Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Wednesday, July 24th, 2024
David Zaslav really wants you to give up that Discovery+ subscription.
Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Tuesday, July 23rd, 2024:
AND TODAY'S SURVEY SAYS....
I am always interested in reading those surveys that the various streaming services send out to subscribers. It's a good way of getting a sense of where their heads are at when it comes to strategy. Sometimes the questions give you a hint about ideas they are considering for the future. But sometimes - like the one I just completed for Discovery+ - provide some insight into the issues they are still grappling with.
It's no secret that the Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav and his executive team really want to roll the Discovery+ streaming service into Max. The problem is that many of the current Discovery+ subscribers are happy with that service and aren't interested in paying more to get scripted programming they aren't going to watch.
Most of the most-popular titles on Discovery+ are now also on Max and the original strategy was that move would both help with Max subscriber churn and encourage more Discovery+ subscribers to move over to Max. Both efforts have had limited success and some of the questions in this Discovery+ survey hint at just how frustrating that reality is for WBD executives.
And while I know budgets are tight at Warner Bros Discovery, the chance to possibly win $50 for a 9-minute survey seems a bit chintzy.
Reading the way the questions are structured (and this is just a sample of the questions asked), it's clear the underlying tone is "for the love of everything holy, why won't you just switch to Max?!?!"
I am longtime subscriber to both services. And we have kept our Discovery+ subscription despite management's best efforts to degrade the experience because it's worth it to have a service that carries programming from our favorite unscripted networks wrapped in a user experience that is much friendlier than Max’s.
We have Hulu TV as well as Philo, so those live old Discovery Communications linear channels are also available to us. But I honestly couldn't tell you when we last watched one of the shows live. Some of the shows aren't available on Discovery+ or Max until the end of the season. But because of the interchangeable nature of most of the programming, there's no real need to watch it immediately.
The subscribers like us aren't a huge user base. But they are large enough that I don't think WBD can afford to just shut them off. And I don't know what the company can do to persuade them to move exclusively to Max.
TWEET OF THE DAY
TUCKER CARLSON IS JUST....WEIRD
Tucker Carlson's post Fox News Channel career has become increasingly odd, and in recent weeks he's been seen everywhere from the Republican National Convention to a restaurant in Manhattan, where he was apparently trying to stalk former boss Rupert Murdoch.
But as Zeteo's Justin Baragona wrote today, Carlson appears to be spending a lot of time just trolling people for some undefined reason:
Additionally, Carlson drummed up more intrigue by accompanying Donald Trump Jr. at Fox News’ studio in the Fiserv Forum, where the convention was held. While Trump Jr. sat down for an interview with host Sean Hannity on Tuesday night, Carlson sat in the green room and checked out the studio while mingling with many of his old colleagues.
It was reported that Carlson's unexpected visit left Fox execs “stunned” and staffers “uncomfortable,” but a source who was in the room told Ragebait that most shrugged off the appearance. “When he came into the green room, Tucker was so far in the rearview mirror,” the source said.
The source added that Kimberly Guilfoyle, who was also once fired from Fox, joined Carlson and her fiancé Trump Jr. “It was just a very weird group,” the source noted. “And people were like, ‘You're welcome to be here, but why are you here?’ It was weird.”
Zeteo, btw, was founded by former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan, and while I don't always agree with the outlet's take on things, it's a great place to read a more left-of-center approach to the day's events.
ODDS AND SODS
* Disney and ESPN are developing the official "The Bubble" documentary that will give "a behind-the-scenes look at the 2020 Pandemic-era NBA Playoffs and NBA Finals in quarantine at the Walt Disney World Resort."
WHAT'S NEW TONIGHT AND TOMORROW
WEDNESDAY, JULY 24TH:
* Charlie Hustle & The Matter Of Pete Rose (HBO)
* Dirty Pop: The Boy Band Scam (Netflix)
* Land Of Women Season Finale (Apple TV+)
* Love Of My Life Series Premiere (Netflix)
* Nova: Sea Change: The Gulf Of Maine (PBS)
* Resurrected Rides Series Premiere (Netflix)
* Presumed Innocent Season Finale (Apple TV+)
* Silent Witness (Britbox)
* Time Bandits Series Premiere (Apple TV+)
* Wayne Brady: The Family Remix Series Premiere (Freeform)
THURSDAY, JULY 25TH:
* Cirque du Soleil: Without A Net (Prime Video)
* Cobra Season Three Premiere (PBS)
* Domino Day Season One Finale (AMC+)
* Hart to Heart Season Four Finale (Peacock)
* Kleo Season Two Premiere (Prime Video)
* Primos Series Premiere (Disney Channel)
* Shadrach Series Premiere (Great American Pure Flix)
* The Ainsley McGregor Mysteries: A Case For The Winemaker (Great American Pure Flix)
* The Decameron Series Premiere (Netflix)
* The Kardashians Season Five Finale (Hulu)
* The Killer With No Name (LMN)
* The Responder Season Two Finale (Britbox)
* Tokyo Swindlers Series Premiere (Netflix)
* Troppo Season Four Premiere (Prime Video)
SEE YOU ON THURSDAY