Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Tuesday, July 12th, 2022
So should streamers give more original movies a theatrical window? Well.....
Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Tuesday, July 12th, 2022.
THE OVERLOOKED COST OF RELEASING STREAMING MOVIES INTO THEATERS
One of the seemingly never-ending discussions about the streaming movie industry is the question of whether more made-for-streaming movies should be first released into theaters. Particularly as the theatrical business continues to rebound.
The Entertainment Strategy Guy (subscription required) has some thoughts about that question and he and I have had our disagreements about the idea over the past few months. I think it's fair to say that he believes that streamers are leaving money on the table by not first releasing even mid-level titles into theaters and in his latest piece he lays out his argument pretty concisely:
The hypothetical question we can’t answer is what would have happened if Netflix had put any of these films in theaters. If Hustle is genuinely popular, could it have earned $50 million in domestic box office, especially since older audiences have returned to theaters to see films like Elvis?
There’s this narrative that major studios killed the “mid-budget” film because they prioritized blockbusters, which has some truth to it. But it’s not like Netflix is helping this situation, are they? If these mid-budget films were in theaters right now, maybe that helps attract more (and different) audiences back into theaters.
The only reasonable objection is the worst case scenario: what if a film comes out and bombs? Does that doom its future on a streamer? This argument itself has some weird ramifications if you think about it too hard—if a film bombs because it’s bad, is it better to have it come to streaming so a lot of customers can watch it NOT knowing it’s bad? Is that good for your reputation?—but I could see a world where the marketing fails and lowers a film’s viewership in later windows.
I have a couple of issues with this. There is a big difference between an Adam Sandler sports movie and a high-profile Elvis bio and I think it's a bit optimistic to suspect the film might have done $50 million at the box office. But even if that were the case, let's say the movie did do $50 million. That's on the high end of what these type of movies would likely see at the box office. But that isn't a potential $50 million profit. You have to subtract the tens of millions in marketing costs as well as the other various costs associated with a theatrical release. And you have to factor in the fact that part of the attraction for streamers when they order these films is the buzz and marketing value. At a time when Netflix is seen as not having as strong a movie slate at some rivals, having an exclusive title is worth some undetermined value. And as ESG notes, a failed theatrical release means the film likely has much less value when it hits streaming.
And let's not forget that Netflix and other streamers can't get their movies into most theaters without agreeing to a theatrical-exclusive window that is currently at least 45 days in most cases. Which complicates the situation even more.
My attitude is that a few select titles might benefit from a theatrical window. But only a handful of truly top-drawer titles make it worthwhile. Yes, there may be some incremental revenue left on the table. But retaining most original movies as streaming titles also limits the downside for streamers while providing content that hopefully lowers churn and subscriber acquisition costs.
PHILO'S MOST WATCHED TITLES OF THE WEEK
Here is a rundown of the most-watched titles of the week on the entertainment-centric vMVPD Philo for the week ending Sunday, July 10th:
Top 10 TV Shows:
Tyler Perry’s Sistas (BET)
Basketball Wives (VH1)
The First 48 (A&E)
90 Day Fiance (TLC)
Martin (BET)
All the Queen’s Men (BET)
Mama June: From Not to Hot (WeTV)
Fatal Attraction (TV One)
Married at First Sight (Lifetime)
Catfish: The TV Show (MTV)
Top 5 Movies:
My Grown-Up Christmas List (Hallmark)
Wrath: A Seven Deadly Sins Story (LMN)
Middle of Nowhere (BET)
Christmas Town (Hallmark)
Death Saved My Life (Lifetime)
WORST COMPARISON OF THE DAY
Verge has a piece today about the fact that YouTube TV reportedly now has more than 5 million subscribers. And in the middle of it is this line, which is the streaming TV definition of apples and oranges:
All these numbers, of course, pale in comparison to Netflix’s 220-million-plus subscribers or the 130 million or so who pay for Disney Plus.
Neither one of which has any live TV channels. So I guess what they have in common is that they all offer some sort of television shows?
MN TEEN CRASHES CAR WHILE WATCHING 'STRANGER THINGS'
I am pretty sure there is a "must-see TV" joke buried somewhere in this story.
The Anoka, MN County Sheriff's Department confirmed on Tuesday that a local teen crashed her car over the weekend, allegedly while watching the Netflix series Stranger Things.
According to officials, the teen's vehicle crossed the center line and was going "fully" against oncoming traffic before the crash. The driver of a semi had to swerve to the shoulder to try to avoid the crash, likely saving the girl's life.
Instead of striking the semi head-on, the girl's vehicle struck the trailer instead.
The teen - who has not been publicly identified by police - initially denied to investigators on the scene that she was using her phone while driving. But police noted the phone was still connected to the car's Bluetooth and was still streaming an episode of Stranger Things when they arrived on the scene.
"We are relieved this incident was not more serious, as it easily could have been," the sheriff's office said in a statement. "We continue to encourage parents to talk with their teen drivers about the dangers of distracted driving. The consequences can be far-reaching and tragic. If you are on your cell phone while driving in Anoka County, you should expect to be stopped and cited."
THE WHIP WATCH REPORTS FOR THE WEEK OF JULY 10TH:
ODDS AND SODS
* BBC1 has ordered its own version of the NBC musical show That's My Jam, which will be hosted by comedian Mo Gilligan (Jimmy Fallon hosts the American original).
* Amazon Web Services does nothing exciting, yet it controls — well, almost everything. It also may be worth as much as $3 trillion.
TWEET OF THE DAY
WAIT.....MAYBE *THIS* IS THE TWEET OF THE DAY
OR MAYBE.....WELL, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN
WHAT'S NEW FOR TUESDAY
Here's a quick rundown of all the new stuff premiering today on TV and streaming:
Bill Burr: Live At Red Rocks (Netflix)
Counting Jaws (NatGeo)
Edge Of The Earth (HBO)
Good Bones Season Premiere (HGTV)
How To Change Your Mind (Netflix)
Icons Unearthed Series Premiere (Vice)
Kitchen Crash Season Premiere (Food)
My Daughter's Killer (Netflix)
Parking Lot Payday Series Premiere (AXS)
Shark Superpower (NatGeo)
The Only (Paramount+)
What We Do In The Shadows Season Four Premiere (FX)
Click Here to see the list of all of the upcoming premiere dates for the next few months.
SEE YOU WEDNESDAY!
If you have any feedback, send it along to Rick@AllYourScreens.com and follow me on Twitter @aysrick.