Search Results for "september 24"

Why Roku is still number one, Hulu Live TV gets better, and Ozark is the best. 

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CordKillers: Ep. 185 – Both of Them and Charles Dickens are Wrong
Recorded: August 28 2017
Guest: None

Intro Video

• Tormund and Hound sing-along 

Primary Target

• Roku is the top streaming device in the US and growing
  – Parks Associates market share by number of installed devices.
  -37% of streaming devices in US are ROKU, up from 30% from last year
  – Only Fire TV increased to 24% up 16%
  – Chromecast fell to third at 18% Apple TV fourth at 15%
  – Previously mentioned emarketer stats based connected TV use
• Apple Is Planning a 4K Upgrade for Its TV Box
  – Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Apple plans to unveil an updated Apple TV with 4K streaming support and a focus on live television at their September 12th announcement. The updated Apple TV will reportedly support HDR video.

How to Watch

• Hulu’s live TV service now supports web browsers on PC and Mac
• Hulu Live TV comes to Xbox 360
  – Hulu Live TV can now be streamed to the browser on Windows and macOS. Hulu warns that it’s a beta that will add more functions as the months go by.
• Hulu’s Live TV service to have all five major broadcast networks with addition of The CW
  – Hulu announced a deal to carry the CW on its live TV service. Hulu Live now has all five major english-language US broadcasters. It will arrive in select markets first with other affiliates joining over time.

What to Watch

• The Tick’s Creators Split Up the New Season to Curb Binge Watching
  – The Tick arrived on Amazon Friday but only half the season. Creator Ben Edlund told CinemaBlend that they broke up the season in two on purpose. Edlund said The Binge Watching [sic] issue is… I see it as it’s a perfect dive from a high board, and there’s no splash. We’re all sort of veterans of the opposite of that. Fan energy wants to have a culture to express itself in. So if you split a season, and give a gap in-between, you get anticipation, you get people are able [to] talk about what happened.”
• Adam Scott Suspects His Stepson Is Satan’s Son in the Trailer for Little Evil
  – Eli Craig who made Tucker and Dale vs. Evil parodying the cabin the woods horror genre has a movie called Little Evil that parodies the possessed child genre. Little Evil stars Adam Scott and Evangeline Lilly and premieres September 1.
• Stranger Things Will Be Back For Season 3, But Probably End After Season 4
  – Ross Duffer told Vulture that he and his brother are thinking Stranger Things will wrap up in four seasons. Netflix has renewed the series for a third season. The second season arrives October 27th.
• Netflix snags ‘Def Comedy Jam’ 25th anniversary special
  – Netflix will stream Russel Simmons’ Def Comedy Jam 25th anniversary special this autumn. The lineup will include Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart, Tracy Morgan and Katt Williams. A reboot of the series is also coming to HBO in November called All Def Comedy.
• Get Your First Look at Black Mirror’s Freaky Fourth Season Right Now
  – A teaser for the next season of Black Mirror is out with episode titles and short clips. No date was revealed either.

What We’re Watching

• Brian: Game of Thrones, Rick and Morty, Firefly 
• Tom: Preacher (210) Secrets of the Citadel, Ozark (101-102) The Tick (102-102) Game of Thrones, Twin Peaks, Rick and Morty
• On the Lookout: The Trollhunters

Front Lines

• CBS is expanding to Australia with buyout of troubled broadcaster Network Ten
  – CBS announced a deal to acquire major Australian national broadcaster, Ten. This may be followed by a launch of CBS All Access in Australia.
• Walmart’s streaming service Vudu hits Apple TV
  – An app for Vudu has arrived for Apple TV. You can’t make purchases from it but you can access your library and any ad-supported free streaming videos.
• ESPN will stream big-name boxing matches under a new deal
  – ESPN has reached a multi-year agreement to air and stream Top Rank boxing matches in the US and Canada. That would include ESPN’s forthcoming streaming-only service.
• Netflix Is Now Selling its Own Weed Strains
  – Variety reports that Netflix has put its name on some boutique strains of legal marijuana for sale this past weekend at a pop-up shop inside the Alternative Herbal Health Services dispensary in West Hollywood. The move is in promotion of Disjointed which premiered on Netflix Friday.
• HBO NOW’s app has pulled in $19 million since the “Game of Thrones” premiere
  – App Annie estimates that the iOS and Android version of the HBO Now app have generated $19 million of revenue in the US since the premiere of Game of Thrones. For the week of August 20th it was the top grossing app on any mobile platform passing Pandora and Netflix.
• Facebook and Twitter Will Stream College Football This Season
  – Facebook and Twitter have reached an agreement with Stadium to stream college football games. Facebook will have 15 games from Conference USA and Mountain West. Twitter has not announced it’s slate but will show Alabama A&M against Alabama-Birmingham.

Dispatches from the Front

Brian,

So I used Movie Pass back when it was $45-$50 a month for those in the LA area and I enjoyed it for the time I had it, got lots of bonus reward points from theaters however it has changed since then for the better. Back then there was no online ordering with it, you had to be at the theater to activate the account to make a purchase so it was a gas cost. It also included a 6 month cool down period if you cancelled. (So you can’ just use it for winter blockbuster season and then start up at the next summer blockbuster season) At the $10 a month I don’t see a reason to let it lapse though. Data signal can be an issue, so finding out what theaters have dead zones by the box office and activating the card in the parking lot is important however with online ordering I see this going to be a lesser issue. If you have a theater nearby with a rewards program it is a MUST HAVE. If you go to 1 movie a month it is a huge discount. If you go to two movies every 3 months (based on my local market( it’s still a deal.

Let me know if you have any specific questions, I’d be happy to answer

– Jeff

 

 

 

I signed up for the service the day after the price change. I was very excited about the service seeing how I typically see at least one movie a month. The first few days of the service the app was not working very well due to the influx of new users. I was told to buy a ticket and send them the receipt and they will refund the price, which I was fine with.

Now a week later I have found that the app is working pretty well and it is very convenient to just open the app, select my theater, reserve the seat, and have my ticket ready at the box office (this does only work if MP has a deal with that specific theater to do e-tickets). I also found that my movie going experience was much more enjoyable. You feel like such a bad ass just opening your phone and a few minutes later having reserved a seat and just walking in the theater. On top of that I have went to see movies that I would have never seen in theaters and if I did I would have been upset knowing that I spend $10-$12, but instead I can just relax and enjoy a movie I more than likely wouldn’t have every paid to see, and I don’t feel bad throwing the theater a couple bucks for a snack or drink.

Even if the current pricing only lasts 12-18 months I think it will be worth it in the long run and even give movie chains time to consider their own subscription service down the road.

Best Regards,
– Kyle 

 

 

 

Hey, I ran across a cool website for sports fans who are looking to cut the cord. Just type “wherecaniwatchmy.team” into your browser and you’ll be able to quickly find out which package is best for watching your favorite sportball team.

He’s only got NFL and NCAA football on there for now, but hopefully he’ll add more sports later.

Thought I’d pass along a cool new service that helps people navigate the proliferation of streaming services.

– Seth

 

Links

2017 Summer Movie Draft
patreon.com/cordkillers

Pay TV experiences a half-million subscriber drop, Roku: top of the set-top box, and why you want to watch Ozark. With special guest Chris Cox.

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CordKillers: Ep. 181 – Everything Is Great!
Recorded: July 31 2017
Guest: Chris Cox

Intro Video

• Game of Thrones Theme on Flaming Bagpipes and Unicycle

Primary Target

• Cord Cutting: Subscribers Abandon AT&T, Comcast, and Verizon Cable
• Comcast Earnings Fueled by Universal Studios, Fate of the Furious
• Comcast’s ‘Instant TV’ service for cord cutters could launch by year-end
  – 5 largest US pay TV providers lost 527K subscribers in Q2
  – Comcast -34K
  – ATT -351K DirectTV and U-Vers (+152K DirecTV Now)
  – Charter -90K
  – Verizon -15K
  – Altice USA -37K
  – Comcast
  – added 175K broadband (220K year ago)
  – Filmed entertainment revenue rose 59.6% on the strength of movies such as The Fate of the Furious while theme parks revenue increased 15.6%.
  – Said internet-only service Xfinity Instant TV launching later this year (cost in flux) only in markets with Comcast Internet

How to Watch

• Roku Pulls Ahead of Google Chromcast, Apple TV in Streaming VIdeo
  – emarketer – number of people using at least once in July
  – Roku – 39mm 23%
  – Chromecast 37mm 22%
  – Fire TV 36 mm
  – Apple TV 21mm

What to Watch

• Hulu is getting every episode of classic TGIF lineup: Full House, Family Matters, and more
  – Hulu struck a deal with Warner Bros. Domestic TV to become the exclusive home of Full House, Family Matters, Step by Step, Perfect Strangers, and Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper, starting September 29.
• Jon Stewart performed his first stand-up comedy special in more than 20 years for HBO July 26. His first special since 1996.
• AMC is developing a sci-fi show from the writers behind Arrival
  – AMC announced another Ted Chiang story, Liking What You see, is being developed by Eric Heisserer who was the screenwriter on Arrival. The story is about people who undergo surgery to prevent them from perceiving beauty.
• Netflix has ordered 20 episodes of a new show from Matt Groening called Disenchantment. It’s about a crumbling medieval kingdom.
• Wonder Woman 2 set for release in December 13, 2019

What We’re Watching

• Brian: Firefly, Preacher, Rick and Morty, Game of Thrones, Ozark (4 episodes), The Big Sick
• Tom: Friefly (Bushwhacked), Preacher, Rick and Morty, Game of Thrones, Twin Peaks
• Chris: Twin Peaks, The Mist, Dark Matter, Wynona Earp
• On the Lookout: Last Chance U

Front Lines

• Cord cutting pressures lead to Discovery Communications’ acquisition of Scripps Networks for $14.6B
  – Discovery Communications announced it plans to acquire Scripps Networks Interactive which operates networks like HGTV and Food Network. The combination will give the combined company more leverage when seeking distribution deals on traditional and online pay TV services.
• HBO says data hacked, media says ‘Game of Thrones’ targeted
  – HBO said Monday that attackers had stolen data including upcoming programming. Entertainment Weekly reports the theft includes a script for an upcoming episode of Game of Thrones.
• Amazon Moves Into Self-Distribution With Woody Allen’s ‘Wonder Wheel’ 
  – Variety reports Amazon will act as its own distributor for Woody Allen’s movie, Wonder Wheel, set for release in December. This gives Amazon control over marketing, screenings and theater rollout. Amazon previously worked with indie studios like Lionsgate for distribution.
• Nielsen’s TV ratings now include Hulu and YouTube TV
  – Nielsen has begun adding YouTube and Hulu to its C3 and C7 numbers which have previously been used to include streaming views from traditional broadcast networks.
• PlayStation Vue is luring sports fans away from cable
  – PlayStation Vue has added a sports package for $10 a month that includes NFL Redzone, MLB Strike Zone, ESPN Classic and 11 other channels.
• Cycflix lets you watch Netflix, but only if you keep up the pace
  – Dublin Institute of Technology student Ronan Byrne has started a project called Cycflix. It’s basically an Arduino hooked up to a stationary bike that only lets you watch Netflix if your peddling hard enough. You set the levels. It can also work with other streaming services like Hulu.

Dispatches from the Front

Could The Dark Tower, at 95 minutes, be a good movie? Sure. It just won’t be The Dark Tower.

So don’t call it The Dark Tower.

Just toss me a colon for god’s sake. The Dark Tower: Face of My Father. Or call it The Dark Tower and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Whatever. Anything that admits you’re not trying to do the whole series.

Though I’m not sure what portion of the story they can tell well in 95 minutes–that’s barely longer than each Game of Thrones episode is supposed to be next season.

Of course, Game of Thrones is an epic adventure that you could hardly expect to be told in shorter form, whereas The Dark Tower is–oh, wait…

Anyhow, sub-$20 million opening weekend.

But I’m not promising ten bucks of it won’t be mine.

–Mike
MovieLeagueMike

 

On Cordkillers episode 180, Brian mentioned that Wonder Woman had overtaken Guardians of the Galaxy 2 at the box office. Consider that the current top two movies of the year are Wonder Woman and live action Beauty and the Beast, with The Last Jedi likely to join them. If that comes to pass then the top three movies of 2017 will feature female leads. I enjoy watching the Hollywood suits get reality checked. Kudos to the fans for serving that check: women can star in and open blockbusters.

– Roy

Links

2017 Summer Movie Draft
patreon.com/cordkillers

Will password-sharing kill streaming? Emmy’s make Brian fear Netflix. All the hot new trailer talk. With special guest Hammond Chamberlain.

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CordKillers: Ep. 179 – My First Streaming Device
Recorded: July 17 2017
Guest:  Hammond Chamberin

Intro Video

• Doctors yelling

Primary Target

• Streaming TV apps grapple with password sharing
• Millennials have a Netflix account. Gen Z is playing video games.
  – A Reuters/Ipsos poll found 21% of 18-24 adults stream shows on borrowed passwords from people who do not live with them. (12% for 18+)
  – Wall Street thinking is that if Netflix revenue slows (say from 30% to 10% growth) then Netflix needs to crack down
  – An analysis by Parks Associates estimated streaming providers will lose $550 million in 2019 from password sharing.
  – Bernadette Aulestia, executive vice president of global distribution for HBO “”For us it’s more important that at that age where they are not financially independent quite yet, they are habituating to using the product to ultimately aspiring to becoming paid customers.”
  – Netflix Chief Financial Officer David Wells said at a Goldman Sachs conference last September: “We could crack down on it, but you wouldn’t suddenly turn all those folks to paid users.”

How to Watch

• Netflix leads the streaming pack with 18 Emmy nominations
  – Netflix received 18 Emmy award nominations in main categories for its shows and actors including Master of None, Stranger Things, House of Cards and The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Amazon got three nominations all for Transparent and Hulu got three for The Handmaid’s Tale.
  – These counts represent nominations for the key categories that will be awarded on the 17th. There are many other categories, however, and with those included Netflix managed 91 nominations, Hulu notched 18 and Amazon 16. The leading network was HBO with 110, and its show Westworld tied with Saturday Night Live for the most nominations at 22.

What to Watch

• Hulu is getting every episode of Bob’s Burgers, Futurama, and more
  – Hulu is now the exclusive home to Bob’s Burgers and Futurama, The Cleveland Show and American Dad! 20th Century Fox has been slowly pulling shows from Netflix and they have, in many cases, been appearing on Hulu.
• At D23, Lucasfilm showed a “behind the scenes” video for The Last Jedi
• Jodie Whittaker announced as 13th Doctor Who
• Here’s our first look at Spielberg’s ‘Ready Player One’ movie
  – Entertainment Weekly has a photo from Ready Player One. A trailer is expected at San Diego Comic-Con this weekend. Film arrives March 30th, 2018
• The first season of Insecure will be available on YouTube for one day
  – Starting at 6AM ET next Sunday, July 23rd Season 1 of Issa Ray’s “Insecure” will stream for free for 24 hours on YouTube.com/HBO and watch.hbo.com. The second season of Insecure starts at 10:30PM ET on July 23.
• Narcos returns to Netflix September 1st , new teaser out.
• Watch the first trailer for Amazon’s The Tick — The first six episodes will land on Amazon on August 25th
• New trailer for BladeRunner 2049 which comes out October 6th
• Stranger Things Season 2 arrives on Netflix on October 27
• Disney also showed the trailer for A Wrinkle in Time. The film opens March 9, 2018

What We’re Watching

• Brian: War for the Planet of the Apes, Game of Thrones, Firefly 101, and some Last Week Tonight
• Tom: Preacher, War for the Planet of the Apes, Buffy, Wimbledon, Baby Driver, Game of Thrones, Twin Peaks
• Hammond: Spider-Man, American Ripper, Thunderbirds (Hulu), and finishing up Iron Fist. The Keepers
• On the Lookout: The Last Ship

Front Lines

• Netflix’s subscribers are surging as it blows away Wall Street’s expectations
  – Netflix announced it added 5.2 million new subscribers this quarter beating its own expectations of 3.2 million. More than 4 million were international subscribers. Netflix said it had earnings of 15 cents per share on revenue of $2.79 billion.
• AT&T’s ‘next-gen’ TV platform rollout will start on DirecTV Now
  – DirecTV announced it is unifying its look across both satellite and Internet services. DirecTV Now and companion app users will be the first to access the beta. Among several user interface tweaks, will be the Cloud DVR service which will launch with the beta. Later planned features include live TV pausing, parental controls, and in 2018, download for offline viewing, 4K and HDR support.
• Hulu’s Locke & Key adaptation signs It director Andy Muschietti
  – Hulu’s TV adaptation of Locke & Key has hired Andy Muschietti as director. Muschietti also directed It coming this September. Hill wrote the pilot script and Lost and The Strain’s Carlton Cuse is the show runner. Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson was originally on board but left to work on TNT’s Snowpiercer series.
• Roku hits 15 million monthly users, 7 billion hours streamed in first half of 2017
  – Roku announced it has reached 15 million monthly active users as of June 30th., up 43% over last year. Users streamed nearly 7 billion hours of video during the first half of the year, a 61 percent increase over 2016.
• Kevin Hart’s comedy streaming service launches August 3rd
  – Kevin Hart’s Laugh Out Loud streaming comedy service launches August 3 on Android and iOS for free. Viewers can pay $3 a month for ad-free access. It includes standup routines, all the Def Comedy Jam seasons as well as several original comedy shows.
• Google Play Movies & TV rolls out support for HDR video on Chromecast Ultra
  – Google announced support for HDR video on its Chromecast Ultra devices, coming first to Canada and the US. Sony and Warner Brothers content will be the first HDR sold in the Google Play store.

Dispatches from the Front

We signed for up DirecTV Now to get the free AppleTV and were going to cancel after the 3 months. Then they added HBO for free (for 1 year) which gave my wife and I pause and we kept it. I frequently hear you all lament DirecTV Now for service issues but we use it daily these days and rarely have any issues on phone, computer or AppleTV. Just thought you’d like to know that they aren’t having the issues they were at the beginning. Not to defend AT&T but they have done pretty well getting this service stable and working.

– David

 

 

Guys,

It could have been much worse than Babylon 5….if long series are problematic

Doctor Who… ALL of it. From Hartnell thru Capaldi, you’d be on that train for a decade
ST:TNG, DS9 or Voyager, 7 seasons each…

You want more campy?

Quark – space garbage man from the 70’s , only advantage is that it didn’t last long
Buck Rogers -Gil Gerard in spandex
Salvage One – Andy Griffith – in SPACE!

My suggestion for next time ?
Blakes 7 or Space 1999 either is late 70’s british sci fi at it’s “best

thanks, enjoy the show!

– Dave

 

 

 

Hi Tom et al,

I’ve read your Brief Guide to Cordcutting but don’t see what I’m looking for. Can you help?

My mother wants to jettison her cable/phone/internet service ($200/mo) and keep a landline and the internet. The only TV she wants to keep are local news channels, including the local PBS stations.

She doesn’t have an external antenna or a digital converter box – but would you suggest getting these as the best solution?

Thank you!

-Susannna
 

• antennaweb.org

 

 

Links

2017 Summer Movie Draft
patreon.com/cordkillers
 

Apple makes a play to be your default set-top box, Amazon Prime Video expands (sort of), and Hulu tries to get better at recommendations. 

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CordKillers: Ep.  146 – D-U-M Dumb!
Recorded: November 22 2016
Guest: None

Intro Video

• Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, Netflix

Primary Target

• Sony’s PlayStation Vue service now works on Apple TV
  – Sony’s PlayStation Vue TV service came to Apple TV Thursday though it does not let subscribers purchase plans through the Apple app nor does it integrate with Apple’s TV app.
• AT&T will reveal everything about DirecTV Now on November 28th
  – AT&T will announce details about its upcoming service November 28 in New York.
  – Sign up for 3 months get a free Apple TV, sign up for one month get an Amazon Fire TV stick.
  – So far reports say DirecTV Now has ABC-Disney, NBCU, Viacom, Scripps, Discovery HBO Starz and A&E on board. Just signed on Fox. No word on CBS. 
• Apple to Cut Fees Video Services Will Pay for App Store, Say Sources
  -Bloomberg’s sources say Apple plans to cut the amount it charges companies to sell video services through the App Store from 30 to 15 percent. The apps must integrate with Apple’s new TV app.  

How to Watch

• Amazon Prime Video is going global next month to take on Netflix
  – In a video promoting Amazon’s upcoming car show The Grand Tour, host Jermey Clarkson announced the show will be available in more than 200 countries in December. The show is exclusive to Amazon which seems to mean Amazon Prime Video will be expanding outside its four markets soon. The Grand Tour comes to Amazon Prime Video Friday in the UK, Germany and Japan and went live Thursday in the US. 
• The Grand Tour: The Official Trailer
  – The Grand Tour. Following a rather public spat, former hosts of BBC’s Top Gear Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May have essentially re-launched the show on Amazon Prime Video as The Grand Tour. From the little I’ve seen of Top Gear, The Grand Tour is a pretty faithful recreation of the format: commentary, car ranking, and comedy bits breaking up longer segments on unique and high performance vehicles. The show is bold, each episode being filmed in a travelling tent/studio in a different part of the world with incredible production value, but it’s still bouyed by the hosts’ chemisty. And when I say “production value,” I mean it. There are some very expensive, very short moments in the first episode, but their wow-factor might be worth the price. I’ll leave the surprises for you to enjoy, but it’s a gorgeous, charming show.

What to Watch

• Emilia Clarke cast in upcoming Han Solo movie
• Neil Gaiman Is Producing a TV Show About a Multiverse Skyscraper
  – Neil Gaiman co-producing and writing a Fox TV series called The Building about people who live in a building that continually moves through alternate dimensions. It’s an adaptation of the movie Parallels.
• Marvel’s ‘The Inhumans’ will premiere in IMAX before its TV debut
  – ABC’s The Inhumans will bring its first two episodes to IMAX for two weeks in early September before the show starts airing on TV. The TV version will have exclusive scenes not shown in theaters. 
• Netflix to air three Dave Chappelle stand-up specials
  – Netflix will have three comedy specials from Dave Chapelle. One is a standup special directed by Stan Latham. The other two are never-before-seen specials. No premiere date was announced.

What We’re Watching

• Brian: Justified 406, Westworld 108, Ash vs. Evil Dead 101-107
• Tom: The Crown (102-110), Justified (406), Star Wars Rebels, Westworld (108)
• On the Lookout: (Mini-reviews of The Tick, Jean-Claude Van Johnson, pilots) 

Front Lines

• Hulu acquires The Video Genome Project to improve recommendations ahead of live TV service’s launch
  – Hulu acquired the Video Genome Project , which aims to aggregate metadata around video content in order to make better recommendations based on viewing history. Hulu plans to implement the tech when it launches it’s live streaming service early next year. One of its plans involves detecting current events form news feeds and making recommendations for movies and TV shows.
• Xbox One gets over-the-air DVR through a set-top box
  – Users of the Tablo device for over the air reception and DVR functions can now access it through a new Xbox One app. Tablo costs $220 plus $5 a month for the guide. It has apps for most other streaming boxes like Roku, Fore TV and Apple TV.
• Netflix can finally stream 4K from a PC (but probably not yours)
  – Netflix has opened up 4K streaming for Windows PCs through the Microsoft edge browser. You also need a 4K-capable screen and your PC needs a 7th Generation Kaby Lake Intel processor. 
• Warner Bros. Acquires Full Control of Machinima
  – Warner Brothers has purchased full control of Machinima and will put it to work in partnership with its DC Entertainment properties including video games, moves and TV shows. 
• Twitter launched an app for Android TV that lets users watch live video like Thursday Night Football. 
• Xiaomi’s Mi Box supports 4K and HDR streams and Google Cast for $69. It runs on Android TV. 

Dispatches from the Front

Hello Brian & Tom,
I know back in the day the show was at over 2k but now below 1,800. I’m assuming that the money you have coming in from a lesser number is still enough to keep the lights. However, is there a number below which you guys can’t continue? Hopefully we are well above that number. And I doubled my pledge to a whole 2 bucks an episode to help out.

Thanks,

– Norm from Visalia, CA
 

 

Hi Tom and Brian

I’m just wondering what I can expect from Amazon Prime’s video content when Amazon begins full operations in Australia next September? I remember when Netflix started here they had most of their exclusives except for a couple like Star Trek and Breaking Bad that were licensed exclusives. Is the Amazon Prime library full of exclusives that Amazon owns and therefore will in all likely hood appear on day one or are shows like Man in the High Castle and The Tick owned by third parties and could complicate the launch?

– Thanks from Nik.

 

Brian,
While you’re forgetting to cancel your Starz subscription this month, be sure to catch the Starz original, Ash vs Evil Dead.
All of season one is available and most of season two is now in there for your viewing enjoyment. If you love Three Stooges slapstick and way over-the-top blood and guts horror, Ash is the man!
Keep up the fight to rid us of cable
And tune into my podcast, Too Much Scrolling, every Tuesday on the same podcast app you’re using now or on our website toomuchscrolling.com
I’ll see you in the future.
–Steve 

 

Hey guys,

Just one of your free listening, faceless masses here. Just thought you guys should know that some thing’s happened to the Can I Stream It website you say you use on your show. Apparently both the app and website no longer give out current information on streaming options. No clue about when and why, only that I (and many reviewers on the Android app store) have noticed the fallout. Any suggestions for a backup option? thanks.

– Isaac from Portland

• JustWatch
• Yahoo Video Guide

 

I’m not a fan of brian’s coined “convenience trumps fidelity” as I’m an advocate for hdr, low compression, and high quality monitors and speakers … but brian’s right.

I have a question for you guys, and maybe the cordkiller community .. I would like to take my box of DVD’s and Bluerays downstairs and port them over to digital licenses. Is there a service out there that does this?

I think Walmart did it for a while, but charged for it, which I think is ridiculous to have to upgrade my license considering they’re going to get user data and behavioral data out of this deal. Ideally I’d love to convert my physical media to itunes or google play at no charge. Is this possible? 

– Joe

Links

2016 Winter Movie Draft
patreon.com/cordkillers
 

Why cord-cutting will save you money, CW aims at cord-cutters, and the new 4K Rokus are here! With special guest Hammond Chamberlain.

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CordKillers: Ep. 138 – Can’t Beat That With a Roku Stick
Recorded:  September 27 2016
Guest: Hammond Chamberlain

Intro Video

•  

Primary Target

• Americans are paying 40% more for TV than they were 5 years ago
• Cable TV Bill Hits Average of $103 Per Month
  – Maybe Cordcutting CAN save you money
  – Leichtman Research found pay TV subscription pricces have risen 40% in 5 years
  – 2011 – $73.63 average cable/satellite
  – 2016 – $103.10
  – Subscribership down to 82% of households with a TV
  – SNL Kagan says Pay TV lost 800K subs last quarter

Signal Intelligence

• The CW App: Watch New Seasons Of ‘Arrow,’ ‘The Flash,’ ‘Supergirl’ And ‘Legends of Tomorrow’ For Free
  – CW pulled out of Hulu and is adding more of it’s own apps
  – Expanded app snow cover Roku, Chromecast, Apple TV, Xbox, and Amazon Fire TViOS and Android apps
  – Last 5 episodes free with ads
  – CW rumored to be working on a subscription service of its own
  – most popular series last season digitally were ‘The Flash’ and ‘Jane the Virgin,’”
  (Previously reported Netflix gets past season shows 8 days after season finale) 

Gear Up

• Roku’s new players start at $30, and they make 4K and HDR cheaper
  – Roku announced a new line of players. The Roku Express costs $30 with a faster processer than the previous streaming stick or Roku 1. The Roku Express+ is $40 and includes composite cable inputs. Both have the stick form factor. The Roku Premiere is $80 with 4K support at 60fps, faster quad-core processors and dual-band 802.11ac WiFi. The Premiere+ is $100 and supports HDR, ethernet and microSD. It also has the headphone jack on its remote. The Roku Ultra is $130 with 4K HDR plus optical audio, USB, voice search and a lost remote button on the box. Roku’s universal search works across 100 services now. The models are available for preorder and ship October 9th.

Under Surveillance

• First Details on The Dark Tower’s Companion TV Series, Which Will Include Idris Elba
  – Entertainment Weekly says the Dark Tower TV series which will debut a year after the movie will adapt Wizard and Glass, the 4th book. Idris Elba will play the older Roland. The Man In Black will appear but MCConaughey is not confirmed.
• Yes, There Will Be a New Star Wars Story Film in 2020, But What Will It Be?
  – Disney CEO Bob Iger told investors that Star Wars movies are planned until 2020 when a third Star Wars Story will come out. Kathleen Kennedy and Iger have started talking about what happens in 2021.
• YouTube Gaming to air weekly live show with Geoff Keighley
  – YouTube Gaming will produce a weekly live show hosted by Geoff Keighley Thursdays at 8 PM. Eastern. It’ll have trailers, gameplay footage and developer interviews
• Hulu’s New Horror Series Freakish Teases Its Evil Mutants
  – Hulu original series Freakish, originally created for AwesomenessTV. high schoolers are menaced by mutants spawned after an accident at the local chemical plant—. All 10 eps. Arrive October 10. Or two free new episodes per day on Tumblr.
• Hulu’s VR app is getting new comedy and news programs
  – Hulu has ordered 10 episode of The Big Picture: News in Virtual Reality and five episodes of Virtually Mike and Nora. The shows will arrive this autumn for Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR.
• NBC will stream the debates and other election coverage in VR, starting tonight
  – Facebook will live stream the US Presidential debates in cooperation with ABC and Twitter will do the same in partnership with Bloomberg and of course YouTube will have coverage from Bloomberg, PBS, The Washington Post and Telemundo as well as streams from YouTube Live users. But NBC is partnering with AltspaceR to stream the debates in virtual reality, hosted by Al Roker’s avatar from Virtual Democracy Plaza. NBC will also stream Q&As, analysis and comedy shows and more leading up to election night coverage. The AltspaceVR app is available for Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Samsung Gear VR. 2D versions will stream at altvr.com/nbcnews. Coverage starts Wednesday night.
• Brian: Justified 311, Mr. Robot 212, Atlanta 101-104
• Tom: This is Us, Justified (311), Mr. Robot (212), The Good Place, Star Wars: Rebels
• Hammond: Enterprise, Lucha Underground season 1, Modern Rogue
• On the Lookout: Long Way Round and Long Way Down

Front Lines

• This is the 4K Google Chromecast Ultra
  – VentureBeat has images they say are of a new Chromecast to be announced at a Google hardware event on October 4th. The Chromecast Ultra would be capable of 4K and cost an alleged $69. It would run the 1.21 firmware which is now in beta. 
• Plex partners with Amazon to launch a hardware-free media server, Plex Cloud
  – If running your own PC server has kept you from discovering the joys of Plex, we have good news. Plex Cloud in partnership with Amazon Cloud Drive will let you host your files remotely. You can add files to your Amazon Cloud Drive from any device then stream using the Plex app. You’ll have to pay for the Plex Pass to take advantage of the service which is $60 a year, but that gives you unlimited storage. You can sign up for the beta at https://www.plex.tv/cloud/
• AT&T to launch DirecTV Now streaming video service before 2017
  – AT&T’s Randall Stephenson announced the company’s DirecTV Now service will launch before the end of the year. DirecTV Now will provide more than 100 premium cable TV channels over the Internet in the US. The service will allow two streams per household with more streams possibly available for purchase. AT&T may also bundle wit with wireless or broadband Internet service. No other details were given. Stephensnon says the company is 90% done with deals for content. Bloomberg reports on sources saying AT&T plans for its upcoming streaming TV service, DirecTV Now, to be its primary video platform within 5 years. 
• AT&T to launch DirecTV Now streaming video service before 2017
  – ReCode reports its sources say Verizon is in advanced talks to acquire video startup Vessel. Vessel is run by former Hulu CEO Jason Kilar. Vessel has been allegedly working on a new product described as “Snapchat-like,” with image filters and other features. Recode’s Peter Kafka points out Verizon has listed video among the main reasons for acquiring AOL and soon Yahoo.
• Netflix Targeting 50% of Content to Be Original Programming, CFO Says
  – Netflix CFO David Wells told an audience at the Goldman Sachs conference Tuesday that Netflix is on track for half its content offering to be made up of Netflix originals within the next few years. Wells said not every show needs to be a home run either saying they can live with singles and doubles. This is a baseball metaphor which means not every show has to be a huge hit. Wells also said of customers who cancel Netflix, between 33% and 50% eventually return to subscribe to the service.

Dispatches from the Front

The Canadian streaming service Shomi which was launched officially in 2015 by cable giants Rogers and Shaw will close down on November 30th and Rogers estimated a $100-140 million investment loss on their 3rd quarter earnings.

According to Toronto’s Solutions Research Group (SRG) the services of Shomi and Crave (Bell Media) had one seventh the subscribers of Netflix. As a Rogers Cable Internet customer it was added as part of my tier with no apparent price increases, so I’m sure many of the subscribers they had may not be actively contributing to revenue.

This was the service where I watched shows like Mr. Robot, Last Man on Earth, Always Sunny in Philadelphia and the original seasons of Black Mirror. Not sure if another provider will then pickup the streaming rights to these shows or I will have to look to iTunes for purchasing them.

• Shomi is shutting down

 

 

Hi Tom and Brian,

A few months ago, I sent in my review about Playstation Vue service. I wasn’t thrilled with it at the time, especially the DVR functionality, so I cancelled it after the free trial.

A few weeks ago I decided to give it another shot. In Chicago we now have access to CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox and the DVR functionality has greatly improved and I am thrilled by the progress made in just a few months. Last week I unplugged all my cable boxes in preparation of the conversion and my family was on board.

Today, when cancelling my Comcast service I thought I would do a little research for your show and cancelled using their online chat service. It was easy, I didn’t have to deal with the retention department and it was actually a pleasant experience.

If listeners are looking for a non-stressful Comcast cancellation experience, the chat service is the way to go.

Love the show.

– John from Chicago

 

 

Hey guys, it’s your boss.

I got bored tonight and decided to do the chicken challenge with Directv. My bill had crept over $125/mo (TV only) and I had the family convinced that sling or PlayStation vue were viable. I managed to get $50 off my bill, so I stayed. However, in looking for negotiation leverage I peeked at the intro prices for the various packages and found that they were darn close to the full rates for ongoing customers.

Select $50 new —> $51.99 existing
Entertainment $55 new —> $61.99 existing
Choice $60 new —> $74.99 existing
Xtra $70 new —> $81.99 existing
Utlimate $75 new —> $91.99 existing
Premier $125 new —> $144.99 existing

I find it interesting that the bottom has such a small gap in the new subscriber’s and existing. I have two wild speculations about this: first, cord cutting has made the customers at that price point need ongoing low prices, so the difference has reduced – not the top tier is $20/mo more. Second, I believe that they make up a lot of the price difference in hardware. Part of my agreement was $30/mo off for hardware. So in 2 years, that bill jumps up because of the devices and not the service. This artificially makes all the plans look cheaper, because none of them are possible without the box.

Speaking of boxes, Directv isn’t offering the GenieGo anymore, and my rep said that it was because they were preparing a streaming-only service. He said a lot of things, though, so I would only use random service rep’s word as the basis for wild speculation.

Keep up the good work.

– Joe

 

 

For this fall seasons there are all of the CW shows that I love and I want to show support. I am a cord killer and let’s say I have a system to get TV. However for these shows I want to do the most that I can to show my support. Bryan since you have had a network TV show what things make a difference for TV execs?

– Martin

 

Links

www.patreon.com/cordkillers

 

Netflix asks FCC to crack down on data caps, CBS All Access adds a commercial free tier, and do you still care about a new TiVo model? With special guest Dan Benjamin.

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CordKillers: Ep. 136 – Netflerks
Recorded: September 12 2016
Guest: Dan Benjamin

Intro Video

• The Marvel Symphonic universe

Primary Target

• Netflix asks FCC to review data caps
  –  Netflix has filed a request with the FCC to add data caps to its annual review of telecommunications deployment (usually focuses on availability and speed)
  – Netflix: “the Commission should hold that data caps on fixed-­line networks ­­and low data caps on mobile networks­­ may unreasonably limit Internet television viewing and are inconsistent with Section 706.”
• FCC changes cable box rules to please industry, gets blowback anyway
• Comcast to FCC: Your set-top box plan is illegal
  – FCC modified cable set-top box rules adopting most of the suggestions from Cable industry
  – original plan allowed third-party software
  – Industry proposed provider-made software for linear and on-demand content only in HTML5
  – FCC changed to provider software but requires recording functionality and support of non-HTML5 if used by a “widely deployed platforms, such as Roku, Apple iOS, Windows and Android.”
  – operators with more than 1 million subs must comply within two years. 400K- 1 million 4 years. below 400K exempt.
  – Standard license for software to be used by all operators
  – Comcast to Ars: “empowers the Commission to hand over to a third party [pay-TV companies’] rights to the proprietary technologies and service that make up their apps,”
  – Wheeler also wrote that all copyright and licensing agreements will remain intact, since “the delivery of pay-TV programming will continue to be overseen by pay-TV providers from end-to-end.”
  – NCTA: ” “Programmers today do not pool and offer uniform rights across all platforms and uses.”
  – Final vote scheduled for September 29
  – SUMMARY UPSHOT: FCC will let cable companies write the software apps but require DVR functions and a single license for the software. Cablecos. are upset most about the license because they think it will threaten licensing deals for shows.”

Signal Intelligence

• CBS All Access commercial-free option costs $4 more a month
  – CBS All Access – exclusive future home of Star Trek: Discovery in the US — will offer a commercial free version of the service for $10 a month
  – Current offer is $6 a month
  – Also coming to Xbox One
  – SUMMARY UPSHOT: CBS first big service after Hulu to offer a commercial-free tier.

Gear Up

• New TiVo Bolt+
• TiVo’s new interface will cut down on channel surfing
• TiVo is working on a network DVR that’ll broadcast to your non-TVs
  – Rovi completed takeover of TiVo
  – New TiVo interface
  – Centered around surfacing what you want to watch rather than just showing everything that’s on.
  – FCC filing from TiVo describes a networked OTA DVR similar to Tablo or simple.tv (codenamed Mantis)
  – HOWEVER – Today TiVo announced an update to the Bolt, called the Bolt+ for $499 (+$200 over orig)
  – Can record up to 6 channels at once (2 more than orig)
  – 3TB hard drive (vs. 1 TB orig)
  – Glossy black
  – No HDR yet could come in update. (does do 4K just like original Bolt)
  – On sale Thursday Sept. 15

Under Surveillance

• Ron Howard Puts a Family on Mars in First Trailer
  – A trailer is out for a NatGeo series called Mars from Ron Howard and Brian Grazer. The six-part series weaves a scripted drama about the first Mars mission in 2033 with doc-style interviews about the reality of such a mission. Mars premieres in 171 countries in November. (Thx Kristi Kates!)
• Trailer for Netlix’s sci-fi movie, ARQ
  – And a Trailer out for Netflix SciFi movie ARQ about a man who gets shot and wakes up remembering the future. Very Edge of Tomorrow.Coming September 16. 
• HBO has plotted out at least five seasons for its sci-fi drama Westworld
  – HBO’s Westworld halted production last fall because they wanted the writers to lay out at least five seasons worth of episodes. Westwolrd Premiers October 2
• Justin Timberlake’s concert film debuts on Netflix October 12th
  – Justin Timberlake’s concert film debuts on Netflix October 12th. Justin Timberlake and The Tennessee Kids, the title is the performance from the Las Vegas stop of the singer’s 20/20 Experience Tour. 
• Netflix confirms Stranger Things season two for 2017
• Netflix confirms new ‘Narcos’ seasons 
• Netflix orders a series from ‘Mythbusters’ veterans
  – Netflix has ordered White Rabbit Project from former Mythbusters Kari Byron, Grant Imahara and Tory Belleci who will investigate strange topics using science. Coming December 9th. 
• Hulu’s ‘Future Man’ is a gamer’s dream-turned TV show
  – Hulu has a 13-episode comedy series called Future Man starring Josh Hutcherson (Peeta in Hunger Games) as janitor/dejected gamer recruited by mysterious visitors to save humanity. Includes Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg as producers. Coming in 2017
• Bill Nye is getting a talk show on Netflix
  – Netflix will launch a talk show called Bill Nye Saves the World next year. “Each episode will tackle a topic from a scientific point of view, dispelling myths, and refuting anti-scientific claims.” Tonight Show’s Mike Drucker is head writer and Phil Plait is head science writer. 
• Brian: Mr. Robot (209, 210), Justified (308 only), Narcos 201-205
• Tom: Justified (308, 309), Mr. Robot (209, 210), X-Men Apocalypse, Hitchcock
• Dan: Netflix Chef’s Table, The Good Wife, Mr. Robot
• On the Lookout: Expedition Overland

Front Lines

• Amazon Said to Seek Sports Video Rights From Tennis to Rugby
  – Bloomberg’s sources tell it Amazon is looking into buying the rights to live sporting events. Tennis, rugby, golf, soccer and auto racing are among the sports named. They might also look to add sports networks as add-ons. Amazon hired a former Sports Illustrated exec James DeLorenzo and former YouTube exec Charlie Neiman to build partnerships with sports companies. 
• Time Inc. readies streaming TV network
  – Time Inc. will launch its first streaming network Tuesday called People/Entertainment Weekly Network or PEN. The free ad-supported network will launch on Roku, Amazon, Fire TV, Apple TV and Chromecast with 50 hours of existing programming and 15 original series coming in the year. 
• PlayStation 4 will play Netflix and YouTube videos in HDR
  – Sony announced new PlayStation models last week. The new PS Pro will be able to play 4K videos from Netflix and all PS4 models will get an update to allow HDR videos from the services. 
• Sony Bravia TVs to lose YouTube access
  – After September 30, Sony Bravia TVs from before 2012 will no longer be able to play YouTube. According to Sony, YouTube is exceeding the capability of the older hardware, likely a reference to encrypted connections. 
• Sling TV’s streaming service for cord cutters hits Windows 10
  – Sling TV added the Pac-12 network to its sports package and Starz as a $9 a month add-on. Sling TV also launched a Winodws 10 app. 
• Fire TV and Fire TV Stick updated with better voice search, personalized recommendations from HBO & Netflix
  – The latest Fire TV update integrates search across 75 apps. Roku claims 25 and Apple says 30. So the race for cross-app search continues. 

Dispatches from the Front
Hey guys,

Just listened to this past week’s show and wanted to add some points about your experiences with NBCs coverage of the Olympics.

Admittingly, I tend to live in the NBCSN app for most of the year because they have exclusive rights to English Premier League soccer, but I found that the NBCSN app did most of the things you were saying they should for the Olympics.

The app on my phone updated and added the Olympic rings in the icon. When I opened it, it gave me the chance to select Olympic events, athletes and/or countries I wanted to track.

Then I would receive live notifications each day telling me when an important event was about to start and give me the option to just click on it to go to the live stream and watch.

I would get what seemed like at least a dozen notifications a day that included my preferences and other random events it considered note worthy (so for example “Watch the world’s fastest man Usain Bolt run in the 200m semi.” And so on)

One complaint though is that most events tended to be a raw feed. If it made the primetime broadcast, that would be when you would get the actual commentary or special athlete profile segments. During the day, if it was not something broadcast on live TV it was just the event with sounds from the venue.

Aside from the Olympic stuff…wanted to offer a tip for Premier League fans. All games are broadcast on TV, but depending on the cable company some games are in SD. However in the app, all games are HD. There is also a RedZone like, app only channel called Goal Rush. This shows the game of the day live and cuts to big plays and goals in all of the games. Definitely great if you have a fantasy team.

Cheers!
– Byron NYC

 

 

Hey Tom and Brian,

Wanted to throw a quick comment (non-advertising related) regarding your discussion on The Departed. The movie, despite being often as “original” or a “masterpiece”, is not original. The movie itself is a remake of the 2002 award-winning film “Infernal Affairs” from Hong Kong (the true “original” has a prequel and sequel as well, of which portions were incorporated in the American remake). I don’t believe it’s on Netflix though it’s available for rent and purchase on Amazon.

Best,
– Derrick

 

 

Hey Cord Killers,

What would be the best way to watch The CW without cable? I’ve used the Xbox app but it’s not that great, & the app has adds. Would you recommend buying an HD antenna, or buying season passes for the DC TV shows on Amazon?

If antenna is the better route, what brand would you recommend?

Thanks,
– Zach

 

• The Best Indoor HDTV Antenna

 

 

Hey guys,
You keep saying that Netflix has the new star trek discovery show for everywhere but the US…well you forgot about Canada. Bell Media outbid Netflix, will air the premiere on CTV and then the rest on the SPACE channel. Which you need cable for!!
They say it may be available “later” for streaming. Space also got the entire star trek back catalogue that will just air…on cable…not streaming

Man…Bell sucks.

– Joel

 

 

 

Hey Brian and Tom,

On your recent discussion of how to retain your in country Netflix experience while traveling, my solution has been to use a VPN tied to my home router. I run Tomato on my Asus router (because I’m a geek) but I’m wondering if the router vendors are starting to include VPN software as well. I had no issues traveling to Europe or South America and keeping my home version of Netflix.

Granted, roll your own VPN is probably more complicated than most are interested messing with, but the router vendors might have an opportunity to differentiate their product for the globetrotting public.

– Bryan

• polarcloud

Links

www.patreon.com/cordkillers

We now know the lifetime of a TiVo, Netflix comes to your hotel, a wireless antenna with fewer wires. With special guest Mulango Akpo-Esambe.

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CordKillers: Ep. 134 – Deeply Regret Button
Recorded:  August 22 2016
Guest: Mulango Akpo-Esambe

Intro Video

• DR K Live fra Koncertsalen: Serier, serier, serier

Primary Target

• TiVo is cutting off support for its original DVR in September
  – TiVo will deliver a last download of guide data for its 1999 model TiVos on September 15th. Customers will get a $75 Visa gift card. The boxes will continue to work but will not have any guide data after September 29th. TiVo says there are still 3,200 Series 1 TiVos in active use

Signal Intelligence

• Netflix is coming to more hotel rooms worldwide
  – Netflix partnering with Enseo (in-room entertainment for hotels)
  – Partnership expanded to any hotel under contract in a country with Netflix
  – Beyond pre-approved brands
  – Netflix app on TV or Netflix button on remote
  – Sign in with Netflix account, no Internet fees
  – Promises to wipe out login at checkout
  – Most-used channels in 19 hotel brands today (Marriott, Hilton La Quinta)
  – Hotels like it as a perk, and frees up wifi for other uses
  – Enseo’s system can also provide marketing messages

Gear Up

• This wireless antenna may make cord cutting easier
  – WatchAir antenna streams to Smart TV (WebOS, Tizen, Android TV, Vizio), smartphone, tablet (ios, Android), Roku, Apple TV and Fire TV
  – Sends OTA signal over WiFi then to apps
  – Has a TV guide and 5 hours of recording (25 with SD Card)
  – Kickstarter promotion $149
  – Hopes to ship in October for $249

Under Surveillance

• Mr. Robot gets renewed for a third season 
• Arrival, a movie based on Ted Chiang’s “Story of Your Life” released its first trailer last week. It stars Amy Adams and opens November 11.
• Netflix grabs ‘Anne of Green Gables’ show
  – Netflix said Monday it will stream “Anne,” an eight-hour miniseries based on the 1908 classive novel “Anne of Green Gables,” in partnership with a Canadian broadcast of the new show by CBC next year.
• Marvel’s Runaways is becoming a series on Hulu
  – Gossip Girl creators Josh Scwartz and Stephanie Savage will bring Marvel’s The Runaways to Hulu. The comic Runaways was written by Brian K. Vaughan in 2003 with art by Adrian Alphona. It follows superpowered teenagers fighting their parents who are members of a crime syndicate.
• Brian: The Get Down 102, Justified, Mr. Robot, Mr. Show, Great Minds
• Tom: The Get Down (102) Justified, Mr. Robot, Olympics, Parks and Rec, Angie Tribeca
• Mulango: The Get Down, Parks and Rec, Hitler and the Nazis, Saving Private Ryan 
• On the Lookout: River

Front Lines

• Here’s TV Networks’ Latest Scheme to Limit ‘Cord-Cutting’
  – Reuters has a story about how more networks are doing what they call “stacking” by making all previous episodes of a series available on demand to cable subscribers. 54% of people in one survey said they would not start watching a show unless they could watch all previous episodes. Comcast will offer full-season stacks of 60% of original scripted series up from 41% two seasons ago. A source told Reuters one network saw a 3-11% rise in ratings after offering stacked shows. 
• How to see everything you’ve ever watched on Netflix and Amazon
  – Engadget’s Matt Brian has written up instructions for seeing your viewing history on Netflix and Amazon. Netflix history can be found in a section of Your Account called Viewing History. You can delete items to remove their impact on recommendations. Amazon buries it in Your Account under Personalization where you click Improve Your Recommendations and then choose Videos You’ve Watched. You can then rate shows to fine tune recommendations. 
• Univision buys Gawker Media for $135 million
  – Univision doesn’t just run the top spanish-language channel in the US it also owns The Onion and The Root. And it has provisionally acquired Gawker Media pending the decision of the bankruptcy court. Gawker runs Gizmodo, Lifehacker and io9 among other sites.
• Amazon brings free episodes of its Original Series to YouTube & Facebook
  – Amazon has begun posting pilot episodes from 10 of its shows on YouTube and Facebook Live. Shows include Transparent, Mozart in the Jungle, Bosch, Red Oaks, and The Man in the High Castle.
• HDHomeRun’s DVR app is ready for the Xbox One
  – HDHomeRun’s DVR software is a big hit with people looking for a replacement for Windows Media Center. It can now help folks who wish their Xbox could act as a DVR. You’ll still need HDHomeRun on a PC, Android TV box or NAS, but there is now an app for HDHomeRun on the Xbox One. 

Dispatches from the Front
Hi Tom and Brian

Take a listen / look at this: https://www.dr.dk/tv/se/dr-k-live-fra-koncertsalen/dr-k-live-fra-koncertsalen-serier-serier-serier

It’s 80 min of TV themes performed by the Danish public service station’s classical band.

There is some Danish talking in between, but most series covered are ones I’ve heard you talk about on the show.

Maybe something for the cold open? Or as a link to the listeners.

BTW – this is why I’m happy that we in sunny Denmark have the license fee that everybody with a TV, radio or access to the internet has to pay!

Thanks for always great shows!
Your boss,
– Eric

 

 

Hi guys.

I’ve now watched Jon-Claude Van Johnson and The Tick.I will watch I love Dick after work tonight.

My frustration with these pilots is not the content or format.I just don’t recall Amazon ever asking in there survey on what are your favorite shows ever? Then ask why these pilots are greater or worse then your favorite shows.

It just seems this kind of questioning sets these pilots up for failure as each one I’ve seen is slightly worse then say Battlestar Galactica. But it’s really unfair compairing a 30 minute pilot to a 4.5 season show for example.

I’m hoping somebody can reply and let me know if Amazon has asked this kind of question before in there pilot survey?

Long time Patreon Boss:
– David from Fond Du Lac,Wisconsin asking

 

 

I was talking with a girl who works at Hulu.
She said they get to see the first preview of what they are doing for the Hulu Streaming Channel today.
She said that currently she knows it will have an online DVR, but doesn’t have the details yet as to if it will be any restrictions on what can be recorded or if time limits or such. But if it isn’t all easily integrated it would seem a non starter.

She was pretty open about this as there is so many press leaks…but just in case don’t mention my name if you say anything on the air. Not sure if she was speaking out of turn. 

 

 

Tom and Brian,

I am constantly scouring the net to find interesting tidbits on cord cutting and specifically OTT live streaming services. To compare the channels available I put the linked spreadsheet together. It needs a little more refining (cannot make out what networks some of SFN’s Faith based offerings are) but your viewers may find it useful. The link is public.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1iqAW6FzYfSUyRMe6zTHTWnCSkVUVxVrm-zEL765UYFk/edit?usp=sharing

This is strictly a channel availability chart not a comparison of services

PlayStation Vue is still the best by nearly every metric I care about except mobility and the name (and lack of a desktop app). It is ridiculous they launched nationally with PlayStation in the name. Nearly everyone I speak too about it says “I might try it but I don’t have a PlayStation”. How about Sony Vue or just Vue? Or Sony Live Stream (SLS for short)? Or Sony Dream Stream? Anything without PlayStation in the name. Plus the integration into the PlayStation website makes it more confusing to the average user.

Very Respectfully,
– Gregory

 

 

Tom and Brian,
Comcast upped my rate again so it was time to go for the chicken challenge again. Long story short, I was successful but not in the way I imagined.
I started out calling Comcast and had no luck getting my deal back to what it was before. So, I did what any reasonable person would do in 2016… complain on Twitter about my bill going up. Imagine my surprise when the Comcast Cares account at replied me and asked I follow them so we could exchange DMs. Using an exchange of DMs I was able to get back to my previous deal and lock it in for 2 years. That included free HBO for another 2 years and then to top it off they added 2 years of Showtime for free as well.
Comcast justifiably gets a bad rap in regards to customer service at times, but their social media team was fantastic to work with. I just wanted to share another path for all your listeners to take to try and get a better deal via the Chicken Challenge. Twitter, who would have thought that would work so well?

– Chris

 

 

Hi,

When I decided to cut the cord, I called Cox cable and told them I was cancelling in favor of HBOGo and Hulu. They made me a deal in which I pay for a “starter pack” cable plus HBO and Starz, at $12/month, which made it cheaper for me to keep it than to have HBO alone.

The end result is that I never bothered to connect my cable box – by using mobile apps to stream the network shows (using my cable login), I get all of the current shows offered by Hulu and was able to cancel that as well.

Definitely worth the phone call. 
 

Links

www.patreon.com/cordkillers

2016 Summer Movie Draft