Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Thursday, November 11th, 2021
The problem with IMDb TV is not its name.
Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Thursday, November 11th, 2021. I'm writing this from the Twin Cities, where AllYourScreens HQ is trying to figure out how to watch all of these screeners. Today's newsletter is a bit short (and a bit late) because I am under a bunch of deadlines.
NEW STREAMERS ARE HITTING THEIR CEILING IN U.S. MARKET
Anna Nicolaou in the Financial Times has a piece about something that has been a hot topic in the television industry this year. How close are we to maxing out the number of possible SVOD subscribers in mature markets such as the U.S.? And what does mean for the bottom line of the major streamers?:
This matters because US subscribers pay more money than their counterparts in Asia or Latin America. About half of the 4.4m subscribers Netflix added in the third quarter came from Asia, where the average price people pay is $9.60 a month, compared with $14.68 in the US.
Disney’s divergence is more extreme, as the company has captured tens of millions of subscribers from its Hotstar-branded service in India. The average Disney Plus subscriber pays only $4.12 a month.
ViacomCBS last week warned that its streaming expenses would increase by $350m this quarter, which MoffettNathanson estimates will pull the company’s operating profit down by more than 40 per cent from a year ago.
One advantage that companies such as Netflix and Disney have is that they already have a growing global subscriber base. And while the average revenue per user might be less globally than in the U.S., it still provides more flexibility to spread the content costs over a much larger group of subscribers. But I think it's fair to wonder how long companies can continue to spend at this annual rate, particularly as more territories hit their natural subscriber ceiling.
MGM CONTINUES ROLL-OUT OF NEW STREAMING SERVICE
Six months after Amazon announced it plans to acquire MGM for $8.45 billion, one of the first collaborations between the two companies continues to expand. MGM has a streaming service available in a number of countries through Amazon Video Channels and the service just announced it is rolling out in Australia.
The MGM streamer includes TV series such as the Stargate sci-fi franchises SG-1, Atlantis and Universe, along with long-running supernatural hit Teen Wolf. Films included range from Fargo, The Silence Of The Lambs and Rocky, to the Pink Panther and RoboCop franchises. Creed and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo will join the line-up next month.
The MGM streaming service is already available in Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Brazil, the UK, Germany, France, Canada and Mexico. But there doesn't appear to be any plans to expand it to North America.
YES, THE PROBLEM WITH IMDb TV IS THE NAME
A piece in The Information reports that Amazon is considering changing the name of its ad-supported IMDb TV streaming service:
Amazon executives believe the existing name is too hard for people to pronounce, which hurts its popularity, said people familiar with the situation. Several alternatives have been tossed around in internal discussions, including Zon—short for Amazon—as well as Free TV and Free Streaming TV. The Zon idea was shot down but otherwise Amazon is yet to make a decision about the new name, the people said.
While IMDb TV might not be the idea name, Amazon executives seem to be missing the obvious issues. As is the case with anything Amazon does, the IMDb TV app is pretty terrible. And because of the way Amazon integrates IMDb TV into its main Amazon Prime UX, it's really difficult to figure out which content is on IMDb TV and which stuff is free to watch through the core Amazon Prime Video service.
MOVIEPASS IS COMING BACK
The idea of Moviepass was a solid one and it's worth remembering that several movie chains - such as AMC - are offering their own limited take on the Moviepass idea of watching a number of movies each month for a flat monthly fee. Still, launching Moviepass 2.0 seems like a tough challenge:
"I can confirm that we acquired MoviePass out of bankruptcy on Wednesday," Spikes said in a statement. "We are thrilled to have it back and are exploring the possibility of relaunching soon. Our pursuit to reclaim the brand was encouraged by the continued interest from the moviegoing community. We believe, if done properly, theatrical subscription can play an instrumental role in lifting moviegoing attendance to new heights."
TWEET OF THE DAY
SEE YOU FRIDAY!
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