Streaming service wars news and trends 4 4

[Bosco685]

On 11/2/2023 at 4:13 PM, media_junkie said:

Yeah an article I read said the $8.6 billion was basically just a "holding fee".  A full on appraisal will be done in 2024 and Disney will have to pay the difference of the appraisal minus the $8.6 billion they are paying now.  So they could still end up paying quite a bit more.

[drotto]

On 11/2/2023 at 4:26 PM, Bosco685 said:

Thr executives at Concast must be opening champagne over this deal.  So are we taking bets on the final number? I am going to place mine at around $15B.  So nice of Disney to basically pay for Epic Universe's entire construction costs.

 

Here, we will weaken ourselves, and give you the bat to beat us up with.  That FOX deal looks worse all the time, especially when Comcast is the one who drove up the cost.  Iger got so out maneuvered on that one. It is going to destroy his legacy.

[Bosco685]

On 11/2/2023 at 5:09 PM, drotto said:

Thr executives at Concast must be opening champagne over this deal.  So are we taking bets on the final number? I am going to place mine at around $15B.  So nice of Disney to basically pay for Epic Universe's entire construction costs.

 

Here, we will weaken ourselves, and give you the bat to beat us up with.  That FOX deal looks worse all the time, especially when Comcast is the one who drove up the cost.  Iger got so out maneuvered on that one. It is going to destroy his legacy.

Iger was the gold standard as a CEO for business decisioning, mergers and acquisitions, and talent relations management. That has all changed with his return (and with the Fox Studios acquisition).

Quote

Strikes, boardroom battles, and an irreversible decline in longstanding stalwarts have turned Bob Iger's second turn as Disney CEO into a nightmare.

 

Why it matters: A pop culture and Wall Street touchstone, Disney hasn't been this vulnerable in decades, and Iger has admitted that the problems Disney faces were greater than he anticipated when he returned.

 

What's happening: Challenges have piled up since Iger's stunning return as CEO last November, when he was celebrated within the company and by shareholders.

 

Disney's stock is down more than 16% since his return, and the company is facing its second activist campaign this year, with more teeth this time.

Plus, the decline of the cable bundle is wiping out profits and streaming is a money pit.

And while Iger initially planned to only stay for two years to help get the company on track and plot out a better succession plan than last time, he will now stay through at least 2026.

The intrigue: Iger's first tenure was marked by high-profile acquisitions of Pixar, Marvel and LucasFilm, which turned the company into an entertainment juggernaut. Iger's second tenure could be known for slimming down.

 

There is public discussion of selling off networks, including ABC and FX, the awards-magnet cable network.

Disney is also looking for a strategic partner for ESPN as Iger prepares to turn the sports giant into a streaming-first entity.

When Disney bought Fox's assets in 2019, the India business was viewed as one of the more prized assets, but now the company is close to a deal to sell a majority stake in that business to India-based Reliance Industries.

What's next: Disney is on the hook to buy out Comcast's 33% stake in streaming service Hulu — both sides hold an option to trigger the sale, which is expected to happen on Wednesday — as part of 2019 deal made at the height of the streaming era.

 

[media_junkie]

Iger should have stayed retired and let Chapek take this hit, but it seems like Iger's EGO cannot be stopped.

[drotto]

On 11/2/2023 at 5:52 PM, Bosco685 said:

Iger was the gold standard as a CEO for business decisioning, mergers and acquisitions, and talent relations management. That has all changed with his return (and with the Fox Studios acquisition).

 

He may have been the golden goose, now he is lucky if people say he is a polished turd.

 

Yes, he was very good, but some people even at the time thought the FOX purchase seemed a bit expensive.  

[media_junkie]

On 11/2/2023 at 6:27 PM, drotto said:

He may have been the golden goose, now he is lucky if people say he is a polished turd. 

And with the renewed "boardroom proxy battle" with Nelson Peltz and Ike Perlmutter (who has given voting control of his Disney stock to Peltz, and is looking for his pound of flesh for being canned when Iger got back), the stock price dropping, box office profits non-existant, and D+ bleeding billions every year, Iger isn't looking to hot.

Edited November 2, 2023 by media_junkie

[paperheart]

Warner Bros. Discovery Shares Pummeled After Glum Outlook For U.S. Advertising

pay Zaslav MOAR!! he's cutting as advertised, the stock price being the #1 recipient of the ax

[Bosco685]

 

[Pitboss]

ATTENTION

SHOWTIME ANYTIME IS SHUTTING DOWN Showtime Anytime will shut down on 12/14/23. However, your subscription via your TV provider will remain active. Contact them to learn about other ways to watch SHOWTIME. We want to thank our customers for their support and loyalty over the years.

[Bosco685]

 

[Bosco685]

Black Friday streaming service sales

GET HULU (WITH ADS) FOR 99 ¢ PER MONTH FOR A YEAR Save 87% per month for a year on Hulu (With Ads) - get Disney+ for $2/month when you sign up for Hulu

Max - $2.99/Month FOR 6 MONTHS

Peacock - $1.99/mo for 12 months or $19.99 for 1 year

Best Buy Apple TV deal - Free Apple TV+ for 3 months (new or qualified returning subscribers only)

[Bosco685]

 

[Bosco685]

More details on that Apple/Paramount streaming package.

Apple and Paramount try bundling their streaming services to combat churn and attract customers

Quote

Apple and Paramount try bundling their streaming services to combat churn and attract customers

 

The news: Apple and Paramount are discussing a potential bundle of their streaming services, Apple TV+ and Paramount+. The proposed bundle would offer a joint package at a lower price than individual subscriptions.

 

• Paramount+ currently costs $11.99 per month, and AppleTV+ is priced at $9.99 per month.
• Platforms like Disney+ and Hulu also offer bundled packages, taking advantage of Disney’s involvement in both services.
• On Monday, Verizon said it would offer a bundle of the ad-supported tiers of Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery's Max services to its myPlan customers.
• Paramount Global's shares rose more than 9% on Friday, while Apple shares were up modestly.

Why it matters: Bundling could increase subscriber retention: Both Apple TV+ and Paramount+ have a churn rate of 7%, per The Wall Street Journal. That’s above the industry average of 5.7%.

 

• Amid intensifying competition in streaming, the bundling could also attract new customers and help Paramount’s advertising revenues. Our forecast has Paramount+ and the company’s FAST service, Pluto TV, earning $1.37 billion in ad revenues in 2023, growing to $1.67 billion in 2024.
• Competition is clearly intensifying in the streaming space. Last week, Instacart partnered with NBCUniversal to offer a free Peacock subscription with Instacart+ membership, following a trend set by the success of Walmart+ including Paramount+ with its memberships.
• A bundled Apple TV+ and Paramount+ package might offer a diverse range of content, enhancing value for subscribers.
• The partnership signals a shift in how media companies are adapting to changing consumer behaviors and could affect the pricing and subscription models of other streaming services.

Our take: The Apple-Paramount bundle could set a precedent for similar collaborations in the streaming industry, signaling a need for traditional media companies to innovate in the digital age.

 

• This strategy could lead to a significant reshuffle in the streaming market hierarchy should others explore such alliances.
• The success of this bundle will depend on the pricing strategy and the quality of content offerings.
• The collaboration is a strategic response to the challenge of maintaining subscriber interest in a saturated market.

 

Edited December 4, 2023 by Bosco685

[Axelrod]

I am trying the Black Friday Paramount+ deal (3 months at $1.99 each) to binge some Star Trek shows.

But I gotta say, it's the worst app/streaming service I've ever tried.  Has anyone else experienced this?

(1) the ads.  I know the "deal" comes with the ads, and I was fine with that.  What I am not fine with is the ads playing at a volume roughy 2x that of the actual show.  They are deafening.  To the point where you simply have to mute them, and I'm just watching the entire show with the remote in my hand to reflexively hit the button as soon as they are about to start.  

(2) and then, after the ads have played - at random times - the show jumps back and starts playing from an earlier point in the program.  You have to then fast-forward to get back to where you left off (thankfully, the ads do not play again when you do this).  I have never experienced this before.  It is not consistent.  Sometimes it does it.  Sometimes it doesn't.  It's just...wild.  

(3) random freezing.  Again, usually while the ads are going, sometimes the whole thing just...freezes.  And you literally have to exit and restart to watch some more.  

(4) one time the "auto narration" feature started playing randomly.  I had never experienced this before, and I had to look up online how to turn it off again.  

The cynic in me says they do this to make the experience of watching with ads so miserable that you will pony up and pay for for the subscription without the ads.  But that just seems so crazy to tank your own service like that.  This is not making me want to subscribe to Paramount+ without ads.  It's making me want to never watch any of their stuff ever again.    I had the Hulu with ads deal before and didn't experience any of these issues.  

/rant

[media_junkie]

Never appreciated how good we had it when Netflix was the only Streaming platform in town and all the studios just let their stuff be put there (for a price).  If only we could go back.

[1Cool]

On 12/4/2023 at 1:28 PM, Axelrod said:

I am trying the Black Friday Paramount+ deal (3 months at $1.99 each) to binge some Star Trek shows.

But I gotta say, it's the worst app/streaming service I've ever tried.  Has anyone else experienced this?

(1) the ads.  I know the "deal" comes with the ads, and I was fine with that.  What I am not fine with is the ads playing at a volume roughy 2x that of the actual show.  They are deafening.  To the point where you simply have to mute them, and I'm just watching the entire show with the remote in my hand to reflexively hit the button as soon as they are about to start.  

(2) and then, after the ads have played - at random times - the show jumps back and starts playing from an earlier point in the program.  You have to then fast-forward to get back to where you left off (thankfully, the ads do not play again when you do this).  I have never experienced this before.  It is not consistent.  Sometimes it does it.  Sometimes it doesn't.  It's just...wild.  

(3) random freezing.  Again, usually while the ads are going, sometimes the whole thing just...freezes.  And you literally have to exit and restart to watch some more.  

(4) one time the "auto narration" feature started playing randomly.  I had never experienced this before, and I had to look up online how to turn it off again.  

The cynic in me says they do this to make the experience of watching with ads so miserable that you will pony up and pay for for the subscription without the ads.  But that just seems so crazy to tank your own service like that.  This is not making me want to subscribe to Paramount+ without ads.  It's making me want to never watch any of their stuff ever again.    I had the Hulu with ads deal before and didn't experience any of these issues.  

/rant

I agree with all of these and I will add the annoying lack of automatically continuing on to the next episode that is so standard with a lot of other streaming services.  I like Survivor and got Paramount+ to watch a lot of the seasons that I missed and it was so difficult to just binge the show.  Sometimes I would get out of an episode with maybe a third of the episode left and it would start from the beginning which would be a pain since I can't fast forward through the commercials.  I've been prone to just mute the commercials and I never really noticed the loud volume but maybe that is why I started that practice.  They have quite a few shows I like but the platform is by far the most annoying.

[The humble Watcher lurking]

To me right now best streaming services are Pluto TV , Tubi  and Freevee. All free and unbelievable selections. The crazy thing is I watch 100 percent of the time on my smartphone Samsung and not my 65 inch HDTV. I never would have thought this 5 years ago. Times are a changing. Crazy. Haha. Lol

[Bosco685]

Quote

Advertisers have eyed the Disney+ streaming hub as a place where they might tuck a promotional message alongside the binge-watch of a Marvel series, or, potentially “Phineas & Ferb.” Soon, however, Madison Avenue may have some other opportunities to consider.

 

Disney is mulling the launch of shopping and gaming experiences on the streaming outlet, with which advertisers could get involved, according to Rita Ferro, president of Disney Advertising Sales. “The world of advertising experiences on AVOD is an important place to be involved in,” Ferro tells Variety, hinting that a new presentation Disney has slated for Las Vegas on Jan. 10 would reveal “what the next level of ad innovations will be” from the company.

 

[NancyPalmer]

Hey, the streaming service battlefield keeps getting more exciting, right? With new players joining in and existing ones upping their game, it's a rollercoaster! From exclusive content to competitive pricing, it's a lot to keep up with. If you're diving into this world or just want to stay updated, onlinetvcast.com has some cool insights and trends. They often dish out the latest news on what's hot, what's not, and where the streaming winds are blowing.

Edited December 15, 2023 by NancyPalmer

[Bosco685]