Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Friday, July 22nd, 2022
TGIF...unless you at Comic-Con
Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Friday July 22nd, 2022.
HOW ARE THE STREAMERS HANDLING TONIGHT'S LIVE JANUARY 6TH PRIMETIME HEARING?
I only mention this every couple of weeks, because like you, I am weary of the some of the non-stop solicitations you find in some newsletters.
All of my Monday-Friday free newsletters remain free to all. I think keeping the newsletter free makes it much easier for readers to share it and based on the numbers I've seen, that happens a great deal. And while it's a bit contrarian to keep the newsletter free in an era where just about every newsletter has moved most of their content behind a paywall (see above) - or partnered with a newsletter network - I think the positives continue to outweigh the financial hit.
But I do receive a regular number of requests from people who want to support my work in some way. So here are a few options:
1) Share the newsletter and encourage others to do the same.
2) Buy me a cup of coffee (which is really just a way to throw a few dollars to me in a one time payment)
3) Subscribe to the paid version of the Too Much TV newsletter. I've priced it as low as I can on the Substack platform - $5 per month or $50 for the year. I'm working on some bonus stuff for subscribers, but honestly, this is mostly just an option for people who want to support the newsletter (and can afford to do so).
I completely understand the financial limitations we all work under. I certainly can't begin to pay for all the subscriptions on my list of "must read" publications. But if you're able to subscribe, I appreciate the support. I certainly think that I'm providing a unique point of view that you don't see in other publications.
And now on to more stuff....
VINCE McMAHON RETIRES FROM WWE
WWE founder and CEO Vince McMahon, who stepped aside from his executive duties last month amid a board probe into alleged misconduct claims, is retiring from the company. That will include his executive responsibilities, and also the company’s creative responsibilities, which he oversaw. McMahon also appeared on WWE programming in-character, but those appearances will also end:
McMahon’s retirement comes amid an investigation by the company’s board of directors into allegations that he had sexual relationships with employees at the company, and subsequently paid the women millions of dollars as part of their severance packages.
It's worth noting that while McMahon will no longer participate in television events or other programming, he's 77 years old, so he was likely hitting his walk away point even without these scandals. And he also remains the WWE's biggest shareholder. So the financial consequences of this move are probably quite small.
STREAMING CHURNING IS DRIVEN BY PEOPLE WHO DON'T ENGAGE AFTER SUBSCRIBING
A new report from Piano, a subscription tech company, finds that a vast majority (90%) of those who disengage after they initially purchase a subscription tend to become inactive soon after they subscribe:
Over 43% of digital media subscribers become inactive the day after they subscribe, according to a new report, up from 39% in 2021.
When they do finally reengage, it's typically to cancel the subscription.
Subscription sleepers accounted for 30% of active churn (subscription cancellations) among the more than 550 subscription websites Piano measured in the past year.
This data points to one of the reasons why you see Netflix constantly adding content. It's not that everyone is going to like everything or even that most people will like most things they see. It's an effort to have such a wide variety of content available that subscribers can find something they like. And given all the other variables, the more engaged a subscriber is with the content, the less likely they are to unsubscribe.
It's a variation of the reason why Peacock has spent so much money on live sports programming. The downside is that the platform is spending billions on content it doesn't own. But sports is also extremely sticky for a certain type of subscriber. And the gamble is that the big costs of sports rights is offset by the increase and retention of subscribers.
SHARK WEEK STARTS SUNDAY AND...EH?
Discovery's long-running event Shark Week kicks off Sunday and for whatever reason, it feels a lot less like an "event" this time around than in previous years. I haven't seen the non-stop wall-to-wall promo events and even on the PR side, it's been pretty casual. Previously, there would be boxes of Shark Week swag from Discovery, follow-up emails, lots of screeners and all sorts of reminders that something special is coming.
This year, not so much. I'm not sure if it's a reflection of the weird times we're living in or just that Shark Week - like nearly everything else at Warner Bros. Discovery - is the victim of the small level of chaos that comes with a recent merger. I do know that several of the long-time Discovery senior publicists have left in recent months and I suspect that has also had an impact on their PR efforts.
I also suspect that maybe we have hit peak shark programming. How many times can you show a big shark jumping out of the water to grab a piece of meat hanging out over the ocean? And while Shark Week has always used "celebrities" to juice up interest, that idea seems pretty tired at this point as well.
YES, TV EVERYWHERE APPS ARE STILL A THING
Remember TV Everywhere apps? Those stand-alone apps that you need MVPD authentication to use? They don't receive much attention with everything else going on in the streaming space, but they apparently continue to do a decent amount of ad revenue from cable and satellite subscribers who want more of their favorite content without paying for an app such as Discovery+.
And it's interesting to note that while SVOD services such as Discovery+ carry tens of thousands of episodes of programming, the various media companies use their own version of "windowing" to give each platform its own unique mix of content.
Take, as one example, the Cooking Channel series Bizarre Foods: Delicious Destinations. In theory, you might suspect that if you wanted to watch old episodes of the series, the Discovery+ app would be the place to go.
As it turns out, the Discovery+ app only includes seasons two, three and eleven. But the Cooking Channel app (which requires authentication), includes seasons two, three, four, five, seven, eight, nine, ten and eleven.
Even more confusing, since the show was originally a Travel Channel series, the entire series run is available on demand, but under the Travel Network moniker (I found it by searching my Philo account). On the the hand, when I search Hulu Live TV, it only brings up seasons one through eight, with those seasons having some really crazy premiere dates attached to them. And episodes have different seasons and premiere dates attached to them depending on which service you are looking at and under what network.
So the takeaway from this is that finding older episodes of your favorite show can be needlessly complicated and messy - even if you subscribe to a number of streaming services.
So where is my TV Guide for the streaming generation?
ODDS AND SODS
* Classically trained chef and food anthropologist Casey Corn dives into the stories and cultures of different families to recreate their lost family recipes in the new Magnolia series Recipe Lost & Found, which premieres Friday, August 5th on Discovery+.
* The final group of episodes from The Walking Dead will begin premiering on Sunday, October 2nd.
* Apple TV+ has picked up a fourth season of its alternative history space series For All Mankind.
* How I became a fake Tom Cruise. Miles Fisher had it all: talent, charm and the face of a movie star. Problem was, it was a very specific movie star.
TWEET OF THE DAY
WHAT'S NEW FOR FRIDAY
Here's a quick rundown of all the new stuff premiering today on TV and streaming:
Anything's Possible (Prime Video)
Best Foot Forward (Apple TV+)
Blown Away Season Three Premiere (Netflix)
Boston George: Famous Without the Fortune (Fandor)
Best Foot Forward (Apple TV+)
Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous Season Five Premiere (Netflix)
On Patrol: Live Season Premiere (Reelz)
Secret Celebrity Renovation Series Premiere (CBS)
The Gray Man (Netflix)
The Wrong Marriage (LMN)
Trying (Apple TV+)
Click Here to see the list of all of the upcoming premiere dates for the next few months.
SEE YOU MONDAY!
If you have any feedback, send it along to Rick@AllYourScreens.com and follow me on Twitter @aysrick.