PlayStation overplays the a la carte hand, Roku’s ads get in your head, what Bill Simmons should do.
CordKillers: Ep. 76 – Hulu, It’s Better Than Hulu
Recorded: June 22, 2015
Guest: Fraser Cain
Intro Video
Primary Target
- PlayStation Vue goes A la carte
- PlayStation Vue comes to San Francisco and LA, with a la carte channel offering
– Sony announced PlayStation Vue now in LA and San Francisco (+Chi, NYC, Philly)
– Packages start at $50
– Got very enthused about offering a la carte channels.
– Starting in July Showtime ($11) Fox Soccer Plus ($15) Machinima ($4)
– PS-Plus subscribers get a $2 discount on each channel - SlingTV adds new channels
– Sling TV adding channels
– To Core Package
– Polaris+ (online gaming, comic and pop culture from Maker)
– Hollywood Extra Package
– Turner Classic Movies
Signal Intelligence
- Hulu Plus changes to just Hulu
– Hulu officially changed the name of Hulu Plus to Hulu
– So now if you’re watching the free version which used to be called Hulu it is still called Hulu
– But if you’re watching the paid version of Hulu which used to be called Hulu Plus it is now also called Hulu
– This was done to eliminate confusion.
Gear Up
- Roku And Innovid Roll Out Interactive Video Ads, Including SMS-Based Reminders To Watch
– Roku and Innovid partnering on interactive ads
– Games, quizzes, videos
– Personalized using data (location, demograpchis)
– CBS (CBS News, CBS Sports, CNET, GameSpot), Vevo and Crackle are early partners
– Roku SDK will now include Innovid as part of the Roku Ad Framework
– Results in extended time spent with ads. Doubled the preroll
– Soon can extend ad across devices. Movies times sent to smartphone for instance by SMS
– Reminders about show airings
Front Lines
- YouTube Launches YouTube Newswire, A Channel Featuring Verified Eyewitness Videos
– YouTube newswire is a partnership with Storify to make it easier to access verified eyewitness videos. It will feature both global and regional feeds, and will be available on YouTube.com/newswire, on Twitter, and as an email newsletter. Its feed will include videos focused on news, weather and politics. - Jason Kilar’s Subscription Video Service Vessel Expands To Android
– Vessel, the video subscription service has an open beta of their Android app now available on the Google Play store. Works on any Android 4.1 or later device. Vessel claims creators are earning more than $50 per thousand views - Bill Simmons is talking to HBO about a TV show and more
– Bill Simmons is reportedly talking to HBO although he’s supposedly also talking to Fox Sports and considering an independent operation. - How A Team Of Accomplished Entrepreneurs Plan To Revolutionize Your Television Experience
– TechCrunch has an oddly vague writeup on an 18-month old French company called Molotov which claims to have found a new way to watch TV. They call it a virtual TV provider. They describe it as Spotify, Deezer, or Netflix for regular TV. It works on TV, laptop phone and tablet and will enter beta this summer. - This media exec says traditional cable TV bundles are dying
– Cablevision’s CEO James Dolan, speaking to an audience of investors hosted by Guggenheim Partners said the number of people who pay for cable bundles could drop by as much as 25% over the next 5 years.
Under Surveillance
- Neil Gaiman’s American Gods to get a series on Starz
– Starz has greenlighted a season of American Gods written and produced by Bryan Fuller (Hannibal, Pushing Daisies) and Michael Green (The River, Heroes). Production begins once Shadow Moon is cast. - Aaron Paul is taking the lead in a new Hulu drama
– Aaron Paul will be the lead in a Hulu show coming this winter called The Way. It’s from Jason Katims (FNL, Parenthood) Paul will play a member of a controversial faith group struggling with disillusionment and ennui. - Tom: Sense8 (Ep. 6-8), Silicon Valley (Ep. 10) Orange is the New Black (2-4), Despicable Me 2, Inside Out, True Detective (201) The Shield (604)
- Justin: Daredevil (halfway through), Silicon Valley, Game of Thrones
- Fraser: True Detective ep. 1, Silicon Valley, Jurassic World
- Bryce: Other Space
Dispatches from the Front
It’s the story of Steven Quartz Universe, an 11 year old boy whose parents are Greg Universe, a former rock musician who now runs a carwash and lives in his van, and Rose Quartz, an immortal alien hero who protected the Earth for thousands of years before giving up her physical form to bring Steven into the world. It follows Steven as he tries to grow into his mother’s legacy and join The Crystal Gems, Earth’s protectors (who are also his three moms). The series is the creation of Rebecca Sugar, who was responsible for the best episodes (and songs) of Adventure Time before she left that show to create this one.
The first 35 episodes are available on Hulu Plus and all eps to date can be bought from the major online marketplaces.
– Rob
I was a little disappointed at how negative you guys were about Tivo adding streaming access through web browsers on local computers. Ok, I get it, I’d also like to be able to open my laptop on vacation and bring up my recordings. Who knows, maybe they’ll add that, but for now I’m happy that I can at least do that within my own home.
– Matt
Sterling, VA
First review of TiVo Online: not only does it make you login to your tivo account AND your cable company account, it just plain doesn’t work. Not tonight, not here. I’ve been waiting to stream a video I know is on my TiVo, the latest Big Bang Theory, for like 10 minutes so far. Silly spinning wheel is all I get. I don’t see this becoming a habit quickly.
– Whistl
Just a Sling tv tip.
As we know Sling TV offers ESPN and ESPN2. You can download the ‘Watch Espn’ app and login with the Sling TV credentials and watch ESPN3 programming.
I was able to watch the NBA finals on ESPN3 too.
– Ryan in Iowa
Links