Will ESPN’s choke hold kill online viewing or itself? Plus our holiday gift picks!
CordKillers: Ep. 47 – The Sports is a Lie
Recorded: December 1, 2014
Guest: None
Intro Video
Primary Target
- ESPN’s Long-Term TV Sports Rights Deals Chart
- -Chart from MoffettNathanson analyst Michael Nathanson
– ESPN Sports rights plotted out to 2024.
– ESPN will pay $3.8 billion for those games this year, and $5.1 billion by 2017
– $6 per subscriber paid to ESPN expected to hit $8 by 2018 (SNL Kagan)
– Dish has ESPN on its web service, Sony does not yet.
-Q: Can an online-only service make it without sports?
-Q: Can ESPN continue to afford to pay for games when non-sports fans have more of a choice?
Signal Intelligence
- More Than 70 Percent of Netflix Viewers Watch Original Shows
- -Poll from Centris Marketing Science
– More Netflix viewers (72 percent) say they watched the service’s original programming Q3 compared to Q1 (57 percent).
– The younger the viewer the more likely to have watched original programming
Q: Are we starting to think of Netflix as HBO more so than as an all you can eat TV catch up service?
Gear Up
- Slingbox now suggests YouTube videos based on what you’re watching
- Slingbox 500 and Sling TV can now overlay suggested YouTube videos based on whatever you’re watching
– Also an app for YouTube
– Sling browser extension 32-bit and Chrome for Mac now 64-bit.
Front Lines
- DVD quality rips of Fury, Annie, Mr. Turner and Still Alice hit torrent websites shortly after an attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment.
- -Only Fury is even in theaters yet. According to Torrent Freak Fury is the second most popular downloaded film on The Pirate Bay currently. (Behind The Maze Runner)
- Comedy Central’s mobile app has added support for ChromeCast
- -Along with Sesame Street Go, Nickelodeon, TuneIn, Encore Play, EPIX, and YuppTV.
- Netflix announced that the third season of its best-known streaming TV series will be available on February 27th, 2015.
Under Surveillance
- Brian: Animaniacs (playing with my fire stick), The Walking Dead, Macy’s Day parade (OTA), RedLetterMedia breakdown of Star Wars trailer, awesome fan re-cut of Jurassic park trailer
- Tom: Big Hero 6, The Shield (314, 315), The Walking Dead, Once Upon a Time, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Flash, Haven, Macy’s Day Parade.
2014 Winter Movie Draft
draft.diamondclub.tv
- Scott: $314,255,040
- Tom: $225,680,904
- Brian: $72,237,610
- Brett: $58,210,090
- Justin: $38,686,869
- John: $14,857,390
Dispatches from the Front
To: All employees of Cordkillers, LLC
From: Manager Joe
To whom it may concern:
On episode 46 of your show, entittled “Cultural CliffsNotes,” feedback was discussed which divulged details of the film Interstellar. The subject matter involved age variance between characters played by the American actors Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway.
In the future, please ensure that divulgences of protected information be limited to the “It’s Spoilerin’ Time” portions of the broadcast.
I trust this is the final mention of this topic.
Your Boss,
Joe
Hey Brian and Tom
Anecdotally I might have an answer for why Amazon streaming is becoming more popular. Recently I debated with my wife for us to switch from Netflix to Amazon. We have no reason for two streaming services and since they are approximately the same cost per month, I thought this would be an easy switch. My pitch was to switch to Amazon because of free shipping and music, but she insisted we stay on Netflix because of the exclusives. Amazon’s rise in popularity could be linked to people like me who want to watch streaming occasionally, but don’t want to pay for two services. If I have to choose one, Amazon wins because of all the perks (free shipping, kindle library, music, etc.).
Just a thought, thanks!
Dominic
Brian and Tom!
If you have not yet seen Gortimer Gibbons Life on Normal Street on Amazon Prime, you are missing out! This is a smart, sweet, funny kids show and an Amazon original. It is not the flashy, over the top, laugh track shows from Disney Channel, which is a refreshing change of pace.
So great to see smart kids content coming from these online providers.
Your Boss,
Maxwell
I’ve noticed it on the podcast every now and then, but Hulu+ gets downplayed a lot on the show. I’m confused as to why. I think by implying it’s not a good service is actually a disservice to potential cordcutters who want to drop their cable/satellite TV services.
Hulu+ is the only streaming service that allows people to watch the latest episodes in about 6-12 hours from when they first air. These are shows from NBC, CW, ABC, FOX, and even from some cable networks like Comedy Central or Nickelodeon, also new Anime from Japan.
Their back catalog of TV shows isn’t anything to ignore either, with stuff from CBS, FX, etc… International programming from the UK, Korea, and Mexico, also can’t be discounted. Then there’s the movie catalog, with several that aren’t even available on Netflix.
Hulu+ with a Chromecast/Roku (and maybe including CBS all access) is simply the most affordable and most convenient method to watch time-shifted programming on a TV, that is “Grandparents Friendly.” I know that everyone I know who cut the cord rely on Hulu+ more than Netflix or Amazon, for their current TV fix.
So why the hate on Hulu+?
Still a fan though ;-P
Albert
Another great show. Really liked Dana Brunetti insights as well, although I completely disagree with his assessment that viewing numbers don’t matter in your discussion of Nielsen and Netflix. Dana is right that Netflix does not have to release that info and all that matters to Netflix is how well they feel a show is doing since they are the ones who ultimately benefit or don’t, plus they have already paid for the content so no is left empty handed. But as the OTT business gets more competitive and the Netflix’s of the world continue to produce, buy and sell content around the world these viewing numbers will generate a perceived value (as Tom said), which in some case will work for and against Netflix, Amazon and others. Although it is a brave new world, let’s not forget – the more things change, the more things stay the same (making money).
Thanks again. Your show continues to get better all the time.
Frank
As someone who works in TV for a living I was surprised to hear you guys dismiss Nielsen numbers for Netflix. I was literally yelling at my phone watching until Tom brought up Amazon using the numbers. I calmed down and thought okay here we go, Tom is getting to my point but then got mad because Dana dismissed them and you guys let it go. Now I can see Dana dismissing them as a producer who has a deal with Netflix because he is getting paid but anyone not working for Netflix or “House of Cards” should care. Amazon will almost certainly care about them. HBO will care about them. As a broadcaster I can say the broadcast networks will also care. If any of the networks companies I mentioned see a show is getting higher numbers on Netflix then some of their shows, they will either…
A, consider bidding on the show.
B, consider making a show similar in nature.
C, drop a show similar in nature that is getting less viewers.
Jay
Please explain how youtube channels work like I’m five. I’ve been using Youtube since the beginning of time and for the life of me I have no clue how find channels/subscribe, etc. For me its to confusing. Help me out or you’re Fired!
Keep up the good work, bonuses are in the mail. You guys like one year memberships to the Jelly of the month club don’t you?
Mike
Hi Tom& Brian
I have a question for you. I buy most of my movies digitally now, but the problem is they are scattered all across Google Play, Amazon, VUDU and iTunes. Is there any tool or software to maintain all this so that when I want to see something I can find out if I own it and if so where. I actually bought a movie on two different services because I forgot I owned it on the other one.
Thanks for your help guys!!!
Josh
Brian,
This is your boss, and in your end of year appraisal I call BS on your “how many names can you remember” test as a measure of viewing enjoyment.
I had to listen to you regularly forget every single name in Transparent, yet it was one of your favourite shows of the year. You only had to remember a Moppa and 3 kids!
Your boss
James in the UK
Hey Brian and Tom.
I wanted to add some things you missed about the story about korra coming back to television.
1st it will be on nicktoons not nick proper most kids wont search out for a channel that is buried in deep cable or might be in a different package all together. (also they did this for book three already)
2nd as far as I am aware the creative team behind korra is the same and I think one of the reasons the show might have gotten pulled is it got dark for being on a kids network. if it was on teennick it would have been fine but maybe not on a network that also plays spongebob.
just my thoughts,
Greg
I’m happy to report that as a Canadian our VPN settings stopped working and we didn’t even notice we were using Canadian Netflix for over a month. Now that our VPN service has been restored, we’ve actually switched back to finish watching certain shows you guys don’t have.
Anyway, I’d like to issue a challenge to all cord killers North of the Wall: switch off the VPN, if it’s not 100x better than the last time you were on Canadian Netflix, I owe you a double double.
Ken
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