Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Wednesday, July 6th, 2022
David Zaslav promises to make less TV that sucks.
Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Wednesday, July 6th, 2022.
DAVID ZASLAV PROMISES TO MAKE FEWER PROJECTS THAT SUCK
Anyone who has ever run a major media company has made some variation of the "we just plan to make better things" speech. It sounds logical and smart and hey, what investor wouldn't want a company they are invested in to make fewer projects that suck? Unfortunately, if it was that easy, everyone would be doing it.
A select group of reporters spoke briefly with Warner Bros Discovery head David Zaslav on Tuesday as he was going into the infamous Allen & Co. gathering of business media and tech moguls in Sun Valley, Idaho. The event is nicknamed the "summer camp for billionaires," but that phrase doesn't have quite the charm that participants think it does. Although it does sound better than “Camp Handful Of Billionaires Who Control Most Of U.S. Media.”
Regardless, Zaslav answered a few questions, although from what I can tell every question he answered was one which I feel confident he had a carefully prepared answer for ahead of time:
Zaslav indicated that Warner Bros. Discovery is weighing quality vs. quantity concerns as it plots strategy for the combined company’s streaming future.
“That means, I think, a lot of opportunity,” Zaslav told Variety as he pulled up at the Sun Valley Lodge to the invitation-only conference. “And Warner Bros. Discovery’s got great, quality content. So I think the world has changed. And it’s not about how much, it’s about how good. And so we’re pretty excited about our new company and getting to see everybody in this beautiful setting. It’s going to be a lot of fun."
What the blank does that even mean? "We're weighing quality over quantity?" Maybe that's some veiled swipe at Netflix firehouse of original content. But given that Zaslav made his success in part by figuring out how to crank out a factory full of cheap shows starring Guy Fieri and various combinations of gold miners, he obviously doesn't believe *entirely* in quality. At least not in scripted quality. And exactly how has the world "changed?" Cheap unscripted programming is still a staple of any media business model, including Warner Bros. Discovery. So these comments are just feel good stuff for investors and gullible reporters.
Think I'm unfairly taking cherry-picking comments? Then how about these paragraphs?:
Speaking of competitors, Zaslav answered a reporter’s query about how Netflix’s experimentation with rollout strategy for “Stranger Things” Season 4, which was broken into two volumes released just over a month apart, might affect Warner Bros. Discovery’s own idea for rollout across its streaming platforms.
“‘Stranger Things’ is a great, great, terrific show. And Netflix is a great company; Reed and Ted,” Zaslav said, speaking of Netflix co-CEOs Reed Hastings and Ted Sarandos, both of whom arrived at the Sun Valley conference earlier Tuesday. “And I think if we do quality content that people love– we’ve got to create more content that people will pay for before they’ll pay for dinner or they’ll rush home to see. And that’s our focus. Great storytelling and that’s what Netflix is focused on. And I think if we continue to do great content, we’ll do great.”
Note to media journalists: stop obsessing about release schedules! Stop trying to make it into a linkbait headline. The answer to that question is the same it has been for years. Sometimes binge releases make sense, sometimes a batch release or weekly releases make sense. It depends on the show, the competition and lots of other factors. In the case of Stranger Things, it was released in two batches in part because of the length of the episodes. But mostly because releasing the episodes that way maximizes the impact on subscriber numbers.
As for Zaslav, once again, what does this even mean? "We've got to create more great content?" I'm pretty sure every media CEO says the same thing. What Zaslav refuses to discuss is how he's going to get there. And if he runs the risk of cutting production to pay down debt in a way that will impact quality and increase subscriber churn.
If you are an executive at the level of David Zaslav, you don't have to give many interviews. But I wish he would give a few more to journalists who'll push him a bit to articulate his vision. It would be good for the industry and more importantly for him, good for Warner Bros. Discovery stock price.
FOLLOW-UP ON HBO MAX CONTENT
Along those lines, I wrote in yesterday's newsletter that I had heard a number of titles had also been removed from the catalogs of HBO Max in various Latin American countries and a reader passed along this list of 122 titles that he says were removed from Brazil's version of HBO Max.
I also heard from another subscriber who noted that the U.S. version of HBO Max had also dropped a number of recent TBS/TNT originals, which is an interesting move given that the new overlords at Warner Bros Discovery have also recently announced the end of scripted original productions at those two cable networks. Shows that left HBO Max on July 1st include Snowpiercer, The Last O.G., Final Space, Chad, The Go-Big Show, The Misery Index and Wrecked.
I reached out to HBO Max for a comment and received the same canned response they have been passing along to their subscribers:
As we work to bring together HBO Max and discovery+, we’re making some changes to our services. Part of that process includes the removal of select content.
I suspect this decision is driven by a couple of factors. Given that TNT and TBS are out of the original content business, these shows are basically orphans. But they also have value given their overall low profile, so that makes them valuable assets for licensing purposes. I have been told on background that two of the titles are headed to Netflix, although I haven't been able to officially confirm that move.
I'll continue digging and keep you apprised of what I learn.
THE WHIP WATCH REPORT OF MOST-WATCHED TV AND MOVIE TITLES FOR LAST WEEK
AND HERE'S SOME COMPLIMENTARY DATA FROM PHILO
The entertainment-centric vMVPD Philo has sent me a list of the most watched TV and movie titles on their service, for the week ending Sunday, July 3rd:
Philo's Top 10 shows on the platform this past week:
Tyler Perry’s Sistas (BET)
Basketball Wives (VH1)
2022 BET Awards (BET)
VH1 Couples Retreat (VH1)
90 Day Fiance (TLC)
Martin (BET)
The First 48 (A&E)
All the Queen’s Men (BET)
Catfish: The TV Show (MTV)
SpongeBob Squarepants (Nickelodeon)
Philo's Top 5 movies on the platform:
Next Friday (Paramount)
Friday (Paramount)
Friday After Next (Paramount)
Two Tickets to Paradise (Hallmark)
Fallen Angels Murder Club: Friends to Die for (LMN)
ODDS AND SODS
* Paramount+ has renewed Evil for a fourth season.
* In a podcast interview, Bryan Cranston says he is working on a second season of Showtime's Your Honor and that will wrap up the series.
* A three-way Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order: Organized Crime crossover will launch their new seasons in September.
* Lt. Joe Kenda returns to Investigation Discovery to put to rest more cases that kept him up at night with three theatrical-length new Homicide Hunter specials. The first, Homicide Hunter: Never Give Up, premieres Wednesday, August 17th.
TWEET OF THE DAY - SHOT
AND A CHASER
WHAT'S NEW FOR WEDNESDAY
Here's a quick rundown of all the new stuff premiering today on TV and streaming:
American Detective With Joe Kenda Season Premiere (Investigation Discovery)
Big Brother Season Twenty Four Premiere (CBS)
Carpathian Predators (Smithsonian)
Control Z Season Three Premiere (Netflix)
Crank Yankers Season Premiere (Comedy Central)
Expedition With Steve Backshall Season Two Premiere (PBS)
Girl In The Picture (Netflix)
Hello. Goodbye & Everything In Between (Netflix)
King Of Stonks Series Premiere (Netflix)
Maggie Series Premiere (Hulu)
Married At First Sight Season Premiere (Lifetime)
Married At First Sight: Afterparty Season Premiere (Lifetime)
Mysteries Decoded Season Premiere (The CW)
Road Wars Series Premiere (A&E)
The Green Planet Series Premiere (PBS)
The Murder Tapes (Investigation Discovery)
Uncle From Another World (Netflix)
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.