Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Wednesday, September 29th, 2021
And the new small streaming services keep on coming...
Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Wednesday, September 29th, 2021. I'm writing this from the Twin Cities, where AllYourScreens HQ is still trying to get his son to go to sleep.
Speaking of family, it wasn't your imagination, there wasn't a newsletter on Tuesday. There are some family health concerns going on here at AYS HQ this week. Not serious, but I am working around a lot of things. So the newsletter might be coming at erratic times the next few days.
'LAW & ORDER' IS RETURNING TO NBC
NBC is bringing back its veteran series Law & Order next season and although no real details have been announced, it seems like a predictable yet very smart reboot. The series is extremely well-known and it would allow NBC the chance to build a second three-hour Dick Wolf block if it teams the returning show with the two Law & Order dramas already on the network.
I suspect the new version of the show will rely heavily on a new, younger cast. But I'd love to see Angie Harmon return to the series. She played A.D.A. Abbie Carmichael from 1998-2001.
NETFLIX CONTINUES ITS PUSH INTO GAMING
I'm not sure that anyone outside of Netflix has a clear idea of how the company plans to integrate gaming into the service (other than it will likely be mobile-oriented). But the company made a big move on Tuesday, announcing that it was acquiring Night School Studio, publisher of the popular indie games Oxenfree, Afterparty and Next Stop Nowhere, among others. Terms of the deal weren't announced:
Krankel, in a blog post, said the company was attracted to Netflix due to its respect for the publisher’s “narrative and design aspirations across distinctive, original games from the heart.”
“Netflix gives film, TV, and now game makers an unprecedented canvas to create and deliver excellent entertainment to millions of people,” Krankel wrote. “Our explorations in narrative gameplay and Netflix’s track record of supporting diverse storytellers was such a natural pairing. It felt like both teams came to this conclusion instinctively.”
Mike Verdu, VP of game development at Netflix, has been tasked with creating games around the streamer’s original IP. He said the acquisition of Night School Studio is just the beginning.
“We’ll continue working with developers around the world and hiring the best talent in the industry to deliver a great collection of exclusive games designed for every kind of gamer and any level of play,” Verdu wrote in a post. “Like our shows and films, these games will all be included as part of your Netflix membership — all with no ads and no in-app purchases. Stay tuned for more.”
INTRODUCING STRUUM
There are dozens of smaller streamers already in the marketplace and you might think that there just isn't room for any more. But new streamers continue to launch and many of the ones that are launching now are approaching the clutter of services by creating unusual business models and ways of accessing content.
One relatively new streamer is called Struum and it approaches streaming with an ala-carte approach. Subscribers pay a $4.99 monthly fee and they receive 100 tokens that they can use to "rent" individual titles for 30 days. Each title generally costs 3 or 4 tokens, which translates to 25-25 titles per month,
Struum was founded by a group of veteran entertainment industry executives and I just posted an interview I did with Struum CEO Lauren DeVillier. She was former Head of Product for Discovery Ventures and head of Digital for Disney Channels and she has and interesting perspective on what she believes consumers are looking for in a smaller streamer:
Because I think we've all had the experience of being interested in a show. You sign up for the free trial. You mark your calendar and you think "Okay, I'm going to finish this thing in a month because this is what I want to watch." But you can forget. This happened in my household. I downloaded CBS All-Access because my daughter wanted to watch "The Big Bang Theory" and she binged it. And then we forgot about it and I realize seven months later that I'm still paying for it. So now you've paid $75 for one season.
What we're seeing is that we are allowing consumers to come in and skim across the top of a lot of these services and then to dive into things of interest to them. And then we will recommend other content for them to explore and discover.
So for us, the value is not that the price point is inexpensive. It's the idea that you have access to content from 30 or 50 different services and that you can sample things that interest you.
On Thursday, I have a interview coming with two executives from the new streamer Curia, which creates curated lists of themed movies and specials. The approach to programming is similar to what you might experience at a ver good independent film festival and they also have a very unique streaming business model.
On Friday, I'll have an interview with Crackle Head of Programming Jeff Maier, who talks about that AVOD and specifically about why Crackle has decided to target classic TV fans.
And btw, if you are working at a streamer or other company that has an interesting story, I'd love to interview you. You can reach me at rick@allyourscreens.com
ANOTHER STREAMING DATA POINT
Whip Media owns the TV Time app, which has 18 million global users. It tracks which shows its users are watching and has begun to release its own Top Ten viewing list for the week. Here is the data for the week of September 20th-26th:
If you wonder just what Whip Media does, you would be hard-pressed to figure it out based on this jargon-heavy description provided by the company:
Whip Media is transforming the global content licensing ecosystem with a market leading enterprise software platform that centrally connects data, processes and teams throughout the digital distribution journey. Powered by predictive insights and proprietary data, we enable the world’s top entertainment organizations to efficiently distribute, control and monetize their TV and movie content to drive revenue and direct-to-consumer growth.
CAN'T KEEP TRACK OF ALL THE NEW TV SHOWS?
There are literally hundreds of new linear and streaming TV shows, specials and movies coming in the next few months and it can be nearly impossible to keep track of them all. While most entertainment news web sites have some sort of "TV Premiere" list, but I will say with modesty that the list I've put together is the most complete TV premiere available anywhere. It covers more than 100 networks and streamers of all sizes and while it can be intimidating to wade through, it can help you keep track of everything that is worth watching (and some that isn't worth your time). Check out the AllYourScreens.com Premiere list here.
ODDS AND SODS
* A big carriage fight is brewing in New York, the country's No. 1 TV market. MSG Networks says: 'Comcast/Xfinity intends to drop MSG Networks from their New Jersey + Connecticut customers, robbing NY Knicks, NY Rangers, NY Islanders, NJ Devils + MLS’s New York Red Bulls fans of hundreds of games." No word yet from Comcast.
* Netflix says it partnered with Deloitte to measure its economic impact. Deloitte’s study found that the company had contributed nearly $5 billion to South Korea’s economy and helped create more than 16,000 full-time jobs.
SEE YOU THURSDAY
If you have any feedback, send it along to Rick@AllYourScreens.com and follow me on Twitter @aysrick.