The prettiest Mr. Robot yet? And we revisit Serenity to finish off our Firefly re-watch. With special guest Kristi Kates.

00:49 – Winter Movie Draft 2017
07:40 – Serenity
22:37 – Mr. Robot (306)

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A streaming service for the sports apathetic, why people watch Netflix in the bathrooms, and Twitter tries to win the 24 hour news game. With special guest Kristi Kates.

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CordKillers: Ep. 196 – You Might Be Part of the 7%
Recorded: November 20 2017
Guest: Kristi Kates

Intro Video

• The Force Awakens is NOT a Remake of A New Hope

Primary Target

• Philo non-sports Pay TV service
  – Philo launched this week
  – Streaming service from A&E, Scripps, Discovery, AMC and Viacom
  – Base for $16 a month, Extras for $20 a month
  – Web, Roku, iOS

How to Watch

• People watch Netflix at work and in public bathrooms 
  – Netflix commissioned survey
  – 37,000 adults between late August and early September
  – 67% of people watch TV and movie in public
  – planes, buses, commuting most popular
  – 26% said binged shows at work.
  – 7% worldwide admitted watching TV and movies in public restrooms
  – Mobile makes up 10% of its viewing though half of users stream from phone during a month

What to Watch

• Amazon’s Philip K. Dick anthology series will go live on January 12
  – Amazon’s Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams arrives Friday, January 12. (Steve Buscemi, Bryan Cranston, Anna Paquin, Terrence Howard, Maura Tierney, and more star in the anthology series)
• New trailer out for A Wrinkle in Time which hits theaters March 9.
• Netflix to produce TV series with Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan
  – Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan will produce (but not act in) a new 8-episode Netflix series called Bard of Blood. [[A young Shakespeare professor living in the Indian hill station Panchgani who must return home to save both his country and the woman he left behind.]]

What We’re Watching

• Brian: Serenity, , 30 for 30: Nature Boy, Last Week Tonight’s
• Tom: Serenity, Mr. Robot (306), Orville
• Kristi: Thor: Ragnarok, Inhumans, Serenity
• On the Lookout: No Activity

Front Lines

• Amazon denies that it’s developing a freemium version of Prime Video, despite report
  – Responding to an AdAge report that Amazon was considering launching a free ad-supported version of Amazon Prime Video, an Amazon spokesperson told The Verge: “We have no plans to create a free, ad-supported version of Prime Video.”
• Vimeo now supports HDR videos
  – Vimeo announced users can now upload video in HDR and at resolutions up to 8K. The service also now supports 10-bit video and a wider color gamut. HDR playback will work on most new mobile devices with an HDR display as well as on the Apple TV 4K.
• Bloomberg’s Twitter-based news network launches December 18th
  – Bloomberg is launching a 24-hour news network on Twitter December 18. Goldman Sachs, Infiniti, TD Ameritrade, CA Technologies, AT&T and CME Group are all investing between 1.5-3 million each.
• FCC approves TV technology that gives better pictures but less privacy
  – The US FCC approved a new over the air standard called ATSC 3.0 which allows broadcasters to geolocate TV signals, transmit Ultra-HD and allow for more interactive programming. ATSC 3.0 can target broadcasts, including advertising and emergency alerts on a street by street basis. Broadcasters will be required to continue the current system alongside the new system for 5 years. No current TVs support ATSC 3.0.
• How to find the TV channels you want online
  – ReCode has a tool where you can put in channels you want and it will show you which online streaming services carry those channels. It compares DirecTV Now, Hulu, Philo, PS Vue, Sling TV and YouTube TV.
• Fullscreen Media is ending its subscription video service in January. Fullscreen launched in April 2016 for $6 a month.

 

Dispatches from the Front

 

I would like to points out that when you use MoviePass to artifically inflate points that it’s the movie theater that loses out because you are getting stuff for free

– John

 

Tom and Brian,

Just finished listening to Episode 195 in which you read an email from Joshua where he says he buys tickets using his Moviepass everyday just to rack up loyalty points. A quick look at the Moviepass terms of service shows that is in fact against the TOS.

One of the items that they list as a reason to terminate your account is:

(ix) On more than one occasion during any thirty (30) day period you do not view the movie for which you purchased a ticket with your MoviePass Card in its entirety.

I’m sure you’ve gotten several emails on the same subject, but I just thought it was worth a mention. Moviepass seems like a great deal and I am getting ready to sign up, and I would hate for everyone to lose it because some folks aren’t playing by the rules.

Thanks

– Don

 

 

So I have to reverse my opinion that I tweeted to Tom and Brian earlier about MoviePass. It was a great company when it was $40 a month. The price cut and expansion with $10 a month has thrown all levels of customer service they used to have in the trash.

As someone who works in customer service I’m a little less lenient in this area than some (I broke relations with a game developer from poor service regarding $15.) but my partner and I have two different problems and they won’t respond to either of us. I have my card and no way to activate it and my partner has an activated card but no physical card. We have tried Facebook, Twitter, instagram in addition to the in-app chat support and email and no response from the company at all. It’s been a rather disappointing experience since the business model changed for MoviePass.

– Jeff

 

 

Hello Valued Employees (and guest),

So I’m wondering what you think about the idea that Netflix is ahead of the game in international distribution, with the key being their Netflix Originals brand.

With shows such as Peaky Blinders, The Expanse and ST Discovery all being branded “Netflix Originals” outside of their home territories, it seems like Netflix is playing the long game worldwide to increase their prominence and their mindshare with audiences, while the other big media companies still haven’t risen their eyes above the horizon and are just obsessively squabbling over the US domestic market.

TL;DR Netflix is focusing on the rest of the world, discuss!

Thanks for a great show – keep up the good work and maybe you’ll get those xmas bonuses!

– Micky

 

 

 

Hey there, just a small note on CW shows on Netflix. Tom had said that the previous season is available the day the new season starts. However, they show up 8 days after the season ends:

Netflix and the CW Confirm New Licensing Deal for All Scripted Series

Sorry if 400 people pointed this out! 😀

– Rob

 

Links

2017 Winter Movie Draft
patreon.com/cordkillers