Jump to content

Streaming Services (business / market / service, not content-focused)


SpaceChampion
 Share

Recommended Posts

A Substack writer I follow, who focuses on television, film, and streaming, had this response to that sort of argument. I thought it was interesting to consider. There's definitely a reality where most people are very happy to watch "crap", and streamers have largely for a long time had reasons for why they didn't have to care about this... but now they kind of do.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 minutes ago, Ran said:

A Substack writer I follow, who focuses on television, film, and streaming, had this response to that sort of argument. I thought it was interesting to consider. There's definitely a reality where most people are very happy to watch "crap", and streamers have largely for a long time had reasons for why they didn't have to care about this... but now they kind of do.

I tend to agree with this. There is definitely a time and place for prestige drama as well as trash tv. I know if I'm tired or don't have a lot of time I really don't want to sit and think hard by watching a deep and dense drama. Sometimes it is nice to just switch on Dr Pimple Popper and see some zits. 

Seeing as Netflix and other platforms have been fighting over who can stream braindead fluff like Friends and Big Bang Theory, its clear that there is a huge market for this stuff, background fluff. 

Didn't this also happen on Cable tv, prestige channels switching over to reality tv because it was cheaper and got just as many views?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 minutes ago, Ran said:

A Substack writer I follow, who focuses on television, film, and streaming, had this response to that sort of argument. I thought it was interesting to consider. There's definitely a reality where most people are very happy to watch "crap", and streamers have largely for a long time had reasons for why they didn't have to care about this... but now they kind of do.

I mean, I get that, but it's also kind of amusing to see someone saying 'no, we also do bad programming' as a marketing strategy. As much as it makes sense on a certain level, it's also funny. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Heartofice said:

I tend to agree with this. There is definitely a time and place for prestige drama as well as trash tv. I know if I'm tired or don't have a lot of time I really don't want to sit and think hard by watching a deep and dense drama. Sometimes it is nice to just switch on Dr Pimple Popper and see some zits. 

Seeing as Netflix and other platforms have been fighting over who can stream braindead fluff like Friends and Big Bang Theory, its clear that there is a huge market for this stuff, background fluff. 

Didn't this also happen on Cable tv, prestige channels switching over to reality tv because it was cheaper and got just as many views?

Same here, except instead of pimple popping I watch Friends and TBBT!!!  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I feel like that I read a book like Maugham's Cakes and Ale, or, if possible sit with some trees. Not always though, see: Emily in Paris, or when I was jetlagged, that silly FBI thing on netflix, the title of which I can't even recall, or even the plot.  But I'd never watch anything like Friends or reality tv.  Though I will watch a documentary sometimes ...on ... tacos.

I have noticed that since around the holidays last years, I've been watching less and less, as there is less and less that appeals.

OTOH, YAY! I've been spending more time with PEOPLE.

Edited by Zorral
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 2/10/2023 at 3:57 PM, RumHam said:

Browsing fatigue is the main reason I went through the trouble to set up a Plex server for movies on an old laptop and some hard drives I had. Everything is on one thing and I click movies and they're sorted randomly, filtered so it's only movies I haven't watched. (on Plex at least.) 

Have recently been enjoying a lot of content on Plex.

 

Eta: Dropping HBO from your branding but keeping MAX in your title is not a correct move.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 minutes ago, DireWolfSpirit said:

Have recently been enjoying a lot of content on Plex.

Again it's just so nice to have everything in one place, and one list of movies I can filter by "unplayed" among other things. Unplayed, sorted randomly is great for deciding what to watch.  

The value of the HBO brand aside, MAX is just a fucking weird name for an streaming app. Like that's either a name for a person or a label on a dial. Max(imum) what? Are they just going to give us the most? 

Boaty McBoat Face would have been a better name. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, RumHam said:

MAX is just a fucking weird name for an streaming app. Like that's either a name for a person or a label on a dial.

We have yet to hear what their plans are in Europe, and specifically in Sweden. Because in Sweden, Max is a popular, nation-wide burger chain that has put McDonald's locations out of business several times in northern Sweden. The trademark may be fine to use because of restaurant vs. streaming service being quite distinct, but Max is just super well known in Sweden and the association may not work for Warner Bros. Discovery.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

HBO was their brand name, and it's still how I think of it.  It says exactly what it is -- or maybe by now, what it was?

And in every way it's a million times better than Prime, which has revamped to provide no information about what is available that doesn't have to be paid for.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Isn't Cinemax still a channel?  MAX is stupid when as others have said the brand equity is in HBO.  But, that's how corporate mergers work, usually through incomptence and arrogance whatever was the 'golden egg' reason that XX was acquired, it is almost always killed/destroyed/diluted.  I don't expect that HBO will continue to be the premier creator of TV content.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Warner Bros. Discovery Swings to $50M Streaming Profit, Says U.S. Streaming Business Will Be Profitable for 2023

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/warner-bros-discovery-earnings-streaming-profitable-subscribers-1235480432/

Paramount Should Just Quit Streaming at This Point — Analyst

https://www.indiewire.com/news/business/paramount-plus-quit-streaming-analyst-1234859135/

 

Someone reminded me it took Netflix 20 years to be profitable.   Only Netflix, Hulu, and now apparently MAX are currently profitable.   Everyone else is losing money.   Apple has like a trillion dollars so it can absorb losses, and even buy out others.

Edited by SpaceChampion
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Disney+ And Hulu Programming To Be Combined Into One App By Year’s End, Bob Iger Says

Most places in the world already have this, this is just bringing it to the U.S.

Sounds like Disney will buy out Comcast's fraction of Hulu.

 

 

Edited by SpaceChampion
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I feel like WB Discovery's profit for the service has to be understood through the lens of the write-downs they've taken by cancelling a bunch of shows and other such stuff. Yes, it's a "profit"... but it's a paper profit, IMO, and not the same thing as Netflix's actual profitability. The question is not if they manage a profit in 2023 -- all their efforts were designed to ensure it did -- but if they can actually sustain profits after that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Max continues to shed movies and shows. The list of Last Chance seems longer than Just Added.

On a related note: As we were running out of things to watch on Max, I cancelled the auto renewal and was offered $7.99 rate for three months (down from $14.99). 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Myrddin said:

Max continues to shed movies and shows. The list of Last Chance seems longer than Just Added.

On a related note: As we were running out of things to watch on Max, I cancelled the auto renewal and was offered $7.99 rate for three months (down from $14.99). 

Yep did that for a month then still cancelled it. Really didn't have much to watch on it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...