Cordkillers 625: We Miss Cable. Sort Of.
Prime Video says it is profitable on its own, while Apple keeps its TV numbers tucked inside services revenue. Tom and Brian weigh streaming's next phase, then fall for Spelunkr's recreation of channel surfing—complete with a program guide and vintage ads.
This week on The FULL Experience: Logan's Run (105 — “Man Out of Time”)
Next week: Logan's Run (112 — “Night Visitors”)
YouTube:
SUPPLY RUN
Amazon says Prime Video is profitable in its own right, with a revenue run rate in the tens of billions. Tom and Brian discuss what that signals to Hollywood, how advertising changes the business, and why streaming's biggest competitors aren't always treated as television companies.
https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/prime-video-profitable-content-spending-q3-amazon-ceo-1236935186/
Apple reports another services revenue record without breaking out Apple TV. Is television a business that needs to stand on its own, or can prestige programming earn its keep by helping sell the rest of Apple's ecosystem?
SEARCH PARTY
Ty Burrell is attached to a new attempt to revive Coach. Tom and Brian consider whether the sitcom's name still carries enough nostalgia to bring viewers back.
https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/nbc-coach-series-modern-family-ty-burrell-1236918910/
Versant adds four free, ad-supported channels: Snapped, Oxygen Murders, Botched, and CNBC Ambition. Existing shows get another home on Prime Video and The Roku Channel, with true crime, plastic surgery, and business ambition doing the heavy lifting.
https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/versant-expands-fast-channels-4-new-cnbc-e-oxygen-1236933344/
Regal and Cinemark pass on IMAX bookings for Netflix's The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth while AMC takes the film. The discussion turns to scarce IMAX screens, competition from The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, and Netflix's relationship with theaters.
https://variety.com/2026/film/news/regal-cinemark-netflix-cliff-booth-1236935538/
BURIED TREASURE
Brian revisits A Man on the Inside with his family and starts season two. Ted Danson's awkward undercover investigator and the familiar faces from The Good Place keep earning repeat viewings.
Tom returns to season two of Netflix's live-action One Piece. Even while considering other shows, he keeps getting pulled back into the episode—a good sign for a series competing with an endless watchlist.
SCANNING THE HORIZON
An Interbrand report puts entertainment ahead of automotive in its sector rankings. Tom and Brian consider the gap between gloomy industry headlines and a world where entertainment fills almost every spare moment.
https://deadline.com/2026/10/entertainment-second-most-valuable-interbrand-global-report-1237206126/
Non-English programming makes up at least half of acquisitions at Netflix and Disney+, according to Ampere Analysis. Dubs, subtitles, and devoted niche audiences help shows travel without needing every title to become the next Squid Game.
https://deadline.com/2026/10/disney-netflix-non-english-acquisitions-ampere-analysis-1237208043/
Kathleen Kennedy will produce the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and Paralympics ceremonies, with two locations sharing the Summer Olympics opening.
CHATTER
A listener recommends the Chinese dramas Lighter and Princess and Blossoms in Adversity. Tom plans to run them by his resident C-drama consultant; these are listener suggestions, not shows he has reviewed.
Another listener asks whether the video's scrolling ticker is an encrypted message for ants. Tom and Brian discuss the difference between watching on a television and watching on a phone, and invite feedback on the layout.
Spelunkr recreates cable-style channel surfing with Internet Archive video, vintage commercials, and a scrolling program guide. Brian is immediately sold on the experience, while Tom imagines recreating an entire evening of television from decades past.
https://spelunkr.tv/
A listener's Logan's Run marathon catches last week's viewing mix-up. This week's FULL Experience covers “Man Out of Time” (105); “Night Visitors” (112) is next week.