Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Thursday, February 27th, 2025

The cable TV bundle is slowly, slowly unbundling

Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Thursday, February 27th, 2025:

PRODUCTION NOTES
Because I have so many subscribers, it can sometimes be a challenge keeping everyone happy. Some people subscribe for industry insight, some readers are looking for suggestions on what to watch.

This week has been news and exclusive-jammed and as a result, I've written a bit less about the "what to watch" side of the story. So assuming there isn't some massive Friday night dump of news, tomorrow's newsletter will be jammed with viewing suggestions, reviews and interviews.

WHY IS IT SO HARD TO STREAM GENE HACKMAN BEST MOVIES?
Like a lot of people, when I heard this morning that Gene Hackman had died, my first thought was that I would like to revisit some of his best movies. And it turns out, that's a lot harder than you might imagine.

I put together a comprehensive list of Hackman's movies and where to watch them. And one of the things that jumped out at me was how many of his most beloved performances are only available for streaming if you rent or purchase the title.

The Royal Tenenbaums, Enemy Of The State, Crimson Tide, Bonnie & Clyde, Wyatt Earp, Class Action, Postcards From The Edge, Hoosiers, and French Connection II are just some of the Gene Hackman films that aren't available on SVOD or AVOD. And weirdly, Young Frankenstein isn't available at all for streaming. You can't even rent or download it.

And that seems a little crazy? These aren't obscure titles that no one remembers. These are honest-to-goodness classics of the cinema and for whatever reason, they aren't available on free or subscriber-based streaming.

This problem isn't just confined to the catalog of Gene Hackman. Vast swathes of older movies aren't available on streaming. And when they pop up on some movie-oriented FAST channel, there is no way to determine what channel might be streaming it or when that might happen.

I continue to struggle to find people in the licensing side of the business to talk to me about their business. It tends to be fairly insular and no one seems to want to take the chance of alienating anyone that might sit across the table from them at some point. But it's an underreported part of the streaming business I'd like to understand much better.

One issue that is a problem with classic movies is that they are seen inside the streaming business as a low engagement category of content. They don't garner as many eyeballs as newer projects, even though their licensing costs are just a fraction of what newly produced originals might cost.

WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY ANNOUNCES DEI, DIVERSITY CHANGES
In an email sent company-wide on Thursday, executives from Warner Bros. Discovery announced the company is making changes to its DEI and diversity programs.

Some of the changes are ones I have suggested media companies should follow. For instance, in this case WBD is changing all of its DEI and diversity programs to a new overall "inclusion" description. Which makes sense, because simply changing the name does provide the company with some legal cover.

But there are two parts of the email that gave me concern, although it's not clear ultimately how things will play out in practice:

• Creating Consistent Program Opportunities: We will now have a uniform and consistent application process across our talent programs, including internships, mentoring, and other development programs. All of our programs will be open and welcoming to all applicants, with the goal of cultivating an inclusive home for world-class talent. By investing in world-class talent from wherever it comes, we are not only supporting growth and opportunity in this company but also strengthening the wider industry’s future.

• Ending Participation in Third-Party Surveys: While we will no longer participate in workplace surveys conducted by third parties, we will continue to gather internal data that allows us to understand how our employee base reflects the audience we serve.

If I read the first point correctly, any current internship, mentoring or development program that previously targeted a specific group - women, minorities, economically disadvantaged, will now be eliminated in favor of general, anyone can apply programs. Which strikes me a huge step backwards.

The second point is a bit more nuanced, but it appears to make it impossible for anyone outside the company to track hiring practices at WBD. The company could decide to only hire people named "Ed" or "Susan" and no one externally would ever know the difference.

If you have ever participated in a internship or development program at WBD, I would love to hear from you on or off-the-record, please email me at rick@allyourscreens.com or message me on Signal at allyourscreens.24.

WOULD YOU PAY FOR AN NBC NEWS APP?
Cesar Conde, chairman of the NBCUniversal News Group, spoke at the Semafor conference “Innovating to Restore Trust In News” on Thursday and he said the company is working on a subscription-based “mobile first” news platform, which is set to debut in the fourth quarter of this year.

“We’re at the point in our evolution where we think there is an opportunity in the marketplace to serve our audiences, to build a subscription tier service for NBC News proper, and to be more specific, we’re in the process of developing a mobile first platform, very laser focused on premium video, premium journalistic videos, in all its shapes and forms — short form, long form and the like."

Now there is no way of knowing at this point what that product might look like, what original content that might include or what it might cost. But I will just say that as much as I appreciate many of the journalists working at NBC News, I am skeptical there is a substantial audience for this. I would much rather see the company beef up the NBC News Now stream with additional content and promote that as an ad-supported news-first app.

ETHICS ONLY MATTER IF WE SAY IT DOES
I am not the only media reporter today who attempted to find out from CBS News who is paying for Gayle King's upcoming ride of Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin flight into space. There's no official word on the cost of the experience, which King will enjoy along with a passenger list that includes singer Katy Perry. But it has been reported in the past to cost several million dollars, although that seems to be waved or discounted if the trip includes someone with a high enough public profile.

So who is paying for King's trip? CBS News has very strict rules limiting gifts and freebies, which would seem to prevent Blue Origin from giving her the trip. I suppose CBS can claim that somehow King doesn't fall under the CBS News ethics umbrella, given her morning show role. But at the very least King and CBS should disclose who is paying. I mean, if Oprah decided to give her longtime friend a very expensive birthday present, that seems like the kind of fact that should be public knowledge. Especially since King is going to be hyping the trip and the experience across the various CBS platforms.

But the larger question revolves around whether this is something that is appropriate for a network anchor and journalist to be participating in right now. The entire exercise comes across as tone deaf and elitist in a way that does a disservice to both King and CBS News.

THE CABLE TV BUNDLE IS SLOWLY, SLOWLY UNRAVELING
Years from now, a book will be written about the collapse of the Venu Sports app and the resulting fallout across the cable universe.

The latest fallout was on display when DirecTV announced three new skinny bundles of channels, priced at $34.99 or $39.99:

• MyEntertainment ($34.99/month) - Hit movies and shows consumers want most, with 43 channels such as A&E, Bravo, Discovery, Food Network, Lifetime, and more, as well as Disney+ and Hulu with ads.

• MyNews ($39.99/month) - U.S. and world news, politics, and weather with 14 national and local channels, including BBC World News, CNBC, CNN, FOX News Channel, MSNBC, Newsmax, and more

• MiEspañol ($34.99/month) - The best Spanish-language programming with 64 channels such as CNN En Español, Discovery En Español, ESPN Deportes, FOX Deportes, SONY Cine, and national Telemundo and Univision feeds, as well as Vix+.

The entertainment bundle is a true skinny bundle. It includes a number of familiar entertainment channels from A&E Networks, Warner Bros. Discovery, Disney and Fox. It doesn't include channels from AMC Networks and Hallmark, but given that also includes the major cable news channels - CNN, CNBC, FOX News and MSNBC - as well as free access to ad-supported versions of Disney+ and Hulu, it's a great deal.

But as great as the Entertainment bundle is for consumers, the News bundle is perplexing. It only includes 10 news channels, and the ones most people would want to watch are also included in the Entertainment bundle. The news bundle adds Newsmax, CNN International, CNBC World Fox Business and local affiliate news feeds for Fox and NBC (when available). Given the fact it costs $5 a month more than the entertainment bundle, it's a perplexing choice.

So where does this leave other providers of skinny bundles such as Philo? Would they be willing to add the news channels or NBCU's entertainment channels if they become available?

ODDS AND SODS
* The newsletter The Gene Pool is reporting that Washington Post media reporter Erik Wemple was prevented by the paper's management from writing about the decision by owner Jeff Bezos to refocus the coverage of the outlet's Op-Ed pages.

* Fox has renewed the Gordon Ramsay cooking show Next Level Chef for two more seasons. In addition, the network is launching a spinoff – Next Level Baking – that will air as a four-part holiday special.

* See how I both pointed to a piece of original reporting and directly linked to the piece which broke the news? That is the type of thing that is the bare minimum standard every reporter should follow. And yet, the Penske Media-owned Hollywood trades HATE giving any other outlet credit. If they feel they absolutely have to, they will reluctantly someone else "first reported" the news, but only after mentioning in the opening paragraph of their coverage that they have "confirmed the news."

Jeff Sneider's newsletter The InSneider broke the news yesterday that Oscar Nuñez will reprise his beloved role in 'The Office' follow-up series on Peacock. And of course, the Hollywood Trades covered the news. But without mentioning where the original reporting originated. Like in this piece in Deadline, which posted this short story reporting that the outlet had "confirmed" the news. Confirmed? That sounds suspiciously as if someone else could have first written about it. I wonder who that could be?

* Season two of The Rehearsal will premiere Sunday, April 20th on HBO. Here is the very sparse logline provided by the network: "In season two, the urgency of Fielder’s project grows as he decides to put his resources toward an issue that affects us all."

* Season two of the dating series The Never Ever Mets premieres Friday, April 4th.

* Apple TV+ has ordered a second season of the German-produced comedy Where's Wanda?

WHAT'S NEW TONIGHT AND TOMORROW

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27TH, 2025:
Dalah: Death And The Flowers Series Premiere (Netflix)
Demon City (Netflix)
Devil In The Family: The Fall Of Ruby Franke (Hulu)
Fighting To Be Me: The Dwen Curry Story (BET+)
Graveyard Season Two Premiere (Netflix)
House Of David (Prime Video)
Running Point Series Premiere (Netflix)
Sosyal Climbers (Netflix)
Su Majestad Series Premiere (Prime Video)
Swamp Mysteries With Troy Landry Season Three Premiere (History)
The Case of Iwona Wieczorek (Viaplay)
The Wrong Track (Netflix)
Toxic Town (Netflix)

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28TH, 2025:
Aitana: Metamorphosis (Netflix)
Counterstrike (Netflix)
Dabba Cartel Series Premiere (Netflix)
Roosters Series Premiere (Netflix)
Squad 36 (Netflix)
The Perfect Killer (LMN)
Tuiskoms Series Premiere (Netflix)

SEE YOU ON FRIDAY!