Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Wednesday, June 1st, 2022

What would the streaming generation's TV Guide look like?

Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Wednesday, June 1st, 2022.
 
WHAT WOULD THE STREAMING GENERATION'S TV GUIDE LOOK LIKE?
Because I spend so much time writing about content discovery - whether it's for streaming, broadcast or cable - I hear from a lot of people who are frustrated by how difficult it is to find new shows or even know when your favorite series is returning with new episodes. There are some people in the industry who are arguing the problem is that we're just cranking out too much new stuff. Which is a bit like a baseball outfielder arguing the problem isn't that they keep dropping the ball. It's that too many people are hitting balls into the outfield. 

But one of the questions I frequently hear is why there isn't the equivalent of the TV Guide for the streaming generation. Some place where you could find out what was worth watching and also covered the many different places where you can watch content. And if there was such a tool, what would it look like?

This question has been at the top of mind for weeks and I've been speaking with people in the industry about this ahead of a piece that hopefully will post next week. But in broad terms, this is what TV Guide 3.0 would look like:

* App based-both on mobile and the various streaming platforms.

* An integrated, interactive program guide that worked similar to the ones you see on Roku TVs. It grabs all of the available OTA channels, as well as FAST channels and integrates them into a single program guide. Ideally, you could also add the local cable, vMVPD or satellite TV provider (if you subscribe) and it would integrate those channels as well.

* Social functions. The ability to create a profile that showed programs you recommend and share it with friends. A related function which would allow publications or influencers to create recommendations that could be shared with followers.

* The ability to “follow” your favorite shows. Similar to a wish list, but it would work across platforms since its information-based. You follow FBI: International or Life Below Zero and you receive a pop-up every time a new episode is coming up. In an ideal world, you could click on that notification and go directly to the service where you could watch it. Since that won’t be possible (at least in the beginning), you could set parameters on when you want to receive the notification. For instance, 24 hours ahead of time so you can set the show to record on the appropriate DVR.

* List-based content discovery. Original pieces that would offer suggestions in the context of what you just watched. "If you just finished Stranger Things, here are five other shows you might like!"

* Original videos that break out specific genre-based viewing suggestions. These would be particularly helpful on the streaming platforms. Five Great Horror Shows You Probably Missed, Seven Movies That Will Soothe Your Soul, etc. 

* Every item on the app needs to focused on content discovery. So unlike the traditional TV Guide, that means no celebrity interviews or think pieces. Maybe you do some short videos that have stars recommending some of their lesser known favorites - Gary Oldham's Five Favorite Kids Shows - but that's it. Every aspect of the app needs to be laser-focused on surfacing content, new and old. 

There are a lot of open questions about this idea - from logistical challenges to the best ways to drive revenue. But I think there's a dire need for a content discovery app like this. 

If you have some thoughts, I'd love to hear them. Reply directly to this newsletter or email me at rick@allyourscreens.com

MOST WATCHED STREAMING TV SHOWS AND MOVIES LAST WEEK
Here is the latest data from Whip Media, which shows the most-watched streaming TV shows and movies last week in the U.S. Just a reminder that their data is based on users of their TV Time app:

STREAMING SERVICES SPEND A LOT OF MONEY ON LINEAR TV ADS
Data from iSpot’s recent TV season ad report reveal which industries aired the most-seen ads during the last TV season (September 6th, 2021-May 8th, 2022). The surprise on the list might be #4, and it shows how much money various streaming services have spent trying to reach new subscribers who have stuck with linear television:

I QUIT MY ENGINEERING JOB AT NETFLIX MAKING $450,000 A YEAR
I wouldn't normally highlight a piece about a former engineer at Netflix, but what I found interesting about this Insider article is that while Netflix has a reputation of being very aggressive when it comes to making sure the right person is in the right position, the company clearly didn't have the process in place that would have kept this engineer from leaving:

Then COVID-19 happened. The office shut down, and all my favorite parts of work — the socializing, the coworkers, the perks — disappeared.

The only thing left was the work itself, and I didn't enjoy the work anymore.

I wanted to have a bigger effect. For me, deciding how to allocate engineering resources was more relevant to my career goals than the engineering work itself, and I wanted to transition into product management to lead these efforts.

As a result, I spent two years networking within Netflix and applying for every product-manager role I could find. 

None of my attempts panned out, and I was still doing the same job.

The issue was that Netflix didn't have any processes in place to support horizontal role changes like this. I've never seen an engineer successfully transition to product management at the company. 

IN THE CATEGOY OF 'THIS DIDN'T TAKE LONG'
Fox has just announced a new special that will air next Tuesday: TMZ Presents Amber Vs. Johnny: From Love To Hate. I'm sure this will be a well-balanced, thoughtful presentation:

ODDS AND SODS
* Apple TV+ has ordered a third and fourth season of Slow Horses. I'm assuming that seasons three and four are going to be similar to seasons one and two: actually one complete season order that is just split into two shorter "seasons"

* The HBO Original six-part documentary series Mind Over Murder premieres on Monday, June 20th.

* Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav replaces Warner Bros. Pictures Group's Toby Emmerich with former MGM studio heads Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy.

* The Owen Wilson-led family secret superhero comedy Secret Headquarters is ditching its planned August 5th theatrical release and will instead premiere directly on Paramount+.

* The Danish crime series The Sommerdahl Murders has been renewed for a fourth season, which is slated to premiere in the U.S. on Acorn TV in March 2023.

* HBO Max has ordered a second season of Our Flag Means Death.

* The movie Honor Society is premiering July 29th on Paramount+.

* FuboTV has appointed three leaders to new positions across content strategy, partnerships and business development at the virtual MVPD.

* Spotify podcasters are making $18,000 a month on white noise.

WHAT'S NEW FOR WEDNESDAY
Here's a quick rundown of all the new stuff premiering today on TV and streaming:

A Fan's Guide To Ms. Marvel (Disney+)
Generation Drag Series Premiere (Discovery+) 
Sistas Season Premiere (BET)
South Park: The Streaming Wars (Paramount+)
The Real Housewives Of Dubai Series Premiere (Bravo)
Trixie Motel Series Premiere (Discovery+)

Click Here to see the list of all of the upcoming premiere dates for the next few months.

SEE YOU THURSDAY!

If you have any feedback, send it along to Rick@AllYourScreens.com and follow me on Twitter @aysrick.