Apple’s plans for TV, Caavo gives one interface for all boxes, and the future of Plex from Jared Newman. With special guest Jared Newman (https://twitter.com/OneJaredNewman).
It’s Spoilerin’ Time 157
Winter Movie Draft, The Young Pope (105), The Expanse (203), Justified (505)
00:49 – Winter Movie Draft
04:07 – The Young Pope (105)
11:34 – The Expanse (203)
25:07 – Justified (505)
Cordkillers 157 – Their Crimes Are The Literal Crimes They’ve Committed
Apple gets serious about Apple TV, HBO Now gets a lot of subscribers, and Guardians of the Galaxy will be the perfect movie.
CordKillers: Ep. 157 – Their Crimes Are The Literal Crimes They’ve Committed
Recorded: February 13 2017
Guest: None
Intro Video
Primary Target
- Apple Hires Amazon’s Fire TV Head to Run Apple TV Business
– Apple hired Timothy D. Twerdahl, former head of Amazon’s Fire TV division, as vice president in charge of Apple TV product marketing. Twerdahl previously worked at Netflix and Roku. Pete Distad will move from that role into focusing on Apple’s negotiations with media companies. Distad left Hulu in 2013 to join Apple.
How to Watch
- HBO NOW’s streaming service surpasses 2 million subscribers
– Time Warner announced Wednesday that HBO NOW has 2 million subs now.
– Last number was March 2016 approaching 1 million
What to Watch
- ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’ Scores Extremely Rare 100 in Test Screening
– Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 has tested higher than any Marvel Studios movie in the company’s nine-year history. The movie’s score: a perfect 100. - Snapchat pushes original, unscripted Shows with new A+E Networks deal
– A&E is developing an 8-week series called Second Chance about emotional exes trying to figure out why their relationships fell apart. The series will run in the UK, Australia, Canada and US. On Snapchat. Snapchat has been partnering with shows like The Voice and Planet Earth II to run complementary content but this will be its first original unscripted drama. - Apple’s Carpool Karaoke series gets its first trailer
- HBO’s ‘Silicon Valley’ returns April 23rd
- Netflix Just Announced Premiere Dates for 12 Original Shows
– Project MC2 (February 14)
– Chef’s Table (February 17)
– Buddy Thunderstruck (March 10)
– Marvel’s Iron Fist (March 17 -We knew that but there’s a new trailer here)
– Love (March 10)
– Julie’s Greenroom (March 17)
– Grace and Frankie (March 24)
– Bill Nye Saves The World (April 21)
– Girlboss (April 21)
– Casting JonBenet (April 28)
– Dear White People (April 28)
– Anne (May 12)
– House of Cards (May 30)
– Orange Is The New Black (June 9)Netflix said
– The OA was renewed for a second season. A release date has not yet been announced. - Marvel’s Iron Fist Trailer
- Bill Nye Saves The World Trailer
- Dear White People trailer
- Netflix Has Announced a Castlevania TV Show for 2017
– Castlevania Season 1, Part 1 Coming to Netflix in 2017 (Probably Frederator networks – Adi Shankar said so on Facebook about a year ago and Fred Seibert previously alluded to a video game related project)
What We’re Watching
- Brian: James Cameron’s Avatar, Voltron, Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath , The Expanse, Justified, Split
- Tom: The Young Pope (105-108), Get Out, Legion (101), The Lobster, Jon Wick, Justified (505)
- On the Lookout: Michael Bolton’s Big, Sexy Valentine’s Day Special
Front Lines
- Vizio settles for $2.2 million in FTC suit over snooping on consumers’ viewing habits
– Vizio agreed to settle a lawsuit with the US Federal Trade Commission and the state of New Jersey for $2.2 million. Starting in 2014, Vizio began tracking what shows were watched alongside IP addresses, MAC addresses, and nearby wi-fi networks, then a third party matched that data with sex, age, income level and more and sold for advertising use. Vizio agreed to delete all collected data, stop tracking, and get express permission before collecting and sharing any new information. - MTV’s Mina Lefevre Exits to Join Facebook as Head of Originals Development
– Facebook has hired Mina Lefevre to be head of development of video content for Facebook. The former executive vice preisdent of development and head of scripted programming at MTV, Lefevre over saw shows like Teen Wolf and the Shannara Chronicles. Facebook recently indicated it wishes to develop original short-form programming. She joins co-founder of College Humor Ricky VanVeen who is now Facebook’s head of global creative strategy. - Viacom Puts Its Might Behind Six Brands to Turn Itself Around
– Viacom says it will prioritize BET, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon and Nick Jr along with its Paramount movie studio now. Other brands will be reorganized to support those six. For instance, Spike will be renamed, the Paramount Network. And Nickelodeon and Paramount will co-brand 4 films. This is the first major move by new Chief Executive Officer Bob Bakish who took over as permanent CEO in December. - E.U. Agrees to Cross-Border Access to Streaming Services
– The European Union agreed Tuesday on rules allowing subscribers of online services to access those services while traveling outside their home country within the EU. The rules apply to video streaming services, online TV services, music streaming services and online video game marketplaces. - Netflix Plans New Toys, Merchandise Based on Hit TV Shows
– Netflix has posted a job listing seeking someone to oversee licensing shows for books, comics and toys and creating partnerships with retailers. Bloomberg also said Netflix is also starting to ask for a cut of merchandise made for shows released by Netflix but produced by outside studios. Netflix experimented with Stranger Things merchandise being sold in Hot Topic stores. - Nielsen steps closer to cross-platform measurement
– The Media Rating Council has given accreditation to Nielsen’s Digital in TV Ratings tool which is part of its Total Audience Measurement initiative. The tool allows digital viewership to be combined with traditional TV ratings.
Dispatches from the Front
I have TWC now called Spectrum in NYC & I tried to stop my cable but because I have internet & tv bundled the price would go up if I stop cable. Crazy!
– Fin
One of your many bosses emailing here to ask if you’ve seen or heard of this streaming tv guide site for the top 3 streaming TV services out there. The site is www.streamingtvguides.com and it gives you what is currently on in your traditional grid format we grew up on.
It has Sling TV, PlayStation Vue and DirecTV NOW and all of their respective package options. So simply choose your package from the drop down you subscribe to and you’ll see what’s on right now! Find the logo of the channel or channels you’re interested in in the grid and quickly scan what’s on. You can even click on each program and get more information if needed. The reason I found this is simply due to the fact I didn’t have my TV on and didn’t want to turn it on, load the Sling app and wait for everything to populate just to see what was on, I just wanted to know if it was worth turning on. I know, pretty lazy, but now that I know this site is out there, it’ll be quicker and more convenient in the future.
I’ve only used Sling TV myself and still am currently subscribed to it, but I found this quite useful to quickly glance through all the channels I have available. I can’t speak to the other two services as I haven’t used them, but it can take a few minutes just to “surf” through all the channels in the Sling app as it takes a couple seconds to load the channel information and art for the current show on each channel.
Anyway, just my two cents and hopefully it helps a fellow cordkiller out there. Been listening since the FrameRate days and haven’t missed an episode. Keep up the good work!!
– Brian
On the last show Brian talked about syfy streaming issues with the expanse restarting and other crazy stuff. I ran into this awhile back. when running an ad blocker it will let you get to the first commercial break but then freaks out and restarts. Just in case no one has mentioned it already, just disable ad blocker (mine was ublock origin) and it will play fine.
– Mike
Hi Tom, thought you would be interested in how they cast the actress for Bobbie Draper. They were worried about finding an actress who was a 6 ft Polynesian that was physically muscular. Just as a side note, being 6’5″ and 270 she is pretty much my perfect match.
Weighing in on the idea that $4 is too expensive for Seeso…
I have to agree that this IS too expensive as compared to what you get from Hulu or Netflix. If you’re trying to put content out there, those are the price comparisons that people are going to make. Hulu @ $8 includes nearly all current NBC, ABC, FOX, and secondary channel content plus some back catalogs, some originals, and a growing catalog of good movies. Netflix at $8 or $10 for HD gives you a huge back catalog of shows, a huge library of originals, and a good collection of movies.
So how can you justify $4/month for one genre of content from NBC? Or $6 for just CBS? Comparatively, their offerings are too limited to warrant that price.
Plus this model does not scale. Filmstruck wants its $7-$11, Crunchyroll wants $7. Are all the content licensees going to try to extract their $4 – 12 from you for their content? Forget it. If that’s the new world, I’m not buying. I’ll stick with Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon, and I’ll supplement that with ad hoc purchases and rentals.
– Richard
You were talking about which services were considered “too expensive,” and the survey said that CBS All Access was too expensive, but Hulu was not.
From my perspective, with Hulu, I get access to multiple networks (NBC, Fox, Comedy Central, etc.); but with CBS, I only get CBS. It does not seem worth it to me for the two or three shows that I want (especially when I want commcial-free), when I can use the other service to access many, many shows.
– John
Links
It’s Spoilerin’ Time 156
Winter Movie Draft, The Expanse (201-202), The Young Pope (103-104), Justified (504).
00:41 – Winter Movie Draft
03:56 – The Expanse (201-202)
14:41 – The Young Pope (103-104)
20:00 – Justified (504)
Cordkillers 156 – Please Pretend You Have Cable
Which streaming services are too expensive, why Comcast charges extra for a Roku app, and who didn’t watch the Super Bowl.
It’s Spoilerin’ Time 155
Winter Movie Draft, The Young Pope (101, 102), Justified (503).
00:34 – Winter Movie Draft
05:37 – The Young Pope (101, 102)
17:03 – Justified (503)
Cordkillers 155 – Millennials are Not a Fixed Species (w/ Andrew Mayne)
What millennials watch, the state of Apple TV’s single sign-on, and Comcast is doing well. With special guest Andrew Mayne. (http://twitter.com/andrewmayne)
It’s Spoilerin’ Time 154
Winter Movie Draft, Logan (trailer), Sherlock (403), Justified (502).
00:43 – Winter Movie Draft
03:10 – Logan (trailer)
05:47 – Sherlock (403)
12:27 – Justified (502)
Cordkillers 154 – In Bed! (w/ Jeff Cannata)
Why Netflix is killing it, Esquire network blazes a trail, why more people are using antennas.
CordKillers: Ep. 154 – In Bed!
Recorded: January 24 2017
Guest: Jeff Cannata
Intro Video
Primary Target
- Netflix added a record 7 million new subscribers last quarter
– Netflix announced it earned $0.15 per share in Q4 with sales of $2.48 billion. Analysts had expected earnings per share of $0.14 and revenue of $2.47 billion. Notably the company saw very strong growth in subscribers across all markets. In the US, 2 million new subscibers were added in Q4, with 5 million added internationally. This well exceeded analyst expectations of 1.38 million and 3.78 million, respectively. The company has focused on adding international content that can travel across regions to continue this growth, like the original Brazilian series 3%, as well as Japanese anime and Turkish dramas - Netflix predicts HBO will let you binge new shows online before they air on TV
- Netflix’s global domination plans find a US fanbase
- Netflix is so big that it doesn’t need net neutrality rules anymore
- A buyer’s primer on who’s NOT subscribing to Netflix
- Netflix is killing it
– Reed Hastings in shareholder letter cited an unconfirmed report about the BBC ““The BBC has become the first major linear network to announce plans to go binge-first with new seasons, favoring internet over linear viewers. We presume HBO is not far behind the BBC.”
– Netflix CCO Ted Sarandos “We’re seeing as we’re adding more and more global shows that it’s rising all boats across the world,”
-“Weakening of US net neutrality laws, should that occur, is unlikely to materially affect our domestic margins or service quality because we are now popular enough with consumers to keep our relationships with ISPs stable.”
-“On a public policy basis, however, strong net neutrality is important to support innovation and smaller firms.”
– A UBS study of US non-subscribers to Netflix
– 2/3 older than 55
– 3/5 have HH income below US median, also small HH of 1 or 2 perople
– Slower on technology adoption
– The report notes that adding Netflix as part of a cable bundle is more likely to convert this group into subscribers
How to Watch
- NBCU Shutting Cable’s Esquire Network, Re-Launching As Digital
– NBC is shutting down its Esquire Cable network, a month after DirecTV dropped it, and will relaunch it this Spring on Esquire.com. It will have all existing programs plus anticipated new shows.
– Esquire averaged 55,000 adults 18-49 in primetime last year72 of 104 networks. Even NBC’s leverage of USA (#4) and Bravo (#23) weren’t enough to keep it going. - Pondering the future of niche cable in era of cord cutting
- Hulu will let you download shows ‘in a few months’
– Hulu has extended its user profiles function to iOS and Android. Users of Hulu on the Web, Xbox and PlayStation also have access to profiles.
– And Hulu CEO Mike Hopkins told AdWeek that you’ll have the option to download Hulu shows in a few months, once licensing issues are squared away.
What to Watch
- Star Wars: Episode VIII Is Now Star Wars: The Last Jedi
– The next Star Wars movie has a title. Episode VIII will be called Star Wars: The Last Jedi. - Netflix’s The Discovery posits a dark outcome from proving the afterlife exists
– A movie called The Discovery will come to Netflix March 31. Robert Redford plays a person who has proved the afterlife is real causing a spike in suicides. The movie also stars Jason Segel, Rooney Mara and Jesse Plemons. - Netflix’s House of Cards will return on May 30th for its fifth season
– House of Cards will return to Netflix on May 30 for season 5. It’s the first season without creator Beau Willimon as showrunner. - Twitter to live-stream from red carpet for 3 more award shows
– Twitter will partner with Dick Clark Productions to live stream the red carpet pre-show for the Country Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards and American Music Awards. Twitter will also live stream the 7th annual Streamy Awards. - Seinfeld’s ‘Comedians in Cars’ moves to Netflix this year
– Jerry Seinfeld’s Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee will bring 24 new episodes to Netflix starting in late 2017 along with 59 back episodes. Previously it was the only show most people could remember when asked what kinds of things you could find on Sony’s Crackle service. Seinfeld will also film two stand-up specials. - Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman’s Good Omens TV Miniseries Arrives on Amazon Next Year
– Neil Gaiman will be the showrunner of a six-part adaptation of Good Omens, a book Gaiman co-wrote with the late Terry Pratchett. Amazon is co-developing it with the BBC for air in 2018. - Star Trek Discovery delayed, no longer has a release date
– James Frain has been cast as Spock’s father Sarek howeever, the series will no longer debut in May. A representative told the Hollywood Reporter, “We’ve said from the beginning it’s more important to do this right than to do it fast.” No new release date has been announced. - The author of The Martian is writing a NASA TV pilot for CBS
– Andy Weir, author of the Martian is working on a pilot for CBS called Mission Control that “revolves around the next generation of NASA astronauts and scientists who juggle their personal and professional lives” during a critical mission.
What We’re Watching
- Brian: Young Pope 102,103. Justified, Sherlock 403
- Tom: Laura, Justified (502) Sherlock (403) Star Trek: Voyager
- Jeff: Split, Captain Fantastic
- On the Lookout: AwesomenessTV’s “We Love You , BuzzFeedVideo’s “Broke.
Front Lines
- 15% of U.S. broadband households have antenna-only TV service
– A Parks Associates study found 15 percent of US broadband households get TV from an antenna the 5th straight quarter of growth. Pay TV subscriptions dropped to 81%, making three straight years of declines. - DirecTV Now got 200,000 subscribers in its first month
– In an SEC financial filing AT&T stated the the DirecTV Now streaming service added more than 200,000 paying subscribers in its first month. - AirTV is shipping to customers without its biggest feature (updated)
– Dish’s AirTV boxes are shipping but without the promised integration of over the air channels into the Sling TV interface. A separate button gives access to over the air channels. The boxes on display at CES were running beta software apparently and a software update to bring the integrated guide to everyone should roll out next month. - Roku’s new app can replace its remote, help you find something to watch
– Roku updated its Android and iOS apps, moving navigation to the bottom of the app and showing you a list of channels you have installed in the main screen when you first launch the app. A new section called What’s On makes recommendations. The remote screen also now more closely resembkles the physical Roku remote. - Shambling corpse of 3D TV finally falls down dead
– LG and Sony will stop adding support for 3D TV to their television sets in 2017. Samsung dropped support from models in 2016 and Vizio in 2013. - Netflix Joins Apple’s TV App, Sort Of
– The Apple TV app (which is on iOS and Apple TV the device) now supports non-original Netflix shows. Netflix originals can still only be accessed from the Netflix app.
Dispatches from the Front
Hi Tom/Brian – I just wanted to share the results of an experiment I was conducting to see if I could start using Amazon Prime video more than I was because I mostly forgot it was there.
Well TLDR; No. Their UX on both Roku and the Web is still terrible. When I stop watching the UHD version of the Grand Tour on the Roku and try to continue on the laptop it doesn’t continue from where I left on the Roku. Because Amazon tracks the UHD and the HD versions separately. Seriously!!! Also I rented 3 movies during their 99 cent rental offer and couldn’t find them on any screen. I had to search for them movies and then it showed that I had rented them. Also the UX is terrible to figure out which are paid and which are free on Prime.
When I discussed this with a few colleagues and friends, I found I wasn’t the only one struggling. So I guess amazon which is so brilliant in shopping UX needs a lot of work on the streaming part. I love a lot of the work they are doing but definitely need to ramp up the UX. For now I am back to itunes and Google Play for renting. But I assume Apple will run into this when they plan on launching their streaming service.
Thanks,
– Josh
Hey guys,
I love the show and I am a Patreon contributor. I have a question. What apps would you recommend that show where to stream a movie or tv show?
Thanks again for the show. I cut cable October 2015 and I haven’t missed it. My wife was the reason I didn’t do it sooner but she was tried of Comcast issues and agreed to try. We agreed to cut cable for a month without actually dropping the cable. We disconnected the TVs and hooked up an OTA antenna. After two weeks my wife said she didn’t miss cable and we dropped Comcast.
We use Netflix, Acorn TV and Tablo with the antenna. We use a combination of Apple TVs and Roku on 4 TVs. I like Apple better and my wife prefers Roku. I use SideReel to track my shows at Tom’s recommendation. We have used Sling TV, PlayStation Vue and Dirrectv Now. Of the three, I like PS Vue the best but I will try Hulu’s new service we it comes out.
Sincerely,
– Elvin
Hello wonderful employees!
I meant to write in some time ago about this subject, but just never got around to it.
The reason that Amazon didn’t release Grand Tour all at once is because they’re still filming!
This screen grab is from E! following the production team of GT around the Hollywood Hills, Wednesday, January 18, as they film elements for what’s possibly the season finale on February 3rd. According to WikiPedia, “it was announced that the final studio filming location will be Dubai in December 2016.[25].”
So there’s your answer, they’re still not done! However, they’re going straight into filming series two, so maybe that would be release Netflix-style.
Love the show, gents. Keep up the great work!
Thanks for recommending Movies With Mikey I love his review style, and his review of The Force Awakens changed my mind about the movie. When I saw it all I could see was all the fan service BS like “oh look it’s Death Star 3.0 this time it’s bigger”. Mikey revealed done of the underlying plot that I totally missed.
Love the show
Your boss
– Matt
Hey guys,
Heard your positive sounding coverage of the Anime Strike launch on Amazon. Always cool to see the anime streaming services get a little Cordkiller love. Wanted to drop you a line and hip you to some details about that service you may not be aware of. You’re right, anime fans tend to be a pretty passionate bunch, but we’ll get back to that later.
99% of the offerings on Anime Strike is content that’s readily available through other channels. There’s really nothing particularly special about most of the content it offers other than their “curation.” No doubt some of it was previously available on Amazon Prime.
But there is *one* thing that is special.
There is a programming block on Fuji TV called Noitamina (animation spelled backwards). Every broadcast season, it airs one weekly half-hour episode show. The content on that block is aimed at an older audience, and an audience that might not be your standard issue “anime fan.” Think drama, not Dragonball. And the content that airs on Noitamina, while not infallible, is generally considered to be a cut above by a lot of anime fans. Many folks will check out any show that airs on that block, even if it doesn’t appear to be their cup of tea. “Noitamina show” is a phrase that people recognize.
And Amazon signed a deal with Fuji TV to be the exclusive streaming distributer of simulcast content that airs on that block a few seasons back.
So essentially, Anime Strike is merely Amazon holding a single show, of well-regarded content, hostage for five dollars a month, every season. On TOP of an Amazon Prime membership. Compare that to the seven dollars a month for a Crunchroll membership – where you can watch literally *everything else* that is simulcasting (plus a large library of things you *can’t* see other places).
There is no value add to Anime Strike. It’s a very old-media, consumer-hostile, balkanization maneuver.
Y’all are correct – anime fans are a pretty passionate bunch. Moreover, they’re pretty savvy about streaming services too. And the naked cynicism of what Amazon is doing with that service is readily apparent. I assure you, Anime Strike enjoys absolutely no good will in western anime fandom. People are going to continue paying Crunchyroll (a company that enjoys a *great deal* of consumer good will) their seven dollars a month, and torrent the single Noitaminia show. That’s what’s going to happen.
That isn’t intended to be justifications for piracy, just pointing out the reality and economics of the situation.
Cheers guys,
– Monte
Links
It’s Spoilerin’ Time 153
Winter Movie Draft, Sherlock (402), Justified (501), Westworld revisited.
00:36 – Winter Movie Draft
03:10 – Sherlock (402)
19:33 – Justified (501)
25:15 – Westworld revisited