Summer Movie Draft, Better Call Saul (208), Justified (113)
01:55 – Summer Movie Draft
05:23 – Better Call Saul (208)
13:09 – Justified (113)
Cordkillers 116 – The Moose in the Room (w/ Chris Mancini and Fraser Cain)
Canada cuts the cord because its cable is cheaper, NFL comes to Twitter, and is Tom Waits a stunt casting? With special guests Chris Mancini and Fraser Cain.
CordKillers: Ep. 116 – The Moose in the Room
Recorded: April 11 2016
Guests: Fraser Cain, Chris Mancini
Intro Video
Primary Target
- Cord-cutting soars in Canada
– Convergence Consulting Group report
– 190,000 Canadians dropped traditional TV in 2015 +80% yoy
– Cable subs last grew in Canada in 2012
– Canada decline 1.5% bigger than 1% decline in US
– Majority HH still subscribe ti TV (11 mm)
– Netflix subs in Canada rose 58% from 2013-2015 (4.9 mm)
– Canadians pay less on average for cable but more for Internet than US
Signal Intelligence
- Twitter reportedly wins streaming rights for NFL’s Thursday Night Football
– Twitter will stream 10 Thursday Night Football games “to a global audience” in 2016 for free without authentication.
– Paid around $10 million acc. Bloomberg’s source (beating out Verizon, Yahoo, Amazon)
– NFL evp media said didn’t take highest bidder.
– Twitter gets a small portion of ad inventory
– CBS and NBC paid $225mm for 5 Thursday games each — Verizon has rights to stream to wireless phones
– Twitter video will be embeddable. Include pregame Periscope streams from players and teams
– Available on Xbox app and possibly partnered w/ Google and Yahoo
– Twitter CFO Anthony Noto (formerly of the NFL) told Bloomberg wants to do other sports, politics and entertainment.
– Twitter claims 800mm audience when counting non0logged-in people
– Thursday night games attracted 17 million viewers last season.
– NFL’s biggest broadcast contracts end in 2021
– Yahoo streamed Oct. 25 game from London (paid $20mm)
Gear Up
- Roku’s new $50 stick fits a quad-core CPU in a smaller frame
– Roku introduced an updated $50 Streaming Stick.
– Quad-core CPU, dual-band MIMO antenna, and the ability to stream audio over Wi-Fi to a smartphone.
– Does not support 4k video only 1080p.
– The stick is available for purchase and will ship near the end of the month.
– Roku is also rolling out OS 7.1 today available on all devices within 6 to 8 weeks.
Front Lines
- It’s going to cost you more to ‘Netflix and Chill’ from next month
– Netflix will raise all subscribers prices to $9.99. Netflix guaranteed the original pricing plan for customers in May 2014. Netflix users in the UK will begin to see an increase of 50p later this month, with prices going up to £7.49. - Starz launches $8.99 per month streaming service
– Starz is making an app for iOS and Android and selling access for $8.99 a month. The same app will be accessible to existing subscribers. Users can get “virtually unlimited” downloads of shows and movies. The premiere of Outlander will come on the app April 7 two days before the premiere. - Hulu is now a channel on Optimum cable boxes
– Cablevision’s Optimum TV service has added Hulu to channel 605. Customers can subscribe through Hulu or Cablevision. - Layer3 TV’s Crazy Plan to Take on Comcast and Reinvent Cable
– A company called Layer3 plans to compete with cable companies by offering traditional cable but with better tech. The company will deliver a better picture by using fiber and HEVC (H.265) video, and one hour appointment windows. It’s set-top box will be simple to install and include Internet options like Amazon and Netflix. The channel guide prioritizes channels based on your interests not channel numbers. Level3 is coming to Chicago first in the next few months for $80-$150. - Verizon Buys More Mobile Video by Investing in DreamWorks’ AwesomenessTV
– Verizon has purchased a 24.5% stake in Awesomeness TV, which is majority owned by Dreamworks. Hearst also owns 24.5%. It looks like Verizon will use Awesomeness content for its G090 mobile video service in a new subscription tier. AwesomenessTV runs YouTube channels for itself, Dreamworks and Seventeen magazine, and produces a sketch comedy series on Nickelodeon. Parents ask your kids. - Plex on the web gets smarter with media searches
– Plex updated its Web interface. Search finds everything across multiple categories as you type. Improved navigation includes more prominent discovery features and better mouse and touch controls. - HDR is TV’s next big format war, and Samsung and Sony could find themselves on the losing side
– CNET has a great explainer up on the latest video format war. This time its two implentation of High Dynamic Range or HDR video in 4K. Here’s the short version. There are two HDR implementations, HDR10 and Dolby Vision. Samsung and Sony support HDR10. LG and Vizio support both. Amazon and Netflix stream in both.
Under Surveillance
- Tom Waits Joins Cast of Hulu’s Mysterious Hero Origin Story, Citizen
– Hulu’s original Citizen, a hero origin story set in a supernaturalized New York has cast Tom Waits as Cesar, an anti-authoritarian priest. Cesar, runs a guerrilla humanitarian outfit with questionable legality from his church in Boyle Heights. - New Game of Thrones trailer – premieres April 24
- Netflix’s first UK show, ‘The Crown,’ arrives November 4
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them Trailer (Nov. 18)
- Star Wars: Rogue One
- Brian: Better Call Saul 208, Justified 113
- Tom: Better Call Saul (208) Daredevil (8-13) Justified (113) American Idol Series Finale, Vinyl
- Chris: Daredevil, Pee-Wee Herman, Arrow, Flash, Supergirl, Mad Men
- Fraser: Daredevil, Better Call Saul, YouTube Let’s Plays
- On the Lookout: The Path
Dispatches from the Front
HighTechBill tweeted us about this excellent Cord-cutting guide from ChannelMaster!
Before Star Wars Episode VII came out to own, I decided I would just buy it digitally until the new box set comes out after episode 9. There wasn’t a need to have a physical DVD when I could own it through Amazon or Google. However, I recently replaced my laptop and iPad with a Surface Pro 4. I love to watch movies on the plane when traveling. However, what I found is that neither Amazon nor Google will let me download a movie I own onto my Surface, because it is a computer and they don’t have apps like they do for the iPad where they can control the content. This being said, I opted to buy the physical DVD + Blue Ray + Digital HD version of the movie. I wanted to share this story because this was a rare occasion for me where the physical DVD was the better option for me and fortunately it comes with a digital copy. I am getting to watch what I want, where I want, and sort of on the device I want – but it’s not completely there yet. Would love to hear of any better suggestions for this scenario or any similar frustrations!
Love listening to the show every week!
-Kristen
Hi,
I have the feeling that I emailed you about this before but possibly not for this podcast.
Anytime people talk about users agents, bots or digital butlers automatically doing useful things for you, I am reminded about Hyperland an early 90s TV show written and presented by the late great Douglas Adams.
It is a bit too pre-internet and there’s too much “CD-Roms will fix everything!” which makes it feel out of date. However Douglas Adams makes some interesting predictions especially about how you will be able to get additional information about shows and skip between interesting things.
He is joined in the show by a digital assistant played by Tom Baker. They previously worked together when Douglas Adams wrote for the classic series of Doctor Who (the Douglas Adams co-written story, City of Death is a wonderful intro to classic series).
You can find Hyperland on YouTube (Tom’s wife works for YouTube) and while you are there look up the South Bank Show profile of Douglas Adams from 1992 and feel sad.
– Tim
re: redbox: Think you guys might have missed the point about them going digital. If they bring the same price wars to digital as they did against brick and mortar it could shake things up quite a bit.
Brian seems to think that the reason redbox customers use them is for the physical content. I use them for the incredible price point. Why spend 5$ on Google play when redbox costs a buck? I recently spent 5$ on a YouTube rental for Spotlight because the vending machine only has so many titles. I’m guessing digital could erase that problem as well.
Thanks for the show!!
– Erick
Links
It’s Spoilerin’ Time 115
Summer Movie Draft, 11.22.63 (108), Better Call Saul (207), Justified (112)
00:42 – Summer Movie Draft
05:24 – 11.22.63 (108)
17:00 – Better Call Saul (207)
22:15 – Justified (112)
Cordkillers 115 – Strike While the Corpse is Hot (w/ Christina Warren)
Buying tickets to your couch, streaming fatigue, TiVo complains when their own ads get skipped. With special guest Christina Warren.
CordKillers: Ep. 115 – Strike While the Corpse is Hot
Recorded: April 4 2016
Guest: Christina Warren
Intro Video
Primary Target
- Flix Premiere tries to apply theatre distribution model to streaming service
– Curated movies (good indie films that haven’t found an audience)
– Only platform exclusives
– Promote movies online, trailers, interviews, behind-the-scenes to release date
– 8 titles each week
– pay a couple bucks for the “ticket”
– Can still see what was playing in previous weeks. 12-month exclusive on all films
-ios and Android more to follow
– US and UK now in testing, end of May after Cannes Film Festival expand to Australia, Canada, France, Germany and Spain.
Signal Intelligence
- Fullscreen targets the YouTube generation with new streaming service launching in April
– Fullscreen – ad-free streaming service April 26, iOS, Android, Chromecast (more to follow)
– Free 30-day trial
– Originals from its YouTube stars plus curated acquisitions
– “Dawson’s Creek,” “Saved by the Bell,” and more
– Electra-woman and DynaGirl comes June 7 - Electra-woman and DynaGirl comes out June 7
- Lionsgate and Kevin Hart team up for a comedy-only streaming service
– Lionsgate partnering with Kevin Hart’s Hartbeat Digital to launch Laugh Out Loud, comedy streamign channel
– Hart undercover driver for Lyft, Vine Star Logan Paul
– Lionsgate, Comic-Con HQ on May 7 - Streaming movie service Tribeca Shortlist comes to Apple TV
– Tribeca Shortlist – streaming movie service ($4.99 a month now available on Apple TV in addition to Roku, Fire TV, iOS)
– Smaller catalog of movies handpicked by actors, filmmakers and other industry insiders.
Gear Up
- TiVo: TV Nets Refusing to Run ‘Bolt’ Ads
– TiVo claims networks won’t take ads for Bolt DVR because of skip mode
– SkipMode-enabled channels include ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, AMC, Comedy Central, Discovery Channel, TBS, FX, TLC, History, TNT, CW, Food Network, USA Network, Bravo, ABC Family (now Freeform), Syfy, Lifetime, and HGTV. - Why the networks won’t run ads for the TiVo Bolt
Front Lines
- Sony is launching its 4K streaming service on April 4th
– Sony’s 4K streaming service is launching today, April 4th in the US. Ultra is exclusively on Sony HDR 4K sets. Titles cost around $30 each. You get 4 free titles when you sign up. Ultra is part of Ultraviolet for that far-off day when multiple ultraviolet stores have 4K movies for sale. - Bloomberg: Facebook rejects NFL Thursday night live streams
– Bloomberg says the rumors of Facebook discussing purchasing rights to stream NFL games are rumored to have ended. The NFL is still talking to Verizon and others. - Channel 4 now lets you watch live shows on Android devices
– Good news for UK viewers of Channel 4, you can now watch the live feed of the channel on Android devices. Bad news UK viewers of Channel 4, Black Mirror will not come to Channel 4 next season. Good news UK viewers of Netflix. Black Mirror will come to Netflix in the UK and everywhere else in the world. - Jill Soloway told the Associated Press that Caitlyn Jenner will appear in season 3 of Amazon’s Transparent.
Under Surveillance
- MythBusters is coming back as a reality TV show to find the next MythBusters
– Science Channel will air a reality series called Search for the Next Mythbusters in order to find new hosts for a new version of the series. - Tech journalist Will Smith launches a talk show in VR
– Will Smith, formerly of Tested, will host a talk show filmed in VR called The FOO Show. the first episode —currently in early access on Oculus Home— features Firewatch, developer Campo Santo, and Smith exploring a location from the game. Regular production starts this summer. - Always Sunny renewed on FXX for 13th and 14th seasons, will tie Ozzy and Harriet for longest running live action comedy series
- Brian: Better call Saul (207), Justified (112), 11.22.63 (108)
- Tom: Supergirl, Better Call Saul (207), The Magicians, Agents of SHIELD, Justified (112), The Hateful Eight, The Walking Dead, The Force Awakens Digital Extras, 11.22.63 (108)
- Christina: The Americans, People vs. OJ Simpson, The OC (Hulu)
- On the Lookout: Graceland
Dispatches from the Front
You were ruminating on Redbox creating a digital rental service and speculating on whether they would be able to maintain their price advantage over iTunes/Amazon et al rentals with that move; it made me wonder if either of you had heard of or used the service VidAngel. (vidangel.com). They have an interesting ‘purchase-and-return’ loophole scheme going on that allows you to ‘rent’ movies digitally for $1-2 (SD/HD). Pretty wild, but as far as I can tell, completely legit… I’ve heard them advertise on nationally syndicated radio shows, so I don’t think they’re trying to fly under the radar. They’re also interesting because they support filtering objectionable content in the video for families, and they rent some HBO/Netflix shows as well (Game of Thrones, House of Cards). They even have filters for Jar-Jar Binks scenes and ‘new edits’ in Star Wars… so they have a sense of humor about it. And they have apps on all the devices you’d want… If you haven’t checked them out, you might want to.
Anyway, great show guys!
– Gabriel
Check this one out. They are offering me cable for 10 bucks a month! Last one was for 30 bucks with HBO and Showtime. The next one will probably be for free. They won’t get me! Gladly, my wife Teresa agrees.
Thanks,
– Steven
Cedar Park, Texas
Dear Cordkillers,
As one of your bosses, I wanted to point out some interesting numbers that recently came out about TV viewing.
“1,004 hours were spent watching live TV, up from 936 hours a year ago, and time spent watching programs on DVRs up to 15 days after they originally aired rose to 356 hours from 332 hours.”
“Among millennials, time spent viewing live TV has been eclipsed by use of desktop computers and phones. Live TV still accounts for 47% of time spent.”
…comScore/Rentrak use electronic devices to register TV viewing in all their markets not just the top 50 or so…. Rentrak uses equipment like cable boxes and other electronic means to get the their numbers.
– Jay
KEY POINTS from report
– comScore also says that the largest digital media properties can reach as big an audience as the Big 4 broadcasters in primetime. Google websites reach 247 million people per month, compared to 228 million for the top broadcast network.
– The TV landscape continued its shifting of time and space, with more delayed, on-demand and digital viewing of TV programming than ever before.
– Digital media usage continued to grow at a fast rate, driven by smartphone app usage which is inching closer and closer to 50 percent of all digital media time spent.”
- 2016 U.S. Cross-Platform Future in Focus
- Nielesen getting access to Dish Set-top box data
– “The competitive pressure on Nielsen also got ratcheted up when two of its competitors in the measurement space—Rentrak and comScore—merged in a $770 million deal that was announced last year and closed in February. Rentrak already has deals with a number of cable and satellite companies like Dish to get data from their set-top boxes, and comScore specializes in online measurement.”
I think that there are many ways to kill the cord and it seams your show dismisses physical media and TV antenna viewing when you should be embracing both “”old”” technologies as another way to kill the cord (unless you consider the cord from my antenna to my TV and the cord to my Blu-Ray player to be the enemy also).
Thank you and keep fighting the good fight.
Sincerely,
– Richard
Links
It’s Spoilerin’ Time 114
Summer Movie Draft starts, 11.22.63 (107), Better Call Saul (206), Zootopia, Justified (111)
00:32 – Summer Movie Draft
07:17 – 11.22.63 (107)
11:26 – Better Call Saul (206)
22:04 – Zootopia
29:37 – Justified (111)
Cordkillers 114 – Shill for Big Indie
Why Netflix should have made us mad, why Redbox should try again, and why Vizio won Brian’s heart.
CordKillers: Ep. 114 – Shill for Big Indie
Recorded: March 28 2016
Guest: Lamarr Wilson
Intro Video
Primary Target
- Netflix is going to help you stop rinsing your mobile data
– Netflix admitted Thursday it reduces the default bitrate of its streams to viewers using AT&T or Verizon in the US to 600kbps. Netflix normally streams at 3-5 Mbps. In May Netflix intends to release a ‘data saver’ application that will let customers choose what video quality they receive on mobile. T-Mobile limits streaming of its partners like Netflix to 1.5 Mbps. Sprint restricted all streaming video to 600kps until last year.
Signal Intelligence
- Redbox is reportedly trying again at building a video streaming service
– Redbox tried to launch Redbox Instant with Verizon in 2013 and shut it down in two years
– Variety says Redbox is testing Redbox Digital
– Variety says it will offer rentals
Gear Up
- Vizio’s new TVs sport Google Cast, HDR and Android tablets
– Android tablet remote
– First Google Cast TVs with 4K and HDR
– No TV Tuner
– 50-inch Vizio P-Series TV for $1,000, a 55-inch model for $1,300 and a 65-incher for $2,000. And if you really want to go all out, there’s a 75-inch version for $3,800. - Google is renaming its Chromecast application to “Google Cast” to better reflect how the technology works across different devices.
– The updated app rolled out last week.
– Google also announced that VIZIO’s SmartCast P-Series HDTVs and sound bars will support Google Cast.
– A full list of supported devices can be found at google.com/cast.”
Front Lines
- This Chrome extension solves one of Netflix’s most annoying features
– Two Chrome browser extensions to help you with your Netflix viewing. One called Flix Assist clicks the “Continue Watching button for you and removes the 30-second countdown to the next episode. The other called Netflix Party lets you sync up your Netflix watching with someone else on the Internet and adds group chat. - Vimeo for Roku now lets you buy on-demand content straight from your TV
– Vimeo’s Roku app can now handle transactions meaning you can pay for Vimeo’s on-demand shows without having to use another device. Vimeo also added adaptive streaming support. - Nielsen starts breaking down TV streams by device next month
– Starting April 25, Nielsen will break down viewing by device. Devices tracked will be Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox will be tracked.
Also, “Total Use of Television” will track smart TV use along with over-the-air or cable viewing metrics. - TCL’s 4K Roku TVs are available today from $599.99
– TCL started selling their 4K TVs with Roku built in on Amazon last week. The 55-inch TV is $600 and the 65-inch one os $1,000. Four more sets were announced but no release date was given. Those will come with a headphone jack in the remote. That series starts with a 43-inch set for $499.99, a 50-inch model for $599.99, a 55-inch set for $699.99, and a 65-inch one for $1,099.99. - Hulu now has an app for Samsung Gear VR
– Hulu launched an app designed for the Samung Gear VR headset available in the Gear VR Oculus Store. It includes normal content as well as 25 exclusive original VR shows and films. Those are available even if you’re not subscribed to Hulu. Hulu says its the first of several VR apps for different platforms.
Under Surveillance
- Netflix’s Voltron Series Looks Awesome, And it’s Coming June 10th
- Some of you watched Sony’s original series Powers on the PS4. And you will both be pleased to know season 2 returns May 31st.
- Netflix has ordered 10 episodes a remake of Norwegian series Maniac starring Jonah Hill and Emma Stone directed by Cary Fukunaga.
- Amazon Video gets an NFL reality show this summer
– NFL Films is making an 8-episode documentary series called “All or Nothing” for Amazon. It follows the Arizona Cardinals through the 2015 season. Coming this summer. - Apple is making a TV series with Will.i.am about the app economy
- – Apple SVP of Internet software and services told the New York Times Thursday that Apple is working with Will.i.am, Ben Silverman and Howard T. Owens on a TV series documenting app makers. Apple has previously worked with partners like Vice to make series related to music. Silverman brought the idea to Apple. Cue said, “This doesn’t mean that we are going into a huge amount of movie production or TV production or anything like that.”
- Vice and Apple Music launch The Score, a docu-series about local music scenes
– Apple is also teaming up with Vice for a six-episode documentary series called The Score that looks at local music scenes around the world. Examples include techno in South Africa and hip hop from native Americans in Minnesota. First episode is available to stream now on iTunes. - Brian: Better Call Saul 206, Justified 111, 11.22.63 (Soldier Boy), Zootopia, started Daredevil 202
- Tom: Venture Brothers, Daredevil (206-207), Better Call Saul (206), Justified (111), Supergirl, The Walking Dead, Vinyl, 11.22.63 (107), Zootopia
- Lamarr: Supergirl, Flash, Arrow, Agents of Shield, Once Upon a Time (why?), 3 episodes into House of Cards
- On the Lookout: The 100
Dispatches from the Front
Great podcast guys… yours is the first one I’ve supported, count me amongst the hopefully now 2000 Patreons.
Just a note on Playstation Vue. Someone on the show a few weeks back mentioned you can’t move your PS4 from location to location. Just as a warning, according to their FAQ this applies to ANY TV-connected device. I’m sitting in a hotel with my Fire TV Stick and just looked this up.
Other than that, this really has been a great experience. I’m in Miami, so after AT&T kicked us off their network and credited our ETF (they chose not to send tech #5 to try to get service working well), we signed up. In Miami, I have CBS, FOX, NBC live, but just on demand for ABC. I have both local Fox Sports channels, and unlike Sling, five streams at a time not one. For 75mbps cable modem service at $49.99 and $55 for Vue, I’m saving a FORTUNE. And unlike U-Verse 45mbps service that was often 3 mbps, Comcast has been delivering 90mbps at 75mbps pricing.
This is the future. I never wanted to cut the cord because I had bundles. I wanted to cut the cord because I hate cable boxes. A couple of Fire TVs I wanted anyway, is a different story.
– Scott
“Those Bastards at Sony Vue finally cracked the code!”
I signed up for the 7 day trial and naturally dove in wallet first choosing the “”Elite”” plan $54.99 for 100+ channels with Machinima and EPIX Hits included, but the basic plan provides everything a boy or girl could dream of, AMC, HGTV, the FXX, FX, Cartoon Network AKA Adult Swim plus much more.
Screen shots of plans attached. Link to plans: https://www.playstation.com/en-us/network/vue/
I left out Showtime ($10.99) because it’s less expensive through Amazon Prime ($8.99) or Hulu.
I live 90 minutes outside of the city, (New York City) in a dead zone that makes it impossible to get Fox, NBC, ABC and CBS with an OTA antenna. The death of Aereo was painful. (http://www.aereo.com/)
With Playstation Vue, I get the major local networks ABC, CBS, NBC FOX, and a clearer more focused lineup than my sole option for cable and high-speed Internet Cablevision/Optimum. Broadcast channel availability will be different based on your region.
Unlike Sling (which I left 2 months ago) this service has polish no bloat, level commercial volumes and smooth DVR playback. If you designate a show as “”My Show”” it automatically DVR’s the program which was a pleasant surprise the following day. This truly feels like the future of TV.
After the trial I will likely drop to “”Core”” ($44.99) to keep IFC and Sundance, which are not included with “”Access”” $39.99. Currently all channel plans are discounted by ten bucks.
The standalone channels are discounted $1-2 if you are a Playstation Plus member. (Showtime, EPIX Hits, Machinima, & Fox Soccer Plus)
I do not own a Playstation, however I created an account on the Playstation website and downloaded the app via a banner add on my Fire TV. Finally a banner ad worth clicking on!
I was on the fence about whether or not to buy a PS4 of Xbox One, now I’m leaning towards the PS4, because of this and the fairly reasonable price of their VR bundle.
Lastly this might work for my parents, my Dad watches daytime court, the news and wrestling. My mom watches the 4 major broadcast networks, Netflix and Amazon Prime. I think a Fire TV w/ PS Vue and the continued sharing of my Netflix and Amazon Prime will convert my retired parents into cord killers before the year is out.
Between my Roku, Mac Mini HTPC, Xbox 360 and Fire TV, I never though that I’d only ever really need an Amazon created streaming device to consume nearly everything under the Sun.
By the way it only cost me $0.00 after the 1st unit I got for $89.99 (Amazon Black Friday Deal) malfunctioned and they refunded my original purchase price.
Unfortunately if you want it all, things can get costly. With HBO Now, PS Vue, Netflix, Showtime, Prime and Internet you hit about $146.20, if you choose the top tier plan. Knock of $10-20 if you choose one of the lower plans. I left out Hulu as DVR and broadcast network channels are included in PS Vue service. Either way all of this is way too much content for one person to consume, watching TV has become like a second job.
Oh, and chrome cast support is limited to IOS. Apple could forgo their own deals and simply have the PS Vue app in the Apple TV store
Potential Monthly Costs for me using only the Amazon Fire TV:
Optimun/Cablevision Standalone Internet: $49.99
Playstation: $39.99-$54.99 plus standalone channels
Amazon Prime: $8.25/month
Netflix: $8.99/month
$122.22
Optional addition KODI with Repositories: Free
Any insight into how Sony managed to out do Dish owned Sling would be great. Did you all watch the latest episode of Black Mirror? You will never look at your personal/spousal relationships the same again.
Apologies for being verbose. I look forward to becoming a Patreon soon.
Keep up the good work, guys. Great Job!
– Noel
Hi Brian and Tom,
When Brian said Fandango is NEW movies and FandangoNow is OLD movies, I was thinking maybe they should have called it FandangoThen.
– Alan
It’s Spoilerin’ Time 113
Daredevil (201-205), 11.22.63 (106), Better Call Saul (204-205), Justified (110)
00:43 – Summer Movie Draft is back!
02:14 – Daredevil (201-205)
10:29 – 11.22.63 (106)
22:02 – Better Call Saul (204-205)
29:15 – Justified (110)
Cordkillers 113 – M-Gone
Study says networks are dying, Fandango to sell movies and TV shows, Netflix approves your television.
It’s Spoilerin’ Time 112
10 Cloverfield Lane, 11.22.63 (105), Justified (109)
2:16 – 10 Cloverfield Lane
09:35 – 11.22.63 (105)
14:43 – Justified (109)
Cordkillers 112 – DVD Swingers Club (w/ Ben Howard)
Would you pay $50 to see a brand new movie in your house? And why PlayStation Vue is not what you think it is. With special guest Ben Howard.
CordKillers: 112 – DVD Swingers Club
Recorded: March 14 2016
Guest: Ben Howard
Intro Video
Primary Target
- New system to let you rent movies from home while still in theaters
- Hollywood’s biggest directors want to bring new movies straight to your living room
– The Screening Room
– Same day as theaters in home movies
– Set-top box costs $150
– $50 per movie (48-hour window)
– Two free tickets to theater
– Exhibitors cut in on revenue (as much as 20%)
– Supposedly finalizing a deal with AMC theaters
– Universal Fox and Sony all interested
– Screening Room wants to be exclusive partner
– Steven Spielberg, J.J. Abrams, and Peter Jackson support the idea
– Backed by Sean Parker
Signal Intelligence
- PlayStation Vue service goes nationwide in US
– PS Vue added outside New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, San Francisco, and Miami without local channels
– Packages are cheaper $30, $35 and $45
– New packages offer ABC, FOX and NBC on demand with CBS to be added “at a later date”
– PS4, PS3, Amazon Fire TV, and Fire TV Stick, iPad and iPhone Google Chromecast on iOS
Gear Up
- 4K Roku TV from Best Buy starts at $400
– Best Buy’s Insignia brand beat TCL to the punch to become the first 4K TV with Roku built-in to hit the shelves. 43, 50 and 55-inch models run $400, $500 and $650 respectively. Online now and in stores in April.
Front Lines
- Comic-Con will launch a streaming service on May 7th
– The company Comic-Con International is teaming up with Lionsgate to offer a streaming service of classic SciFi and Fantasy as well as live streams of select panels from conferences like San Diego Comic-Con. The service called Comic-Con HQ soft launches on Free Comic Book Day May 7th for free with a formal launch (and likely a fee) in June. Adam Sessler will host an interview series and Kevin Pereira will executive produce a talk show, also Impossible Science, Her Universe (Geek fashion) and Kings of Con (scripted) - Vimeo unveils its next set of Originals, including its first-ever feature film and concert
– Vimeo announced Thursday its second slate of original programming. Vimeo’s first feature-length film is a documentary called “Wizard Mode” about one of the world’s greatest pinball players. its first concert film features indie “chillwave pioneer” Toro y Moi. CollegeHumor’s Jake Hurwitz and Amir Blumenfeld (“Jake and Amir”) bring a series called “Lonely and Horny. “Garfunkel and Oates: Trying to be Special,” features Riki Lindhome and Kate Micucci. All four premier this year at various times starting in April. - YouTube Gaming expands to 4 new countries alongside new pop-out player feature
– YouTube Gaming announced it’s iOS and Android apps are now available in Canada, New Zealand, Ireland and Australia. The app also got some changes, removing the sidebar for a simplified homepage and adding a Live tab. The Android app gets a pop-out player for watching video while using other apps as well as adding in DVR and 60fps playback support. - Following YouTube Red, video subscription service Vessel goes ad-free for paying subscribers
– Vessel is now ad free for all paying subscribers and there’s a new subscription plan where you can choose to pay$19.99 for a year instead of the normal $2.99 a month.
Vessel also announced plans to offer year-long exclusives on some shows from creators like Linus Media Group, Brittani Louise Taylor and JeromeASF. - Another Vote for Sports on the Web: Fox, Sky Invest in Streaming Soccer Startup FuboTV
– 21st Century Fox and Sky are investing in soccer subscription service FuboTV. 40,000 subscribers pay $10 a month for a mix of matches from La Liga, the MLS and others.
Under Surveillance
- Game of Thrones Season 6 starts April 24
- Captain America; Civil War comes May 6
- Amazon’s first live show debuts online tonight
– Amazon launched a live daily 30-minute show called “Style Code Live.” It will stream M-F at 9 PM Eastern. There’s no advertising but viewers can purchase beauty projects mentioned in the show through a gallery located below the video player. And there’s a chat room. - Yahoo, NHL enter pact to stream four live games a week
– Starting LAST Friday, Yahoo began streaming live hockey matches four times a week under a deal with the NHL. The streams will be free to viewers outside the competing teams’ home markets. Yahoo has a separate deal with NBC Sports to stream two additional games a week. Yahoo also has deals with MLB and the PGA and is bidding on rights to NFL streams. - Netflix’s Luke Cage will premiere on September 30th
- The New Voltron Cartoon on Netflix Is Being Headed Up by Legend of Korra Alums
– Netflix’s reboot of Voltron have named Lauren Montgomery and Joaquim Dos Santos as showrunners. Dos Santos directed and produced for Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra and Montgomery was a producer and storyboard artist for Korra. - Netflix Buying Will Smith-David Ayer Supernatural Cop Movie ‘Bright’
– The Hollywood Reporter says Netflix is the top bidder for a movie called Bright about a magic-infused cop starring Wil Smith and Joel Edgerton with David Ayer directing. Max Landis wrote the script. The deal has not been completed yet. - Brian: 10 cloverfield ln, Justified, 11.22.63, more House of Cards, Great Minds with Dan Harmon
- Tom: Better Call Saul, 10 Cloverfield Lane, Justified, 11.22.63 (105)
- Ben: Vinyl, People Vs OJ Simpson, Love
- On the Lookout: You’re The Worst
Dispatches from the Front
Hey Cordkillers,
Wanted to share my experience when I called Charter to ask about their internet only TV package called Spectrum TV Stream. The first part of the call was a combination of the customer service person not knowing what I was talking about, and then being transferred several times. The person who finally know something about what I was talking about had to look it up. Bottom line is that it is $13/month for a bunch of crappy channels (i.e. HSN), and ‘local’ 3 network channels. Its $19 if you want anything decent. I took a pass.
Hi Tom and Brian,
Any chance of getting Tom’s cord cutting guide in iBook or PDF format for us non-kindle users?
Love the show and I just became a Patreon or as you all like to say, I am now one of you bosses. 🙂
– Jimmy
Long time supporter here to chime in about your recent conversation about HBO and how it’s performing.
While I think Tom and Brian have both brought up good points, you may be overlooking one thing. You may recall when HBO launched a year ago it did so only on the Apple TV when the new season of Game of Thrones started. It wasn’t until after the season concluded they launched on other devices including the device with the most penetration in the market, that being the Roku.
This combined with HBO making the recent season available for purchase around the same time they launched their service on these other devices, in my opinion led to the masses choosing to purchase the season as opposed to the service.
I think once the new season of GOT comes and goes we’ll have a much better idea of how HBO is doing as many people, including myself, won’t be trying the service until that new season is aired. If I like HBO enough I might just stay for more.
– Gary
Fan TV, after telling it I was interested in this show many moons ago, just notified me that Don’t Trust Andrew Maine is now available on Amazon instant video. I’m watching it now, finally.
– Ben
Hey Dudes!
This kickstarter is intended to share physical dvds over the internet. It reminds me of some odd mix of Napster and Aereo.
So, they’re screwed right?
Or is it saved by the European/French court system?
Rock and Roll!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1151191861/movieswap-join-us-to-freethemovies
– Ryan
Links