A little late, but the Friends Reunion Special contributed to the most new user sign-ups
for HBO Max in 2021 thus far.
Here's the graphic noting that it beat out other tentpole titles, like Zack Snyder's Justice League and Godzilla vs. Kong, in that metric.
The Dishonorable
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
......Drew Carey Show reunion special confirmed.
What're the expectations on making a new thread for a show? What about an old version and a modern reboot, can you have a single thread for both of them?
As proof of how behind the times I am I have finally started watching Firefly and The Wire.
Never trust anyone who uses "degenerate" as an insult.
The Dishonorable
So...this exists.
The Dishonorable
Peacock is finally coming to Amazon Fire TV devices.
I guarantee you Peacock would've been on Fire TV at launch had Covid not fucked up the Olympics.
"The devil's got all the good gear. What's God got? The Inspiral Carpets and nuns. Fuck that." - Liam Gallagher
The Dishonorable
Huge CBS shakeup: Head of Comedy Julie Pernworth is out after nearly two decades.
Almost all of CBS' biggest sitcom hits, from Two and a Half Men to The Big Bang Theory, were greenlit by her. In some ways she helped CBS get out of its '90s rust.
Edited by Mario1995 on Jun 25th 2021 at 3:03:47 PM
"The devil's got all the good gear. What's God got? The Inspiral Carpets and nuns. Fuck that." - Liam GallagherThe CW and Litton extend their Saturday Morning programming block partnership, One Magnificent Morning.
Furthermore, I found a video from the Antenna Man, explaining the decision to strip down analog television in favor of digital in the USA. In fact, the last few existing ones will end in July 2021. According to the video, one could blame the FCC selling select signal channels to cell phone companies.
The Dishonorable
With kids not watching any broadcast TV unless it's sports or reality TV and educational material more easier to come across than ever, I honestly don't know what purpose Children's Television Act still exists anymore. The damn thing was only press-ganged onto us because conservatives didn't want to watch the evil taxpayer-funded PBS.
Anywho, Netflix has canceled four comedies due to low ratings.
(*catchy synth-bass sounds intensify*)
An official Seinfeld LEGO project is coming!
Once again, LEGO really knows how to hide some good Easter Eggs in their property adaptations.
The Hardy Boys (2020), which is airing in the States on Hulu, has been renewed for a Season Two
.
CNBC did a roundup of all the performance
of all the current streaming services so far. As noted in the article, 2020 saw a fantastic 44% boost in American viewership in the fourth quarter of the year. (Oct 1 through Dec 31)
- 208 million paying subscribers
- 74.4 million U.S. and Canada subscribers
- ARPU (Average revenue per user)
Netflix is the gold standard of transparency. The company breaks out paying subscribers and ARPU for its U.S.-Canada region, EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa), Latin America and Asia-Pacific. Netflix doesn't take advertising revenue, so it doesn't need to disclose finances related to commercials.
- Disney+ (including Hotstar): 103.6 million subscribers, $3.99 global ARPU
- Hulu SVOD only: 37.8 million subscribers, $12.08 ARPU
- Hulu SVOD+Live TV: 3.8 million subscribers, $81.83 ARPU
- ESPN+: 13.8 million subscribers, $4.55 ARPU
Disney is somewhat transparent with its figures, but not as clear as Netflix. Disney includes the significantly cheaper — and faster growing — Indian streaming service Hotstar in its Disney+ numbers rather than clearly breaking out the number of Disney+ customers. The company also hasn't broken out figures per region yet. The Information reported Friday that Disney+ growth may be stagnating in the U.S. and Canada.
Disney also doesn't clarify how many of its streaming customers are on a free trial, such as the one-year free deal it offers for some Verizon customers.
- 63.9 million global subscribers, 44.2 million U.S. subscribers.
- ARPU: $11.72 per month
There's quite a bit of confusion with HBO's numbers, which AT&T could clarify but has chosen to keep vague. Some pay-TV customers get HBO Max for free because they already pay for HBO. Other AT&T wireless subscribers also get HBO Max included in their bundles. And some HBO watchers don't use — or haven't discovered — HBO Max at all.
The company has chosen not to say how many people are specifically using HBO Max. But it has given a solid ARPU number — highlighting the streaming service's relatively high price (and perceived customer value) to investors.
- More than 200 million global Prime subscribers — 175 million of which "streamed shows and movies in the past year."
- Prime membership cost: $12.99 per month, $119 per year
Amazon doesn't break out a firm ARPU number or a specific Prime member number, but the company is playing a different game than the other streaming services. Most Prime members probably aren't subscribers just for the video, but instead subscribe for free and fast shipping on Amazon packages, Whole Foods discounts, and other benefits. The lack of disclosure around Prime Video isn't as much of a red flag as it may be for the other streaming services.
- 42 million U.S. "signups."
- ARPU: ?
NBC Universal — the parent company of CNBC — hasn't been particularly transparent with Peacock yet. Its streaming service stands apart from the competition because some versions of Peacock are free. The Wall Street Journal reported last week less than 10 million people pay for Peacock — either for its $4.99 ad-supported tier or its $9.99 ad-free tier.
NBC Universal also hasn't broken out an ARPU figure yet, which would help investors weigh the value of a free subscriber against paying customers. NBC Universal has publicly estimated an ARPU number across its three tiers of $6 to $7 per month.
Investors will also be curious about Peacock's global signups number as it spreads across the world.
- 36 million global subscribers, consisting of Paramount+, Showtime, Noggin, BET+ and others
- 50 million global Pluto TV monthly average users
- ARPU: ?
Viacom CBS doesn't break out Paramount+ subscribers, preferring to lump them in with its other streaming services. It also doesn't give an average revenue per user number for Paramount+ or Pluto TV, though CEO Bob Bakish did say Pluto TV advertising revenue will pass $1 billion in 2022. Viacom CBS also hasn't broken out geographic subscribers, though Chief Financial Officer Naveen Chopra said "the significant majority" of new streaming subscribers were U.S.-based Paramount+ customers.
- 29.5 million global subscribers, 16.7 million of which are streaming
- ARPU: About $6 per month
Starz is often a forgotten service in the streaming wars, in part because it's not an independent company —Lionsgate owns it — and because its ambitions are more niche. Still, the company's transparency around streaming may suggest it's confident in its future prospects — or that it wants to be acquired.
- 15 million subscribers across all streaming products, 13 million Discovery+ subscribers
- Overall ARPU: About $7 per month
- ARPU for ad-supported Discovery+: More than $10 per month
Discovery was transparent about global subscribers and ARPU in its first quarter earnings, released April 28 — though it didn't reveal how many of its users signed up through a one-year trial with Verizon.
Discovery also announced it's merging with Warner Media. That's a sign CEO David Zaslav realized his streaming service probably wouldn't have the scale on its own to survive. He basically said so himself.
Merging with Warner Media not only gives Zaslav more content to compete with, but also refocuses investor interest. Discovery's streaming performance won't really matter anymore until its deal with Warner Media finalizes. Then, the companies must integrate.
Merging arguably bought Zaslav three years of investor goodwill. Take note, struggling streaming players. Take note.
- Apple TV+ global subscribers: ?
- ARPU: ?
The prize for the least transparency goes to Apple, which has revealed almost nothing about Apple TV+ since launching the service in November 2019. Apple gave away Apple TV+ subscriptions for free for a year — and then extended those free trials. But many of those trials are ending, and users will need to decide if they want to spend $4.99 per month on the service. Perhaps Apple is waiting to reveal statistics until it starts getting recurring revenue from users.
Then again, there's a reason Apple extended the free trials to begin with — the service is very light on content, especially with many original series delayed during the pandemic. Apple doesn't have the movie and TV library to compete with the other streaming players, making $4.99 per month offer seem unreasonable.
That's a long-winded way of saying: don't expect too much clarity from Apple in the quarters to come either.
Edited by XMenMutant22 on Jul 5th 2021 at 10:51:23 AM
The Dishonorable
Another one bites the dust: Netflix's Cursed is canceled after one season.
The Dishonorable
In broadcasting news, WADL of Detroit will be the market's new affiliate for MyNetworkTV after present affiliate WMYD (owned by Scripps) declined to renew.
Not much of a surprise here. MNTV has almost no value left as many top market stations are quickly dumping it or shifting it to death slots, and Scripps probably wants to convert WMYD to a news-intensive entity or wait for WPXD's Ion affiliation to expire.
"The devil's got all the good gear. What's God got? The Inspiral Carpets and nuns. Fuck that." - Liam Gallagher
It's that time of the year, Emmy nominations.
Nominations are still pouring in, but let's focus on the three big ones -
Comedy Series Black-ish (ABC) Cobra Kai (Netflix) Emily in Paris (Netflix) Hacks (HBO Max) The Flight Attendant (HBO Max) The Kominsky Method (Netflix) Pen 15 (Hulu) Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)
Limited Series I May Destroy You (HBO) Mare of Easttown (HBO) The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix) The Underground Railroad (Amazon) Wanda Vision (Disney+)
Drama Series The Boys (Amazon) Bridgerton (Netflix) The Crown (Netflix) The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu) Lovecraft Country (HBO) The Mandalorian (Disney+) Pose (FX) This Is Us (NBC)
The Dishonorable
Top 3 nominations by networks:
- Disney (ABC/ESPN/FX/Hulu/Freeform/Disney+/Disney Channel/Nat Geo) (146)
- WarnerMedia (TNT/TBS/truTV/Cartoon Network/CNN/CW/Adult Swim/HBO/HBO Max/Cinemax) (138)
- Netflix (129)
Edited by Mario1995 on Jul 13th 2021 at 12:25:24 PM
"The devil's got all the good gear. What's God got? The Inspiral Carpets and nuns. Fuck that." - Liam Gallagher
Professional Forum Ninja
…wut.
Netflix really is banking on live action anime to move their genre TV forward.
Monkey See, DIC Do
The Dishonorable
Lol.
Here's what I don't get about not making Levar Burton the host of Jeopardy from a business perspective, I refuse to believe an old gameshow on network tv is pulling in a big audience, so I'd think they would want someone who could possibly bring in a younger generation of viewers which Burton could have provided.
Never trust anyone who uses "degenerate" as an insult.
Burton actually drew the lowest ratings of any of the guest hosts.
I doubt that was much of a consideration, anyway.
He also hosted during the Olympics.
That said, the new guy is prone to making sexist and anti-Semitic comments so...
He was accused of rigging the guest roles in his favor and now this. Not sure if this will lead to his ousting, but it’s a bad look.
Looks like several of the conglomerates have finished filling ad inventory.
Disney CEO Chapek says 40% of newly acquired ad revenue is being allocated to digital
(e.g. ESPN+ and Hulu). Networks netted double-digit increases in CPM metrics and revenue, possibly the largest in Disney's history (this despite their ratings being meh).
NBC has also wrapped
its upfronts, also calling the haul the largest in their history.
"The devil's got all the good gear. What's God got? The Inspiral Carpets and nuns. Fuck that." - Liam Gallagher