episodes.
Netflix releases new one-hour fireplace videos inspired by KPop Demon Hunters, Stranger Things, and Wednesday.
AMC adds live pro wrestling, picking up Thursday Night Impact! beginning Jan. 15.
Culinary Class Wars Season 2 arrives Dec. 16 with a new trailer.
Disney’s Zootopia 2 hits $556M worldwide, boosted heavily by China’s box office.
Netflix teams with Gary Lineker for a World Cup edition of The Rest Is Football.
Buried Treasure
Brian: ARC Raiders
Tom: Stranger Things (Season 5 – Netflix)
Scanning the Horizon
WBD requests new acquisition bids, receiving fresh (and contentious) offers from Comcast, Netflix, and Paramount.
Netflix ends Cast support for most devices, working only on older Chromecasts and TVs with built-in cast functionality.
Amazon adds AI scene-jumping to Fire TV, letting you describe a moment in a movie to skip straight there.
Prime Video removes some AI-generated anime dubs after user complaints, though others remain available.
HBO Max expands to six more European markets on Jan. 13.
YouTube introduces a yearly recap for your watched videos.
Chatter
Listener comments this week include:
A glowing review of Thelma (2024) from Sean Finnerty
A Thanksgiving meme from John L. Erdei
Pluribus thoughts and Soylent Green parallels from John in Kentucky