What the heck is YouTube Premium, Spiderman sequel casting rumors, DirectTV Now overhaul, and The Expanse revival rumors. All this and more on Cordkillers! With special guest Martin Thomas.

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CordKillers: Ep. 221 – $40. Wait, What?!
Recorded: May 21 2018
Guest: Martin Thomas.

Intro Video

• Double Toasted Avengers Infinite War review

Primary Target

• YouTube Music launches Tuesday; YouTube Red will be replaced by YouTube Premium, which will cost more.
  – Tomorrow, Tuesday, YouTube will roll out changes to its subscription offerings. YouTube Music will officially launch as a music streaming service (with standalone app) offering a portal to YouTube’s immense library of music label and user-generated music. The service includes recommendations based on history and location as well as various playlists. YouTube Music will be free and ad-supported at its base and users can upgrade to YouTube Music Premium for $10/mo for ad-free listening, background listening on mobile, and offline downloading of music. On top of YouTube Music Premium, is a plan just called YouTube Premium. For $12/mo, users get all the features of YouTube Music Premium extended across all of YouTube (ad-free viewing, background play, downloading) plus access to YouTube Originals–this is effectively YouTube Red. Existing YouTube Red or Google Play All Access/Google Play Music users will see a continuance of their features and services at their current prices and YouTube says Google Play Music uploads, playlists, and purchases will not change. Quoting an email that went out to YouTube Red subscribers: “Your monthly membership price isn’t changing. As long as your membership remains active, your price stays the same. If your price ever changes, we’ll be sure to give you plenty of notice.”

How to Watch

• DirecTV Now launches DVR features to all customers alongside redesigned app
  – DirectTV Now is roling out a public beta of its DVR to all users which includes 20 hours of content stored for 30 days for free (with paid options starting at $10/mo for 100 hours stored for 90 days). DirectTV also overhauled its interface placing an emphasis on users’ msot watched content and to provide picture-in-picture channel previewing. Users can also add a third consequtive stream to their account for $5/mo. Finally, users will be allowed to access local affiliates of network channels when travelling (assuming those affiliates are available on DirectTV)
• New Amazon Channels Data Shows Why Apple Wants to Copy It
  – Data from The Diffusion Group shows that 53% of HBO subscribers who do not buy HBO through a cable provider subscribe through Amazon Channels, Amazon’s a la carte channel subscription service. The same can be said for 72% of Showtime and 70% of Starz’s a la carte subscribers. While this data is only gleamed from unofficial data, if it’s even remotely accurate, it shines a light on why Apple would want to get into the subscription a la carte game. Last week we reported that Apple would eventually offer a la carte channels like HBO directly through its TV app.
• TiVo update will add Amazon’s Alexa to select DVRs
  – In voice remote news, Tivos partnership with Amazon A-word is rolling out to users of the Premiere, Roamio, or Bolt DVR set-top boxes. The voice commands are limited compared to Tivo’s own “Vox” remote control, but it’s another option for voice assistant users. Also, YouTube TV turns on ‘voice remote’ feature for some users. Using the Google Home speaker or YouTube TV app, users can issue voice commands to control YouTube TV to change the channel, volume, or find a specific program.

What to Watch

• ‘The Expanse’ Revived for Season 4 at Amazon
  – The Hollywood Reporter is reporting Amazon will be reviving The Expanse just over a week after its cancellation from SyFy. Amazon has not confirmed the deal, which is reportedly not closed.
• Jake Gyllenhaal May Play Mysterio in the Spider-Man: Homecoming Sequel
  – Sony is reported to be eyeing Jake Gyllenhaal to play Mysterio and Michael Keaton to return as Vulture. in the upcoming Spier-Man Homecoming sequel
• Amazon gives ‘Mrs. Maisel’ third season just months after premiere
  – Amazon confirmes the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel will get a third season even before the second has even premired. This isn’t a complete surprise as Mrs. Maisel won two Golden Globes in January and recently won a Peabody award. The first season was originally greenlit after winning an Amazon Pilot Season vote. We reported about a month ago that the yet-to-premiere Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan was picked up for a second season.
• Robert Downey Jr. is making a YouTube Red series about artificial intelligence
  – Robert Downey Jr has signed on to a new YouTube Red (Premium?) original series about artificial intelligence. He’ll host and narrate the show which will explore how AI transforms the way we work and live in the present and future. His wife Susan Downey will produce.
• At Long Last, Terry Gilliam Has Screened “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote”
  – After 30 years, Terry Gilliam finally was able to screen The Man Who Killed Don Quixote at the Cannes Film Festival Saturday Night to a well deserved 15 minute-long standing ovation that, kinda symbolized the decades wait on this film
• Barack and Michelle’s next act: TV deal with Netflix
  – Barack and Michelle Obama have entered an multi-year agreement with Netflix to produce series, documentaries, and feature films. Reports say the first item to appear from this deal would arrive around May 2019.
• Netflix lands political comedy with Jennifer Aniston and Tig Notaro
  – Netflix acquired a new political comedy starring Jennifer Aniston and Tig Notaro “First Ladies.” Tig Notaro and her wife Stephanie Allynne wrote it.
• Netflix snags Guillermo del Toro horror anthology series
  – Netflix ordered a horror anthology series from Guillermo del Toro horror called “10 After Midnight.” del Toro will curate, write, and direct alongside a team of writers and filmmakers. No release has been set.
• Netflix snaps up two Cannes award winners despite feud
  – Despite the feud, Netflix also acquired two new films at the Cannes Film Festival. “Happy as Lazzaro” won Best Screenplay for the story of a naive man wrapped roped into faking a kidnapping. “Girl” is the story of a young transgender teen ballerina. The purchase includes North and South American distribution rights, but no release date has been announced.
• Netflix and ESPN are working on a Michael Jordan documentary series
  – Netflix and ESPN are working on a Michael Jordan documentary series, “The Last Dance.” It will cover Jordan’s ascent to the throne in the ’90s and his time with the Chicago Bulls during their final championship in the 1997-98 season
• Netflix picks up ‘The Big Short’ author’s Wall Street exposé
  – And finally, Netflix picked up the rights to a Wall Street expose fromMichael Lewis, auther of “The Big Short” called “Flash Boys,” on the high-frequency trading loophole.

What We’re Watching

• Brian: Evil Genius, Cobra Kai, rewatch Westworld 203, Deadpool 2
• Bryce: Cobra Kai,  Halt and Catch Fire,  rewatch, Deadpool 2, Westworld, Legion
• Martin: Counterpart, Legion, Westworld, Barry, Atlanta
• On the Look out: The Who Was?, A Little Help with Carol Burnett

Front Lines

• Netflix wins a BAFTA, but the BBC’s still king
  – Netflix won a BAFTA for The Crown (Best Supporting Actress went to Vanessa Kirby) out of 6 noms. Hulu wins Best International Series with The Handmaid’s Tale.
• ‘Cobra Kai’: YouTube Red’s ‘Karate Kid’ Sequel Outperforms Netflix, Hulu Shows
  – Data from Parrot Analytics claim Cobra Kai outperformed other original programming including 13 Reasons Why season 2 and Arrested Development from May 6 to May 12. Seems like a hit?
• YouTube TV adds The Young Turks and Tastemade channels
  – YouTube TV adds The Young Turks and Tastemade channels which will produce 14 new series between the two for their coming 24/7 channels.
• Netflix will split the fifth season of ‘Arrested Development’
  – Netflix will split the fifth season of ‘Arrested Development’ with 8 episodes releasing on the announced May 29th date. Netflix is doing a similar split with Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’s finale season the next day. It is likely these splits were to qualify for the Emmy’s.

Dispatches from the Front

I DID IT!! I FINALLY DID IT!!!
Cut the cord, turned in my cable box. Cable free for the first time in 30 years. Not only that, Comcast gave me a year deal on its blast internet package for $60 a month and it will be cheaper when i get my own router. Not saying i will not ever go back to cable but I’m planning on buying season pass on Amazon of series i want to keep up with. Other than that, Netflix, Prime is good enough for me. #soexcited

– Mel

 

 

 

 Dear Penthouse Forum…I mean Cordkilkers…I never thought this would happen to me but AMC made me so mad I couldn’t watch the movie I paid for and walked out after the first scene. I’ve been a longtime Movie Pass member (although I quit after they raised the price to $99 during their original phase but jumped back in at $10). On Monday I went to the theater knowing I had $10 in rewards on my AMC Premiere Club card and had decided to use that since I hadn’t had a chance to eat anything that day. I bought my ticket with my Movie Pass, went to the concession stand and was told the $10 was used to pay for my ticket. I had always been given the option to use it at the ticket counter or concessions but the manager somewhat gleefully explained the policy had been changed and it takes it out of whatever purchase is now made first. It felt like this may have been instituted as a punishment toward Movie Pass users who get their tickets “for free” but it makes no sense because the theater gets full price for every film I see there and I am a loyal audience member who chooses them as my main theater. I sat in the auditorium as the movie started, grumbling to myself and decided to just leave and cool off while grabbing lunch. Do you think the Movie Pass conspiracy theory I concocted may be true?

– Mark

Links

2018 Summer Movie Draft
patreon.com/cordkillers