Streaming service wars news and trends 4 4

[media_junkie]

15 minutes ago, @therealsilvermane said:

Looks like Black Widow's going to have to save the movie theater industry all by herself again.

I've gotta give it to you, you are certainly dogged in your optimism. 

[Bosco685]

2 hours ago, media_junkie said:

I've gotta give it to you, you are certainly dogged in your optimism. 

Mouse dogs on a bun must be the best where he is from. Or maybe without the bun. Who knows?

[Bosco685]

Quote

HBO Max continued to grow in the first quarter of 2021, powered in part to big-budget films like “Godzilla vs. Kong” and “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” that streamed onto the service during the quarter.

 

But the lift may have been less than AT&T hoped: HBO Max and HBO subscribers in the U.S. added 2.7 million total subscribers sequentially. As of the end of March, HBO Max/HBO combined had 44.2 million customers, up from 41.5 million at the end of 2020.

 

“HBO Max continued to deliver strong subscriber and revenue growth in advance of our international and AVOD launches planned for June,” AT&T CEO John Stankey said in announcing the results.

 

Overall, AT&T topped Wall Street expectations, reporting $43.9 billion in revenue and adjusted earnings per share of 86 cents — with the telco touting the strongest first quarter for wireless postpaid phone net adds in more than 10 years. Analysts had expected AT&T to post Q1 revenue of $42.7 billion and adjusted earnings of 78 cents per share.

 

[Bosco685]

That last fact I did not recognize previously.

[PsylockeSmythe]

51 minutes ago, Bosco685 said:

That last fact I did not recognize previously.

Some of the ARPU difference is the fact that out of the 3 services (HBOMax, Netflix and Disney+) is the fact that Disney's is the cheapest service. Even with Disney's recent price increase, I'm paying around $6.67 a month, while HBOMax is $15 and Netflix is $8.99 a month for their cheapest service with $13.99 being their middle tier.  So it really doesn't surprise me that both HBOMax and Netflix have a higher ARPU then Disney+.  

Psy

[Bosco685]

18 minutes ago, PsylockeSmythe said:

Some of the ARPU difference is the fact that out of the 3 services (HBOMax, Netflix and Disney+) is the fact that Disney's is the cheapest service. Even with Disney's recent price increase, I'm paying around $6.67 a month, while HBOMax is $15 and Netflix is $8.99 a month for their cheapest service with $13.99 being their middle tier.  So it really doesn't surprise me that both HBOMax and Netflix have a higher ARPU then Disney+.  

Psy

Disney+ just in the past year even setup using Disney Insider Reward points to 'buy' 6 months of free access to boost its subscription base. It was a huge hit!

The tradeoff is no revenue for those six months, but a huge boost in subscriber counts.

[Bosco685]

$9.99/month HBO Max w/ads is coming in June

 

[Bosco685]

 

[Bosco685]

YouTube TV Pulled From Roku

Quote

After issuing a warning to users earlier this week, Roku has officially stopped allowing new subscribers from downloading YouTube TV, removing the official app from its store. Former subscribers of the service, however, will still be able to access the app and all of its content, with YouTube TV likely not being made available for new downloads until Roku can reach an agreement with Google. While there are still workarounds for potential new subscribers to access the app on their TVs, this serves as just another example of the ways in which major companies can prevent subscribers from easily accessing the content they pay for on select devices.

 

“Roku has not asked for one dollar of additional financial consideration from Google to renew YouTube TV,” a Roku rep shared in a statement to Variety. “Because of Google’s conduct, new subscriptions will not be available going forward until an agreement is reached.”

 

The Roku spokesperson added, “It is well past time for Google to embrace the principles that have made streaming so popular for millions of users by giving consumers control of their streaming experience, by embracing fair competition and by ceasing anticompetitive practices.”

 

The outlet detailed the situation, revealing that, according to Roku, "Google is demanding that if a Roku user has the regular YouTube app open, the platform cannot display search results from third-party services like Netflix, Disney Plus, or HBO Max. Google also is asking for special access to Roku user data and wants the ability to dictate hardware requirements to Roku in the future for running its apps, Roku alleged."

 

[media_junkie]

Yeah, I am waiting to see what happens here as all my streaming (including YouTubeTV) runs through my roku.  For right now it still works, but for how long?

[Bosco685]

More details about the Disney-Sony deal. Turns out Disney wanted this badly to feed the streaming pipes.

Quote

On the surface, Disney and Sony Pictures Entertainment seem to be two studios heading in opposite directions when it comes to business strategy.

 

Disney is investing huge sums of money and resources into building direct-to-consumer streaming platforms. Sony Pictures has vowed to stay on its traditional studio path, dealing high-end content to the highest bidders. But the two companies found common ground in a massive U.S. movie licensing deal that was more than a year in the making for Sony.

 

News of the agreement cheered Marvel fans, as it promises to make Sony’s Marvel titles — including various “Spider-Man” movies — available alongside Disney’s Marvel vault on the Disney Plus platform. For industry insiders, the real news is how Disney and Sony rearranged the traditional post-theatrical map for movies on their path to profitability through a maze of TV exhibition windows.

 

The deal that Disney struck starting with Sony’s 2022 theatrical slate was the completion of a larger strategy that included a separate movie pact that Sony unveiled last month with Netflix for the so-called Pay 1 window, or the first TV airing of a movie after its theatrical run and home entertainment release. In the past, the Pay 1 rights holder could impose limits on the timing and availability of movies even as they traveled to other licensees in later windows carefully delineated over a six-year span.

 

The Sony-Disney pact calls for Disney to buy up most of the post-Pay 1 windows. Because Sony brings such volume and a wide range of genres, the studio had clout in its negotiations. Netflix desperately needs strong movies for its service, and so does Disney to feed its many hungry linear and streaming platforms.

 

“That was our thesis — that the singularity of our corporate situation and the excellence of our content and the unconstrained way in which we could partner with the right people could be very attractive,” says Keith Le Goy, Sony Pictures’ president of worldwide distribution and networks.

 

Sony wasn’t sure if Disney would be a contender in the sale process that began in early 2020 with a roadshow presented by Le Goy. For Disney, Sony’s willingness to break with tradition and give Disney plenty of options for running movies across Disney Plus, Hulu, FX, ABC, ESPN, Freeform, National Geographic and Disney Channels was crucial, says Chuck Saftler, head of business operations for ABC, Freeform, FX Networks and acquisitions for Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution.

 

“This deal was negotiated with as much flexibility for what might come in the future as any deal I’ve ever been a part of,” Saftler says.

 

[media_junkie]

Ok, so if I am reading that right then the chain of viewing ability will be:

1st - Theaters

2nd - Home Video/Pay Streaming Rental Sites

3rd - Netflix

4th - Disney+ (or other streaming service Disney owns).

So for example, Spider-Man 22 (not a real thing, but go with it), would release (assuming everything is somewhat back to normal after covid) May 8th 2023 in theaters.  Then after 90 days would go to iTunes/Amazon for purchase/rental.  It would do the rounds there for another three months, then Netflix would get it on November 8th, 2023.  It would spend at least a year there, so best case scenario is it would show up on Disney+ November 8th, 2024.

Is that how they are working it?

[Bosco685]

9 minutes ago, media_junkie said:

Ok, so if I am reading that right then the chain of viewing ability will be:

1st - Theaters

2nd - Home Video/Pay Streaming Rental Sites

3rd - Netflix

4th - Disney+ (or other streaming service Disney owns).

So for example, Spider-Man 22 (not a real thing, but go with it), would release (assuming everything is somewhat back to normal after covid) May 8th 2023 in theaters.  Then after 90 days would go to iTunes/Amazon for purchase/rental.  It would do the rounds there for another three months, then Netflix would get it on November 8th, 2023.  It would spend at least a year there, so best case scenario is it would show up on Disney+ November 8th, 2024.

Is that how they are working it?

Pretty much.

This 'pay 1 window' period is when the rights are available to premium cable networks (Starz, HBO, Netflix). So your 2nd and 3rd tier are combined leading to the next tier which would be the 'pay 2 window' - general TV channel distribution. 

Sony Films Will Move to Disney After Netflix Window Expires

Quote

The new deal, which covers Sony's 2022-26 theatrical slate, will bring the films to Disney-owned streaming services Disney+ and Hulu, as well as to Disney's linear TV networks, including ABC, Disney Channels, Freeform, FX and National Geographic.

 

The deal comes weeks after Netflix and Sony inked a massive pact for Sony's films to go to the streaming service for their first-pay windows, which usually come 18 months after a film hits theaters. Once that window expires, the new Disney deal will see Sony's titles hit Disney platforms for their Pay 2 windows.

 

The library titles include films from Sony's Universe of Marvel Characters, such as Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, as well as films from the Hotel Transylvania and Jumanji franchises. Sony's upcoming 2022 slate includes Morbius, Uncharted, Bullet Train and the sequel to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

 

“This landmark multiyear, platform agnostic agreement guarantees the team at Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution a tremendous amount of flexibility and breadth of programming possibilities to leverage Sony’s rich slate of award-winning action and family films across our direct-to-consumer services and linear channels,” said Chuck Saftler, head of business operations for ABC, Freeform, FX Networks and Acquisitions in DMED’s Networks division. “This is a win for fans, who will benefit from the ability to access the very best content from two of Hollywood’s most prolific studios across a multitude of viewing platforms and experiences.”

 

Sony previously licensed its films to Disney-owned FX in the post-Pay 1 TV window. The companies did not disclose the financial details of the deal.

 

[▫️]

Disney has announced the first of regular price hikes. And I’m not mad at them. Yet. Just a dollar extra a month for now. I bought the annual sub so they can’t touch me until December. I’ll probably keep subscribing until it hits $10. I already own most of my favorite movies they showcase like all the Star Wars and select Marvel. So I’d be subscribing for their new content, mainly series.

[Bosco685]

Quote

For Disney Plus, maybe getting the first 100 million subscribers was the easy part.

 

Shares of Disney were down 2.6% in midday trading Friday, after the media company missed revenue estimates for the first three months of 2021 and reported a gain of 8.7 million Disney Plus subs — more than 5 million fewer than Wall Street had been betting on.

 

The Disney Plus story was always more about a marathon than a sprint. But analyst consensus expectations “were for a more front-end loaded growth curve” on the road to Disney’s newer forecast of 230 million-260 million Disney Plus subscribers by the end of fiscal 2024, Morgan Stanley analyst Ben Swinburne wrote. “We remain confident in the F24 guidance, but continue to see net adds building over time.”

 

Swinburne, who reiterated his “overweight” rating on the stock, said the 104 million Disney Plus streaming sub mark in the first calendar year quarter was in-line with the firm’s expectations and reflected “COVID’s impact on content production.”

 

“It was clear at Disney’s December 2020 investor day that the content quantity would be more modest in F21 given COVID’s impact on production,” Swinburne wrote. “The key titles and quantity of key titles really begin in F22 in earnest, building further into F23.”

 

The signs pointing toward economic reopening bodes well for the other parts of Disney’s businesses, led by Parks, according to Swinburne. “As the pandemic subsides over time, sports returns to its normal cadence, and consumers return to theaters — all of Disney’s related businesses should recover quickly and contribute to significant earnings growth,” he wrote.

 

MoffettNathanson senior analyst Michael Nathanson told clients he was hopeful that “some of that froth will be taken out of the stock” as investors process the slowdown in Disney Plus subscriber growth — and put the value of that sub growth in context.

 

Per Nathanson’s estimates, of the 70 million new Disney Plus subscribers added over the past year, nearly half have come from Disney Plus Hotstar in India and Indonesia, where the service carries a much lower average price per subscriber.

 

That’s “not meant to diminish what Disney has accomplished,” he wrote. “Rather, it goes to the simplicity (i.e., all subs are worth the same) in which the market has treated Disney’s DTC pivot.”

That part of where half of the 70M subscribers came from is very interesting.

"...of the 70 million new Disney Plus subscribers added over the past year, nearly half have come from Disney Plus Hotstar in India and Indonesia, where the service carries a much lower average price per subscriber."

[drotto]

12 minutes ago, Bosco685 said:

That part of where half of the 70M subscribers came from is very interesting.

"...of the 70 million new Disney Plus subscribers added over the past year, nearly half have come from Disney Plus Hotstar in India and Indonesia, where the service carries a much lower average price per subscriber."

Yeah they apparently missed their target by about 6 million subscribers, and thebparks were down 44%.

[Bosco685]

1 minute ago, drotto said:

Yeah they apparently missed their target by about 6 million subscribers, and thebparks were down 44%.

Well this isn't HBO Max or Netflix. So the junior analysts will put their blinders on rather than their magnifying glasses. 

[Bosco685]

Quote

After HBO Max announced it had greenlit The Flight Attendant for season 2 and that the next chapter in Cassie’s life would be a “new adventure,” there's been debate over what direction the lead character’s story will take moving forward. As for the chances of Cassie becoming a CIA agent, Kaley Cuoco, in an interview with Deadline, explained The Flight Attendant season 2 wouldn't be making such drastic changes:

 

“I was very clear when we decided we wanted to do a second season, that I didn’t want Cassie to all of a sudden be like an amazing FBI agent. We are going to be adding in that slight CIA asset on the side. [Cassie] moves to L.A., first year sober, and she makes all the wrong decisions on what you’re not supposed to do when you become sober and she’s going to learn very quickly that it’s not as easy as she thought.”

 

[Bosco685]

Quote

At times, it feels like the media landscape is changing on a pretty frequent basis, with mergers and acquisitions of some significant companies. According to a new report on Sunday, media powerhouse AT&T could soon be on that list once again, with the company seemingly in talks to combine its media assets with Discovery Inc. This deal would be with the goal of creating a new entertainment powerhouse, particularly with the help of Discovery's nonfiction and reality TV assets. According to Bloomberg, a deal is rumored to be announced as early as this week.

 

The goal will reportedly be to have AT&T and Discovery create an entertainment empire that could be akin to Netflix and Disney. AT&T already has a number of significant assets to its name, particularly through its 2018 acquisition of Time Warner Inc., which put WarnerMedia and Warner Bros. Studios under their umbrella. The networks included within that are HBO, CNN, Cartoon Network, TBS, and TNT. If Discovery's programming was added to it, that would also include networks such as HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Travel Channel, and Animal Planet.

 

Discovery also launched its own streaming service earlier this year with Discovery+, which offers subscribers the back catalog of Discovery Inc. content, as well as a number of original shows. AT&T and WarnerMedia launched their own service in the spring of 2020 with HBO Max.

 

“We couldn’t be more excited to bring HBO Max and its incredible content to millions of our customers. Our top wireless, internet and video plans and packages now include your favorite shows and movies, all in one place with HBO Max - at no additional charge,” Thaddeus Arroyo, CEO of AT&T Consumer, said when the service initially launched. “AT&T has long been committed to ensuring our customers are connected and entertained, and HBO Max has something for everyone. It’s yet another step we’re taking to keep our customers connected to the world around them and the content they love.”

 

[Bosco685]

Quote

Three years ago, AT&T Inc. marched into Hollywood with big ambitions to be a 21st century media colossus, connecting its booming cellphone business with legendary media properties — HBO, the Warner Bros. film and TV studio and Turner channels including cable news juggernaut CNN.

 

Now, the company is retreating from those plans.

 

The companies are expected to announce their proposed joint venture as early as Monday, these people said. Bloomberg News first reported that AT&T and Discovery were in advanced talks to merge their entertainment properties.

 

The deal would reshape Hollywood, which has already witnessed dramatic contraction after Walt Disney Co.'s $71-billion acquisition of much of Rupert Murdoch’s entertainment empire in 2019. Legacy media companies laid off thousands of workers last year during the COVID-19 pandemic as they’ve witnessed an exodus of once loyal viewers to Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney+.

 

The proposed new venture would unite one of the world’s biggest producers of unscripted programming, Discovery, with WarnerMedia, a preeminent producer of movies, including “Godzilla vs. Kong” and “Wonder Woman,” and such TV shows as “Game of Thrones,” “The Voice” and “The Bachelor.”

 

For Discovery, the deal would represent a major win. The New York cable programmer, which is worth $16.8 billion, has long recognized that it needed more scale to effectively compete in the streaming world. While it churns out popular nonfiction programming — including “Property Brothers,” “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” and “Naked and Afraid” — it lacks a large portfolio of premium scripted shows.

 

Discovery Chief Executive David Zaslav is expected to run the combined venture. Last year, Zaslav acquired the 3,900-square-foot Beverly Hills mansion that was home to the late movie mogul Robert Evans (“The Godfather,” “Chinatown”), telling friends that he wanted to spend more time in Los Angeles.

Wow!