Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Friday, October 21st, 2022

Ah...it's Friday....

Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Friday, October 21st, 2022.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT
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And now back to why you're here....

THE FUTURE OF BIG MEDIA NICHE STREAMERS
While the big general interest streaming services rightfully get most of the attention, there are some smaller streamers that are owned by big media companies and which seem to exist in some nether land of the industry.

The biggest of these might be the preschool SVOD Noggin, which is ad-free and costs $7.99 per month. The latest subscription numbers I could find were from 2000 and at that point the service had about 2.5 million subscribers. Even assuming some percentage of the subscribers have signed onto the cheaper annual rate, that means the service is generating somewhere in the range of $100 million or so in subscription fees per year.

In theory, rolling Noggin into Paramount+ would seem to be a winner, since it would substantially build out that service's kids programming at a time when Paramount+ is leaning into also merging Showtime into its service. On the other hand, that's a lot of revenue to give up when it's not clear how many Noggin subscribers are already subscribed to Paramount+. I've reached out a couple of times hoping to speak to one of the executives at Noggin, because I think the service has an interesting history and niche in the market.

Warner Bros. Discovery has several standalone niche streamers that currently have uncertain futures. MotorTrend+ bills itself as the "best in automotive entertainment" and it costs $4.99 per month. There is also a Motor Trend linear television channel which seems to share content with the streaming service and while I haven't been able to find specific numbers for the streaming service, the TV channel's audience is at the low end of the cable TV universe.

And then there is Magnolia, which is also both a linear TV channel and a subscription-based streaming service. But it's also a business model that is weirdly complicated. Magnolia original programming is shared on the Magnolia app, the TV network and the streaming services Discovery+ and now HBO Max. The Magnolia app apparently started out as a subscription service, but now appears to be free if you are a current subscriber to Discovery+

These are just a few of the random, smaller streamers that still exist out in the wild and I suspect we'll see most of these slowly being absorbed into their larger parent streamers. If for no other reason than it will help juice up the overall subscriber numbers of the larger service. 

I SEE STACEY ABRAMS, JOE BIDEN, KAMALA HARRIS, RACHEL MADDOW....CHRIS MATTHEWS?

'HOUSE OF THE DRAGON' FINALE LEAKS ONLINE
Given the extensive security measures that are in place for advance copies of episodes, it's rare for one to leak onto pirate sites ahead of its premiere. But the season finale of HBO's The House Of The Dragon appeared on various torrent web sites Friday morning and it appears to be a pretty clean and clear copy of the episode.

HBO issued a statement on the leak, blaming a distribution partner for the early release:

“We are aware that the tenth episode of House of the Dragon has been posted on illegal torrent sites. It appears to have originated from a distribution partner in the [Europe/Middle East/Africa] region. HBO is aggressively monitoring and pulling these copies from the internet. We’re disappointed that this unlawful action has disrupted the viewing experience for loyal fans of the show, who will get to see a pristine version of the episode when it premieres Sunday on HBO and HBO Max, where it will stream exclusively in 4K.”

IS HOLLYWOOD READY FOR A RECESSION?
There is a growing feeling in the industry that a strike is coming next year and that will have massive negative consequences across the industry. And if that isn't bad enough, this Washington Post piece is a reminder that a global recession is coming and it's likely to be deep and long-lasting.

A prolonged recession is likely to accelerate some already worrying trends. Movie theaters will likely be hit hard, given that a couple can spend enough at one screening to pay for Netflix for six months. And speaking of Netflix, I suspect this will hasten the churn rate for some of the second-tier streamers, as people start trimming budgets and prioritizing their entertainment spending.

2023 is shaping up to be a tough year for the entertainment industry. Well, except for executives such as David Zaslav, whose bonuses are almost recession-proof.

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:

Acapulco (Apple TV+)
Argentina, 1985 (Prime Video)
Bad Nanny (LMN)
Barbarians Season Two Premiere (Netflix)
Descendent (Netflix)
From Scratch Series Premiere (Netflix)
Ghostwriter (Apple TV+)
High: Confessions Of An Ibiza Drug Mule (Netflix)
Love During Lockup Season Premiere (WEtv)
Matriarch (Hulu)
Modern Love Tokyo Series Premiere (Prime Video)
Noel Next Door (Hallmark)
ONI: Thunder God's Tale (Netflix)
Pokémon Ultimate Journeys (Netflix)
Raymond & Ray (Apple TV+)
Restoration Road With Clint Harp Season Three Premiere (Magnolia)
Terror Train (Tubi)
The Peripheral Series Premiere (Prime Video)
20th Century Girl (Netflix)
28 Days Haunted (Netflix)
Vale Dos Esquecido (HBO Max)

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.