Subscriber numbers are declining less quickly for cable TV, which has some people declaring cord-cutting is dead. Is it?
CordKillers: Ep. 32 – Cord Apathetics
Recorded: August 10, 2014
Guests: Scott Johnson, Lamarr Wilson
Intro Video
Primary Target
- What Happened to the Cord Cutters?
- MoffettNathanson compiled cpmany reports of online/cable
– Pay TV lost 300,000 subs in Q2, about flat yoy
– Slowing housing market may be primary cause of decline
– “It appears that cord cutting slowed to an annualized rate of 400k homes, a meaningful deceleration and well below the peak (but still modest) rates of cord cutting seen in 2012.”
– Revenue growing due to rate increases.
Signal Intelligence
- Twitch cracks down on unlicensed music ahead of rumored $1 billion YouTube buyout
- Important: Changes To Audio In VODS
- – Scanning archived video for copyrighted music
– Entire 30 minute chunks muted if such music is found. (Audible Magic)
– Elizabeth Baker’s post: “This includes in-game and ambient music.” italicized
– But on Subreddit Shear says: “We have absolutely no intention of flagging songs due to original in-game music. If that’s happening (and it appears it is), it’s a problem and we will investigate and try to fix it.“
– Again Shear on SubReddit: “We have absolutely no intention of running any audio recognition against live video, period.” and “Even if we could run this on live this second, we absolutely would not.”
– Twitch CEO Emmett Shear said on Reddit Twitch has no intention of flagging songs due to original in-game music and will try to fix the problem
– Deploying an “appeal” button for VODs that have been flagged for copyrighted music
– Archived videos go from 3 days or forever to 14 days (or 60 days for partners/Turbo subs)
– Highlights can now be any length (not limited to 2 hours), saved indefinitely as well as exported to YouTube.
Gear Up
- Microsoft to Launch Xbox One Digital TV Tuner in Europe
- – Digital tuner in Europe only
– Attaches to HDMI in on XBox One for passthrough
– DVB-T, DVB-T2 and DVB-C television channels
– UK for for ₤24.99, and France, Italy, Germany and Spain for €29.99, starting in late October.
Under surveillance
- Babylon 5 reboot likely to become big-budget film
- – J. Michael Straczynski will shortly begin work on Babylon 5 movie
– New script will be targeted at a 2016 theatrical release
– Will be a reboot of the series rather than a continuation.
– Will try to work surviving cast in
– Prepared to fund the movie through his own production company if necessary
Front Lines
- CBS Les Moonves told analysts CBS’s TV studio “will be producing more and more shows for more and more outlets, including major streaming companies.
- -A CBS spokesman confirmed to Recode that Moonves was talking about selling new shows to the likes of Netflix, Amazon and Hulu.
- Dish signed A&E (including its History and Lifetime channels) to its nascent Internet-only TV service.
- -Dish Chairman Charlie Ergen told GigaOm “TV is gonna follow the phone business… The majority of viewing is gonna be on a screen other than the way you are watching it today.”
- 21st Century Fox officially withdrew its $80 billion offer to buy Time Warner.
- -TW’s CEO Jeff Bewkes told analysts that TW is plenty big enough without adding the headache of another big company.
- Netflix passed up HBO in subscription revenue last quarter.
- -Netflix pulled in $1.146 billion to HBO’s $1..141 billion. HBO is still more profitable and wins more Emmys.
- Netflix content chief Ted Sarandos told USA Today he is positive a 5th season of Arrested Development will happen
- -“It’s just a matter of when.” (Sarandos also reiterated that Orange is the New Black remains Netflix’s most popular original series.)
- The NFL Now app for Apple TV, Roku and Fire TV costs $1.99 a month.
- -Provide in-game highlights, analysis, press conferences, shows and documentaries from the NFL Films vault.
2014 Summer Movie Draft
draft.diamondclub.tv
- Amtrekker: $720,700,355
- TMS: $644,787,673
- DTNS: $611,379,215
- Night Attack: $518,924,868
- /Film: $511,335,483
- GodsMoneybags: $450,860,429
On Screen
- Brian: The Leftovers, Guardians of the Galaxy (again), tiny bit of Orphan Black
- Tom: Guardians of the Galaxy (again), The Leftovers, The Office UK, Defiance, The Shield (212, 213), Snowpiercer
- Scott: Deadwood again, Bones, Ken Burns The War, again
-
Lamarr: Falling Skies, Under the Dome, Extant, Scandal, Europa Report, Arrow
Dispatches from the Front
As a newer listener, can you explain the Summer Movie Draft? I’m coming in during the middle of this, so it just feels confusing and irrelevant to me. I’m not sure I get what box office numbers for movies in the theatre have to do with Cordkillers. Isn’t seeing movies in the theatre the antithesis of watching “whatever you want, whenever you want”, since you have only a couple locations per town (at best) and a very limited set of times when you can watch? I feel like I’ve missed something with this whole segment.
Tim
I just wanted to point out that while Apple TV does not allow folders for the apps/channels, you can hide and reposition the icons. To hide channels that you do not use or want to see, head into settings and click on Main Menu. There you can choose Show/Hide for each of the app/channels installed. To reorder the apps/channels, hold down the remote’s select button on a particular app until the icons jiggle (like on iPhone/iPad). Then you can mover the icon to a position that you prefer.
Love the show!
Ken
I am moving soon to Raleigh, NC to start a my first full time job. Since I will be living on my own for the first time at the age of 22, I opted to go for the all internet no cable tv approach to my expenses. So I was wondering what kind of antenna should I get for my apartment to watch stuff over the air? I did a little research and found the Mohu Leaf, it looks cool but I would like your guy’s opinions first.
Thanks,
Ed
Long time listener and Patron, I was wondering if you could do a show or segment for those us with cable, yet still want to watch what we want, when we want , where we want on whatever device we want . . . at least in the limits that cable companies will allow us to.
I cut the cord last summer, but realized in the fall that being a sports fan that truly limited my options, especially for in market teams. So I’m back on the cord but still trying to live with the Cordkiller spirit. So could you have a show or have a guest on to talk about what options are available for people on the cord. Options like, Tivo, WMC, Plex, the hardware that is needed, the limitations of DRM, or even the various cable or satellite company solutions. I think that would be extremely helpful to those of us trying to this the right way.
Love the show!!
Cyril
Links
patreon.com/cordkillers
Dog House Systems Cordkiller box