Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Wednesday, April 20th, 2022

All anyone wants to talk about is Netflix. And the USFL.

Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Wednesday, April 20th, 2022. 

IF YOU FIND THIS NEWSLETTER USEFUL
Yesterday I passed the 21,000 mark for free subscriptions and I wanted to ask for your help if you find this newsletter useful. I only mention this every 4-6 weeks, because like you, I am weary of the some of the non-stop solicitations you find in some newsletters.

All of my Monday-Friday free newsletters remain free to all. I think keeping the newsletter free makes it much easier for readers to share it and based on the numbers I've seen, that happens a great deal. And while it's a bit contrarian to keep the newsletter free in an era where just about every newsletter has moved most of their content behind a paywall (see above) - or partnered with a newsletter network - I think the positives continue to outweigh the financial hit. 

But with more than 20,000 people now subscribing, I do receive a regular number of requests from people who want to support my work in some way.  So here are three options:

1) Share the newsletter and encourage others to do the same.

2) Buy me a cup of coffee (which is really just a way to throw a few dollars to me in a one time payment)

3) Subscribe to the Too Much TV newsletter. I've priced it as low as I can on the Substack platform - $5 per month or $50 for the year. I'm working on some bonus stuff for subscribers, but honestly, this is mostly just an option for people who want to support the newsletter (and can afford to do so). One subscriber bonus for 2022 will include a print or digital copy (your choice) of a book I'm releasing this year. It focuses on the streaming world, and will include some new interviews done specifically for the book, along with other interviews and pieces I've posted in the last few months.

I completely understand the financial limitations we all work under. I certainly can't begin to pay for all the subscriptions on my list of "must read" publications. But if you're able to subscribe, I appreciate the support.

Also, beginning later this week you'll find a small ad in the middle of the newsletter. It's a way to monetize this a bit without being intrusive. While the individual ads will be sold by an outside company, I am also testing a "sponsorship" option, which allows companies (or individuals) to sponsor the newsletter for an entire week. Your sponsored message would be posted in place of the regular ad and the cost is a very below-market price of $250 for the week. I'm pricing it that low because I want to encourage people to try it and I'm also hoping it will be useful to smaller players in the industry. For more info, email me at rick@allyourscreens.com.

And now on to the real news....

NO, NETFLIX DOESN'T NEED TO DISCARD ITS BINGE RELEASE METHOD
One consequence of Netflix releasing its bad Q1 numbers yesterday is that every person with a Netflix account is suddenly an expert on what the company needs to do to turn things around. And in many cases, these criticisms conflate "this is the way I use Netflix" with "this is what I think Netflix is doing wrong:"

One of the more commonly heard refrains - particularly on social media - is that Netflix needs to move away from its binge-release method of premiering shows. But does that make sense and would that move make Netflix's future any easier? Let's take a look at some of the arguments against the binge release method and you can decide for yourself:

One of the rationales for Netflix creating so much content is the theory that even after you've watched your favorite show, there is something else new there you might find interesting. 

By the way, "interesting" doesn't always mean a high-profile scripted show. Most people watch a range of content and that means everything from true crime and dating shows to older, lesser-known movies featuring familiar stars.

And when you look at today's Top Ten list of Netflix programs in the U.S., there is a bit of everything reflected in the lineup. Anatomy Of A Scandal and Bridgerton are #1 and #3, but the second most-watched title is The Ultimatum: Marry Or Move On. The top ten also include a 2007 Samuel Jackson film (Cleaner), a suspenseful thriller (Choose or Die) and older licensed episodes of some well-known shows (Better Call Saul, Queen Of The South, Married At First Sight). 

Read the entire piece here.

THIS IS A VERY FINELY PARSED HUMBLEBRAG

AND SPEAKING OF FINELY PARSED RATINGS DATA POINTS
Hulu says The Kardashians is its biggest series premiere in U.S. history, in a story that Variety is billing as an "exclusive." I wonder what the conversation between the Hulu publicist and Variety sounded like...."We have a ratings tidbit with almost context...and you can have it exclusively!"

Think I'm joking about the lack of context? This is literally the entire three paragraphs of new information:

The streamer did not provide specific viewing numbers, as the platform does not release ratings. Outside of actual subscriber numbers, which Disney has to reveal for shareholders, the Disney-owned streamers have never given out any actual viewership data.

Hulu also claims the new show is the most-watched Star Originals series, (so not including Disney’s Marvel or “Star Wars” streaming titles) on Disney+ and Star+ across global markets.

“‘The Kardashians is the most-watched series premiere on Hulu in the United States, and on Disney+ and Star+ among Star Originals, across all global markets to date,” a Hulu spokesperson tells Variety.

THE MOST SEEN ADVERTISERS OF Q1 2022
ISpot's TV Takeaways and Trends report has this rundown of the companies who purchased the most ad impressions in Q1:

TWEET OF THE DAY

ODDS AND SODS
* Fangoria, Fangoria Studios and Shudder announced today that the 2022 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards will premiere on Sunday, May 15th at 7pm ET, exclusively on Shudder.

* HBO Max, now under the newly created Warner Bros. Discovery, will be part of Verizon’s upcoming +Play streaming-aggregation platform.

WHAT'S NEW FOR WEDNESDAY
Here's a quick rundown of all the new stuff premiering today on TV and streaming:

All On The Table Series Premiere (Discovery+)
Conversations With A Killer: The John Wayne Gacy Tapes (Netflix)
Cypress Hill: Insane in the Brain (Showtime)
Freddie Mercury: The Final Act (The CW)
Russian Doll Season Two Premiere (Netflix)
So Dumb It’s Criminal Hosted by Snoop Dogg Series Premiere (Peacock)
The Marked Heart Series Premiere (Netflix)
The Miracle Panda (Smithsonian)
The Real World Homecoming: New Orleans Season Premiere (Paramount+)
The Turning Point (Netflix)
Tumbleweeds Series Premiere (Vice)
We Need To Talk About America (Vice)
What's Your Emergency? Series Premiere (Investigation Discovery)
Yakamoz S-245 (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.