Cordkillers 226 – Pop Culture Sherpa (w/ Brian Ibbott)

Cordkillers / July 3rd, 2018

OTT service prices going up, Matt Groening’s new show, and Venture Bros. is really coming back. All this and more on Cordkillers! With special guest Brian Ibbott

Download audio

Download video

CordKillers: Ep. 226 – Pop Culture Sherpa
Recorded: July 2 2018
Guest: Brian Ibbott

Intro Video

Primary Target

  • DC’s new digital streaming service is opening its beta this August
    – Warner Brothers announced the arrival of DC Universe. It’s combination of an unlimited digital comic platform with a library of past DC-related TV shows and movies, including upcoming shows like Young Justice: Outsiders, Titans, and Harley Quinn. DC Universe will be available in beta this August with a full launch planned for autumn.
  • Apple could bundle TV, music and news in a single subscription
    – A new report from The Information says its sources say Apple might bundle its forthcoming original video programming with news content, magazines, music. Apple acquired Texture in March which lets you read multiple magazines with a single subscription.
     

How to Watch

  • Sony raises monthly cost of PlayStation Vue by $5 for all plans
    – Sony announced it’s raising its PSVue plans by $5 a month each due to rising business costs. the cheapest plan will cost $45 and the most expensive will be $85. It starts July 24 for new subscribers and the first billing cycle after July 31.
  • DirecTV Now will raise prices by $5 on August 1st
    – DirecTV Now will raise its price by $5 on each of its packages starting August 1, with its cheapest package starting at $40 a month and the top tier now $75.
  • Sling TV revamps its service with a price hike, new free tier & à la carte channels
    – Sling TV, is raising the base price of its core package Sling Orange by $5 to $25 per month, and also offering new free content and à la carte channel subscriptions. Sling TV will also offer pay-per-view (PPV) events and more than 5,000 movies that can be watched without a monthly subscription. A new user interface reflecting new content options hits Roku devices today, with other devices to come.
  • Dish and Sling TV lose Univision channels in price dispute
    – Dish and Univision are in a carriage price dispute which means Univision, UniMás and Galavisión are no longer on Dish services including Sling TV. Univision Now recently launched a streaming service to get Univision channels for $6 a month.

What to Watch

What We’re Watching

Front Lines

  • Justice Department Approves Disney’s Acquisition of 21st Century Fox With Divestiture of Regional Sports Networks
    – The US Department of Justice has given approval for Disney to acquire most of 21st Century Fox. The deal would NOT include the Fox broadcast network, Fox News or FS1 and FS2. However it was supposed to include the Fox Regional Sports Networks. The Department of Justice would require Disney to divest of itself of those regional sports networks as it believes it creates an anti-competitive conflict due to Disney’s ownership of ESPN and other regional sports nets. Disney has agreed to the conditions. Comcast still has a competing bid but has not received antitrust approval.
  • Verizon shuts down its free Go90 video streaming service
    – Verizon will shut down its free ad-supported Go90 video streaming service July 31. Verizon Go topped out at 17 mm unique users earlier this year. Verizon laid off most of the Go 90 staff and shifted development to former Vessel staff after VZN acquired them. No more significant layoffs are expected.
  • MoviePass parent says it may sell up to $1.2B in equity and debt to finance operations and growth
    – MoviePass parent company Helios and Matheson Analytics has filed paperwork with the US SEC to sell up to $1.2 billion in equity and debt securities. This doesn’t give them that much money but it does give them clearance to raise up to that amount through various financial means like selling shares.
  • Coming soon from Netflix: Three dozen billboards in Hollywood
    – Netflix is buying half of Regency Outdoor Advertising giving it up to 35 billboard displays along Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood. The deal is expected to close in July.

Dispatches from the Front

Hi Brian,Bryce,Tom,and Jackie somewhere in the background.

So Westworld season 2 ended last week.I needed another show to watch to justify my HBO add-on subscription through Hulu.I chose “”The Leftovers””.

I’ve watched the first three episodes so far.While those dogs aren’t ours anymore,I know you’ve already watched and discussed the first 3 seasons of the show.

My question is,where is the Spoilering search feature project at right now?Months ago Bryce mentioned we needed 1500 patreon bosses to make the search function for spoilering time happen.Is the goal close?Or very far away from happening?

I’d appreciate a reply from David Pick in Fond Du Lac,WI.

If nothing else,wishing everyone have a good 4th of July holiday later this week.

– David

 

 

 

Greetings cord killers,

I am team Brian. I have a movie theater five minutes away from my home that is always the first place I go to. That’s not to say that I’m unwilling to go to a different theater if the movie I want to see is playing there at a better time. However, I go to the same theater 98% of the time

– Jess
 

 

Hey Killers,

Regarding loyalty to theaters, my wife and I are 100% Team Brian! We gravitate to theaters with specific characteristics, even if that meant driving further than other closer theaters. When we lived in Rochester, we drove 30 minutes to an AMC because it was one of the first theaters in the area with assigned seats. When we moved to Lawrence Kansas, .. we drove 45 minutes to the AMC in Kansas City with assigned seats and a Dolby Atmos theater.

– anotherJmartin

 

Hey Brian and Tom,

Generally speaking I tend to use the same one or two theaters, even though everywhere I have lived for the last decade has at least half a dozen theaters within reasonable driving distance. Why? Theater amenities. … I want large, comfortable, reclining seats, and to be able to pick my seats ahead of time.

 

–Kyle 

 

 

Hello Brian, Tom , and Bryce,
My wife and I pretty much only go to one theatre and we drive about 40 minutes to get there.
We have three other theatres that are a bit closer but the one we frequent has huge reclining chairs, and reserved seating.

– Seamus

 

 

Cord Slayers,
I’m lucky enough to have 4 theaters within a 15 minute drive but there is 1 theater to that I go to 90% of the time. I like to stick to 1 theater because I like a consistent experience… Once I lock into a routine I can choose the same row/seat and know I won’t be pulled out of the movie experience by an uncomfortable seat, viewing angle, house lights, etc.

– Anonymous

 

 

Hi guys,
… Here in Waco, we have two 16 screen megaplexes run by Regal and AMC, and one six screen “cheap seat” theater. My wife and I tend to go to the AMC, and only because they put in an IMAX screen last year, …However, the Regal is the only location for Fathom events, and thus the only place to see the TCM monthly classics on a big screen, so I can’t stay in the AMC system for all my needs. …
 

– David

 

 

I’d would never consider AMC’s plan because it is limited to AMC. I wouldn’t do Alamos plan because both Alamos in Denver are pretty far away. But I will go to movies at various chains. United Artists (Regal) and Landmark and sometimes AMC and Alamo.

– Lewis

 

Hey Everyone,
I happen to be one of those people that really do(n’t)? go to the movie theater at all. It’s not that I don’t want to, but paying $19.99 once on iTunes for a movie I do want to see trumps a trip to the theater. While one might think I missing the theater experience, there isn’t that much of an experience that I can’t replicate at home except for the big screen, but a 4K 65 inch screen in the dark is pretty darn good.

– Chris

 

 

Hey Cordkillers,

I signed up for the AMC Stubs A-List program and just before I hit submit I noticed something in the fine print. There is a three month commitment to the program before you can cancel. I still signed up because I go to the movies frequently and it is a good value form me but if you are wanting to sign up for a month and catch up on movies then cancel. You could find yourself with quite a surprise.

Caveat emptor, Cordkiller believers!!!!!

– Josh

 

Links

2018 Summer Movie Draft
patreon.com/cordkillers

Cordkillers 224 – Forty Percent of Ten is Four

Cordkillers / June 19th, 2018

AT&T and TWC can merge, Lucifer is back on Netflix, and Minecraft on Netflix (really!). All this and more on Cordkillers! With special guest DJ Wooldridge. 

Download audio

Download video

CordKillers: Ep. 224 – Forty Percent of Ten is Four
Recorded: June 18 2018
Guest: DJ Wooldridge

Intro Video

Primary Target

  • AT&T, Time Warner, and the Future of TV in the Mobile Era
    – U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon ruled that AT&T’s proposed purchase of Time Warner is legal. Judge Leon did not impose any conditions on the merger. The merger will combine Time Warner’s HBO, Turner Networks and the Warner Brothers film studio with AT&T’s ISP and pay TV services like DirecTV. The deal was officially closed on June 15.
  • Expect AT&T’s ‘WarnerMedia’ to expand HBO’s budget
    – The bulk of TimeWarner’s operations (HBO, Turner, Warner Brothers films) will be put in a new division of AT&T called Warner Media, run by AT&T exec John Stankey. In an interview with Bloomberg, Stankey implied they’ll spend more money on programming. HBO has a 2.5 billion content budget compared with Netflix’s 8 billion. The $15 skinny bundle mentioned by Randall Stephenson in testimony is expected to launch in a few days with Turner networks as the anchor.
  • Comcast makes $65 billion offer to steal 21st Century Fox away from Disney
    – Comcast officially made an offer to buy parts of 21st Century Fox TV and Film. The all-cash offer is $35 per share totaling approximately $65 billion, higher than Disney’s stock-based $52.4 billion deal. Fox Broadcasting, Fox News, and Fox Sports are not part of either offer. Comcast was also waiting for the AT&T-Time Warner deal to be resolved.

How to Watch

  • Oprah will make stuff for Apple’s big, ambitious TV plans. But what are Apple’s TV plans?
    – Apple announced Oprah Winfrey will create original programs that “embrace her incomparable ability to connect with audiences around the world.’ Apple didn’t say if Winfrey would appear in any of the shows, and financial details were not disclosed. Apple also said the deal wouldn’t affect OWN, Winfrey’s own television network she launched in 2011 and has contract through 2025. Apple has made deals for more than a dozen shows with Reese Witherspoon, Steven Spielberg, Octavia Spencer, and Kevin Durant.

What to Watch

What We’re Watching

Front Lines

  • Terry Gilliam Has Lost the Rights to The Man Who Killed Don Quixote
    – A couple months after Terry Gilliam’s The Man Who Killed Don Quixote premiered at the Canne film festival, a French court ruled Terry Gilliam does not own the film. Paulo Brancho’s Alfama Films won the court case, requiring Giiliam to pay $10,000 in damages. Brancho intends to sue the film’s production crew and Cannes.
  •  Netflix to bring Minecraft: Story Mode to service – but not traditional games
    – Netflix will stream TellTale Games’ interactive story, Minecraft: Story Mode. Netflix also says TellTale will make a Stranger Things game. We joked about this last week and now…
  • MoviePass Is Looking to Launch Family Plan Within a Month
    – MoviePass announced last week it has passed three million paying subscribers and believes it needs two million more to break even, which it expects to get by the end of the year. MoviePass claims to account for 5% of the US box office. Parent company Helios and Matheson’s CEO, Ted Farnsworth told CinemaBlend that MoviePass has a family plan and bring-a-friend plan in the works, though neither would hav discounts.
  • MoviePass Reps 40% Of ‘Gotti’s $1.67M Opening As Critics Slaughter John Travolta Mob Pic
    –  MoviePass says that its users accounted for 40% of the ticket sales for the box office stinker “Gotti,” which the service also invested in. MoviePass is really having it each way–getting movies made, promoting movies, and selling the tickets (all in a roundabout way).
  • Plex’s grid guide gives cord cutters a traditional TV look
    – Plex introduced a tradition grid guide for live TV channels. It’s available on the Web for Plex Pass subscribers and will come to other platforms eventually.
  • Android malware is infecting Amazon Fire TVs and Fire Sticks
    – Unsurprisingly, users of Fire TV devices who sideloaded apps to watch copyright-infringing video have been infected with malware called ADB.miner that mines cryptocurrency for whoever made the malware. A factory reset should get rid of the malware, or the Amazon app store app Total Commander will let you find and uninstall the malware directly, though it may not fix any changes made to your system.

Dispatches from the Front

Hey guys,
I have a Legal/Ethical question for you. Last week I went on a road trip and I wanted to load up a bunch of movies on my laptop. There were a few movies I wanted and I didn’t want to pay the $15-$20 to purchase so I could watch them offline. I also didn’t want to pirate them either.
I kind of stumbled upon a middle ground. I found several sites offering digital codes from 5 to 10 dollars. I used paypal so I didn’t give them my actual credit card info and with Movies Anywhere I was able to add the movies to my library and download them on the Vudu to Go app. It worked great.
My question is, where does this fall on the Legal/Ethical dilemma? These are probably codes that came with physical media that are being resold. I’m sure this is against the terms of service, but is this the same as me giving buying counterfeit goods?

What are your thoughts?

– Scott

 

 

Just wanted to chime in with some non-specific notes as I’ve worked in the IT area of a bank processing card transactions. Technically the kiosk could be coded to reject the MoviePass transactions by either looking at the description of the transaction or the routing number or processor. The kiosk should contain fields defined for the ISO-8583 standard. I have seen terminals at stores coded to avoid certain cards if they deem them as being high fraud potential. The data can tell you everything.
Thankfully I’m out of banking IT and all I can say is “Kids, if offered, don’t do it.
Hope that helps.

– Rodney

 

 

 

I’ll leave to you guys to debate whether The Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones are better books or movies, but one that is not arguable is The Wizard of Oz.

The book is both bizarre and gruesome. The Wizard filling the Scarecrow’s head with a mixture of sawdust and pins, so he will be “sharp” and the high magical creature body count, including the Tin Woodsman decapitating many, are just 2 of the things that makes it not really a very good book.

The movie on the other hand, is brilliant and was nominated for 6 and won 2 Oscars.

Thanks for a great show.

– Patrick

 

 

 

 

Last night was the first big storm of the season. Severe Thunderstorm, Tornado, and Flash Flood Warnings were issued all evening. I tuned in to the local TV channels, via antenna, to keep track of storm progress. When I moved to the basement to check the storm shelter (in case it would be needed) I tuned into one of the same local channels via my streaming TV provider on my tablet. The streaming version was a full two minutes behind the broadcast. Here in the midwest that is a serious issue during storms. My old cable TV provider was a couple of seconds behind, but not minutes.

Just as troubling were the “emergency notifications” coming via text that were 30 seconds or more behind the NOAA weather radio alerts. No reason for me to go back to cable, since I have good OTA coverage. But, it could be a consideration for some.

For just this reason alone, broadcast radio and TV is vital in emergencies. In our rush to sell off all of the spectrum to cell phone and other industries, let’s not forget that in an emergency it’s the broadcast infrastructure that seems most robust.

Thanks, I enjoy the podcast”

 

– George
 

 

Links

2018 Summer Movie Draft
patreon.com/cordkillers