Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Thursday, October 21st, 2021

Some Netflix news that doesn't involve Dave Chappelle. And EA Sports parts ways with FIFA.

Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Thursday, October 21st, 2021. I'm writing this from the Twin Cities, where AllYourScreens HQ is listening to a Spotify list I created called "Take It Easy."

PROGRAMMING NOTE
I mentioned yesterday that I had received a number of new subscribers from Australia and now I know why. Dan Barrett has an Australian-based television newsletter called "Always Be Watching" and he recently mentioned this newsletter, which led to the new subscribers. A big thanks to Dan and you should check out his newsletter, which you can find at alwaysbewatching.com.

IS NETFLIX A/B TESTING ITS WAY TO KEY ART MEDIOCRITY?
Back in the days when I had a traditional media job, I worked at a St. Paul-based company named Internet Broadcast Systems. They managed a network of 70+ news web sites for TV stations across the country. I started out working as the managing editor for an NBC O&O in Birmingham (where, I modestly note, the site won a Regional Murrow Award for breaking news while I was there). The company later moved me to Minnesota to work as a national news editor and one of the people I met at headquarters was Rex Sorgatz. He later left and moved to NYC to become a "media theorist." From what I can tell, he's one of those people who is as well known for the circles he travels in as his work, but it's probably more accurate to say they are both intertwined in a way that only seems to happen in hipster NYC circles.

He always has an interesting perspective, even when I don't agree him (which is most of the time, to be honest). He has a new piece about the way Netflix A/B tests it thumbnail images and let's just say that he's not a big fan:

Worse than being different, the images are also just atrociously bad. That’s because Netflix uses algorithms to extract screenshots from the video, and then puts them in competition with other screenshots of the same show. The images don’t accurately represent the show; they merely outperform their competitors. Over time, this makes Netflix key art less iconic, less interesting. Instead of nurturing a vibrant art form, Netflix produces mere thumbnails—that related genre of imagery generated by the borg known as YouTube.

In the midst of a golden age, Netflix is A/B testing their way to mediocrity.

While I don't agree with his assessment, one of the things I've always liked about Rex is that he approaches nearly every subject from an unexpected direction. And that can be very useful.

THE END OF EA SPORTS FIFA
When EA Sports launched its FIFA video game series in 1993, it was the start of a franchise so successful that it has surpassed EA's iconic Madden NFL video game empire. The EA FIFA games are available in more then 50 countries, 18 languages and have sold more than 325 million copies.

Given the thirty-year run of the title has produced more than $20 billion in retail sales, it was a bit surprising when FIFA announced on Tuesday that is is not renewing its current deal with EA Sports:

FIFA is bullish and optimistic about its long-term future in gaming and esports following a comprehensive and strategic assessment of the gaming and interactive entertainment market," reads FIFA's statement. "It is clear that this needs to be a space that is occupied by more than one party controlling all rights.

There have been hints that the EA/FIFA deal might be in trouble. In October, EA Sports Group GM Cam Weber said in a statement that the company had secured deals with a wide range of individual teams worldwide, which would allow EA to release soccer games with most of the familiar teams and players fan expect to see in an EA game:

Through years of building our global franchise, we also know that authenticity is essential to the experience. That’s why we focus so much energy on the collective strength of over 300 individual licensed partners that give us access to 17,000+ athletes across 700+ teams, in 100 stadiums and over 30 leagues around the world. We continually invest in the partnerships and licenses that are most meaningful to players, and because of that, our game is the only place you can authentically play in the iconic UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, CONMEBOL Libertadores, Premier League, Bundesliga, and LaLiga Santander, among many others. The breadth of our partnerships and our ecosystem of licensed content will enable us to continue to bring unrivaled authenticity in our EA SPORTS football games, now and for many years to come.

As we look ahead, we’re also exploring the idea of renaming our global EA SPORTS football games. This means we’re reviewing our naming rights agreement with FIFA, which is separate from all our other official partnerships and licenses across the football world.

Last week, the NY Times posted a story discussing EA Sport's plans on how to move on if the company was unable to renew its deal with FIFA:

The core of the dispute is financial. FIFA is seeking more than double what it currently receives from EA Sports, according to people with knowledge of the talks, a figure that would increase its payout from the series to more than $1 billion for each four-year World Cup cycle.

The dispute is not just about money, though. The talks have also stalled because FIFA and EA cannot agree what the gamer’s exclusive rights should include.

FIFA would prefer to limit EA’s exclusivity to the narrow parameters around use in a soccer game, most likely in an effort to seek new revenue streams for the rights it would retain. EA Sports, meanwhile, contends the company should be allowed to explore other ventures within its FIFA video game ecosystem, including highlights of actual games, arena video game tournaments and digital products like NFTs.

The end of the EA Sports FIFA-branded games is a massive event in the gaming world. It's comparable to hearing there won't be another Mario game or that Fortnite is shutting down. It's also an indication of how complex the modern media ecosphere is right now. There is such a wide variety of revenue streams and digital business models that the conflicting pressures can tear apart even the most long-running content partnership.

NETFLIX ALLOWS TWITCH STREAMERS TO SHARE FIRST EPISODE OF 'ARCANE'
An example of how complicated the media business is right now comes in this piece in The Verge discussing Netflix's plan to allow any Twitch user to co-stream the first episode of the upcoming Anme original series Arcane:

Arcane will premiere on Netflix globally on Saturday, November 6th. The partnership with Twitch will allow communities to stream Arcane’s first episode with community members and allow Twitch streamers to share their reactions in real-time.

A spokesperson for Riot tells The Verge that anyone can stream the first episode of Arcane on Twitch — no pre-approval required. The series premiere will coincide with a Global Premiere Event at Riot’s Los Angeles headquarters. The company says in a press release that the event will be streamed by influencers representing over 30 countries.

I think this is a great idea and I have been long arguing that linear television networks should experiment with similar ideas on shows that lean into a younger demographic.

How long have I been making the Twitch TV argument? I went back into my archives and found this piece I wrote back in 2014:

At first glance, it seems like a natural. If thousands or tens of thousands of people are willing to follow along with the cast of a TV show as they live tweet during an episode, how many of them would rather have the experience of watching some of the cast watching the episode and talking about it as the episode unwinds? Think of it as a video equivalent of a DVD audio commentary track.

But the real value of this would be in allowing normal fans of the show to do their own takes on the episode. Sure, some of the broadcasts would be terrible. But like in any other creative medium, the best would find an audience. And it's likely to be the same audience that traditional television is finding it hard to retain.

On the face of it, the idea sounds compelling. But unlike video games, television has a complicated mix of content rights and union contracts that would make the idea difficult to pull off. Even if a studio the size of Sony or NBC Universal wanted to give the idea a try, it's not clear that owning the show gives them the rights to remix the episodes in this fashion.

We often talk about the rapid pace of change in the media industry. But it's important to also recognize that some changes take a lot longer to happen.

THE BEST STORY ABOUT 'DUNE' YOU'LL READ TODAY
The newest movie take on Dune premieres Thursday night on HBO Max and in movie theaters. There has been a lot of press about the movie and this is by far the best story I've read. It's about how a random comment made twenty years ago had a huge impact on the acting of Dune star James McAvoy.

OKAY, MAYBE ONE MORE NETFLIX/CHAPPELLE-RELATED NOTE

ODDS AND SODS
* Pluto TV is launching a daytime soaps channel devoted to The Young & The Restless and The Bold & The Beautiful.

* Mobile game company Scopely is acquiring GSN Games, a division of Game Show Network, from Sony Pictures Entertainment.

SEE YOU FRIDAY!

If you have any feedback, send it along to Rick@AllYourScreens.com and follow me on Twitter @aysrick.