Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Wednesday, March 13th, 2024

Another reason why Netflix loves its ad-supported tier

Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Wednesday, March 13th, 2024.

PRODUCTION NOTES
I'm keeping tonight's newsletter a bit shorter than normal, since I sent out an extra email this morning.

ANOTHER REASON WHY NETFLIX LOVES ITS AD TIER
Some of the conventional wisdom in Hollywood is that streamers like Netflix who have rolled out ad tier subscription plans in recent years have done so out of weakness. The theory is that these cheaper ad programming tiers will capture low-value subscribers who are less interested in the streamers' content and therefore less willing to pay full price for a subscription.

But a study just released by the research firm Omdia reveals that subscribers to Netflix's ad-supported plan tend to watch the service longer than those who are paying a higher price for an ad-free experience.

In a presentation Wednesday at the Connected TV World Summit in London, analyst Rua Aguete reported that, on average, accounts subscribed to Netflix’s $6.99 per month Standard with Ads plan are watching around 30 minutes more per day in the US than those on the $11.99 per month Basic tier.

And it is a similar tale in other countries examined by Omdia. In the UK, ad tier viewers watched 86 minutes per day vs 78.6 minutes for the ad-free experience, while in Spain the average was 95.3 minutes versus 71.5 minutes.

One interesting wrinkle is that at least in the U.S., subscribers to Netflix's more expensive premium plan watched a much higher 101.8 minutes per day. Aquete said that increase is likely due in part to the fact that premium plans tend to have more people watching/sharing an account when compared to Netflix's basic or ad-supported plans.

FORGET AI, I'M MORE WORRIED ABOUT THE EFFECT OF SOFTBALL INTERVIEWS CONDUCTED BY CELEBRITIES
I think it's fair to say that most people in the public eye would prefer not to participate in an interview where they might be asked uncomfortable questions. It's why you see those flaccid actor-on-actor interviews done by some of the trades. It's also why you see media executives such as Warner Bros. Discovery head David Zaslav skipping most one-on-one interviews with a journalism in favor of those tightly controlled appearances at various media conferences.

And now we have actor Rob Lowe interviewing Netflix chief Ted Sarandos on Lowe's SiriusXM podcast Literally! with Rob Lowe. Then an "exclusive" excerpt is given to Penske Media trade Deadline, which ensure the quotes will get attention, but no scrutiny.

FWIW, the comments released to Deadline center on Sarandos explaining that of course, AI could never replace the human element in movie and television production. On the other hand:

However, Sarandos does see a version of Netflix where users may be able to use AI on the platform to generate their own content. In his question, Lowe uses the example of marrying two movies together to create an entirely new one, or even an entirely new idea that doesn’t yet exist.

I am certainly no expert, but that scenario sounds a bit like AI replacing the human element to produce something unique.

And this is why I hate these softball interviews. Everyone thinks they can do a great interview, but I wouldn't expect Rob Lowe to conduct a hard-hitting conversation any more than Lowe should expect that I could lead the cast of a TV ensemble.

TWEET OF THE DAY

ODDS AND SODS
* HBO has renewed Real Time With Bill Maher for an additional two years. 

* Earlier this week, I wrote about Paramount Global's international TV assets and suggested the company (or whoever acquires Paramount) could easily shed some of those networks to raise money. One of the networks I highlighted was Indian media house Viacom18 and today Paramount Global announced it was selling its stake in Viacom18 to Reliance for $517 million, raising Reliance's stake to 70.49%.

* Going Home with Tyler Cameron, which chronicles the former Bachelorette contestant’s efforts to launch his own company, will debut all eight episodes Thursday, April 18th on Prime Video.

* Robyn Bernard, who played Terry Brock on General Hospital in more than 140 episodes from 1984-90, died March 12th at age 64.

WHAT'S NEW TONIGHT AND TOMORROW

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13TH, 2024:
* Bandits (Bandidos) (Netflix)
* FEUD Season Two (Capote vs. The Swans) Finale (FX)
* Little Wing (Paramount+)
* Prison Brides Season One finale (Lifetime)
* Teen Mom: Family Reunion Season Three Premiere (MTV)
* The Amazing Race Season Thirty Six Premiere (CBS)

THURSDAY, MARCH 14TH, 2024:
* Apples Never Fall (Peacock)
* Art Of Love (Netflix)
* Barbie And Stacie To The Rescue (Netflix)
* Children Ruin Everything Season Three Finale (The CW)
* Comic View (BET+)
* Far North Season One Finale (AMC+)
* From Dreams To Tragedy: The Fire That Shook Brazilian Football (Netflix)
* Fire Dance Series Premiere (ChaiFlicks)
* GIRLS5EVA Season Three Premiere (Netflix)
* Grey's Anatomy Season Twenty Premiere (ABC)
* Invincible Season Two, Part Two Premiere (Prime Video)
* Justice USA Series Premiere (Max)
* Killing All My Sisters (LMN)
* Married To Real Estate Season Three Fnale (HGTV)
* 911 Season Seven Premiere (ABC)
* Red Ollero: Mabuhay Is A Lie (Netflix)
* Station 19 Season Premiere (ABC)
* Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Disney+)
* The Girls On The Bus Series Premiere (Max)
* True Crime Story: Smugshot (Sundance)

SEE YOU ON THURSDAY!