HBO Max/Discovery+ Merger

[SamCdbs]

This is just a variation of Disney's daft "dual distribution model". The math for it, like the original, simply doesn't work.

I'm not in the NBA's demographic, and I wouldn't watch it for free if they played in the parking lot outside my building. But NBA regular season games do not get great ratings. The average across ESPN, TNT and, most importantly, ABC, is 1.5M people per game. Take out the ABC games and it drops yet more. That is niche.

The NHL? 373K per game across its networks. Two things here, the money losing ESPN+ deal also has out of town hockey. Why watch Team X @ Team Y at 7 on Tuesday on TNT when you can just as easily watch Team W @ Team Z, a better game, at 8 on Wednesday, a better day for you, on ESPN+? Selling four out of town packages, which is what the NHL has done, cuts the value of the traditional network based one. The other is that, like baseball, in the traditional hockey areas, the local teams are the deal. Out of town hockey is just NBD to most people.

Baseball playoffs? About 5M for the early rounds that TBS has. That is significant, but its two weeks. Same thing can be said for the NCAAs, its significant, but its two weeks.

The math just doesn't work.

 

[Yespage]

ummm……..nope, no interest at all.

I am really regretting my yearly renewal two months ago, stll need to watch Succession , after that, it is slim pickings.

Content from the suite of Discovery Channels does not count as new content, specially since it airs on the cable channels first.

Ever since Paramount+ added Showtime for only $2, been watching more of that lately.

Paramount+ is my favorite streaming service, Netflix #2, Disney+ a much lower #3 .

Peacock is #53.

I've got Peacock on a lot. But it is much more niche. Le Tour, Indycar, IMSA (but not LeMans), EPL, The Rugby World Cup.. it is niche sports heaven. The B/R add-on I suppose is good. A tad late, when they paywalled the Champions League, which I just settled for watching in Spanish on my local (which was good because the video quality on the local Spanish channel is the best of all the networks for whatever reason).

I don't watch Max much (get it with internet), but it does have a few things, generally the HBO or Cartoon Network related. Disney+ and Amazon Prime when new shows come out... and that'll be drying up soon.

It is funny though, people flee'd sat/cable because of fees, sports, and locals. And the sports are being targetted by the streaming companies. Now Peacock is a convergence of NBC Gold and their other programming, so that they have sports was natural. Max and sports? Not as natural. Amazon spending a fortune for a Thursday night game? Jebus! Just stick to the programming. Why spend a fortune for one football game?!

As far as the NHL, it is bizarro land. In Canada the ratings are high (heck, I wonder if the aggregate is higher than the US despite a much smaller population), but it is hard to manage franchises up there. In the US, the ratings are low, but there is more money. Hockey just doesn't get the love in the US. It is literally the greatest sport on the planet, with athletes who are beyond believable talent wise. But some in the states treat is like soccer.

 

[Bruce]

I've got Peacock on a lot. But it is much more niche. Le Tour, Indycar, IMSA (but not LeMans), EPL, The Rugby World Cup.. it is niche sports heaven. The B/R add-on I suppose is good. A tad late, when they paywalled the Champions League, which I just settled for watching in Spanish on my local (which was good because the video quality on the local Spanish channel is the best of all the networks for whatever reason).

I have watched one thing on Peacock in the last few months, that was the first Michigan Game.

My subscription is up in November, unless they offer me the same discount ($50, commercials free, year), it will be gone.

I feel the same about streaming services as I do about Live TV services, if I do not find any value with the content, it is gone, I cut AMC+ a few months ago for that reason.

I don't watch Max much (get it with internet), but it does have a few things, generally the HBO or Cartoon Network related. Disney+ and Amazon Prime when new shows come out... and that'll be drying up soon.

I have posted this before, Disney+ has enough new content that can last until the end of 2024, they have 2 Star Wars live action, 1 Star Wars Cartoon, 4 Marvel Series all in post production and will be ready to go.

Amazon Prime until the middle of next year, for example, the fan fiction show, Rings of Power/Lord of the Rings Season 2 is in post.

It is funny though, people flee'd sat/cable because of fees, sports, and locals. And the sports are being targetted by the streaming companies. Now Peacock is a convergence of NBC Gold and their other programming, so that they have sports was natural. Max and sports? Not as natural. Amazon spending a fortune for a Thursday night game? Jebus! Just stick to the programming. Why spend a fortune for one football game?!

They fled because of price also, but as I have pointed out, with Hulu/Disney/ESPN+, Paramount+/Showtime and Peacock, you would get the majority of what is on Live TV, plus the exclusives for $47 a month.

Add in MAX and Netflix for $30 or $40(4K) together, you are still at $77/87, which is still cheaper then Traditional Providers Live TV Prices.

And so much more content.

As far as the NHL, it is bizarro land. In Canada the ratings are high (heck, I wonder if the aggregate is higher than the US despite a much smaller population), but it is hard to manage franchises up there. In the US, the ratings are low, but there is more money. Hockey just doesn't get the love in the US. It is literally the greatest sport on the planet, with athletes who are beyond believable talent wise. But some in the states treat is like soccer.

Depends on the area, back home, some act like the Red Wings are a religion, heard the same about other areas, Buffalo, Boston.

But here in Florida, a afterthought, the TV Ratings average about 47,000 households a game, out of 7.9 Million Households here.

 

[klang]

Really glad they are charging separately for the new sports content.

 

[lakebum431]

Really glad they are charging separately for the new sports content.

Well, they aren't yet. We'll see if they move in that direction or not. Obviously they are signaling doing so with the release, but I wonder if that is more to test the waters... Seems really expensive to me for what you get.

 

[Yespage]

If memory serves, NESN and other RSNs were about $8 to $10 a month in the 80s... so $10 a month for more than just the locals isn't really expensive. It is possibly more than you'd want to pay, but it isn't remotely expensive.

 

[Bruce]

News is live on HBOMAX, pretty much just straight news live, opinion stuff seems On Demand.

I will watch it off and on during the day as I suffer with Covid for the 4th time, while laying on the couch.

But so far I like it, might be a good replacement for regular CNN when I drop YTTV in January.

 

[ncted]

News is live on HBOMAX, pretty much just straight news live, opinion stuff seems On Demand.

I will watch it off and on during the day as I suffer with Covid for the 4th time, while laying on the couch.

But so far I like it, might be a good replacement for regular CNN when I drop YTTV in January.

Hope you get better soon. I still don't know that I've had it. Never tested positive.

 

[Bruce]

Hope you get better soon. I still don't know that I've had it. Never tested positive.

First time the worse, pre vaccine
#2/3 were nothing, like a cold
This time, not as bad as the first, but still awful, no energy, coughing, sweating ( have the air at 72, still sweating), just laying here, my dogs just staring at me.

 

[Bobby]

Feel better, Bruce...

 

[Ronnie-]

Praying for a speedy recovery for you Bruce.

 

[Bruce]

from 12-4pm, unique programming , different then what is on regular CNN.

4-6pm, same programing as what is on CNN, Jake Tapper, now at 6pm, also the same, Situation Room, hosted by Pamela Brown t-nite.

Thought it was going to be all different.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Feel better Bruce!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bruce]

Feel better Bruce!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

thank you.

I have decided never to leave my house again, I finally get out and do things, then boom, catch it again.

 

[Bruce]

from 12-4 ( did not watch until 12), MAX CNN, from 4-now 8:15, simulcast of CNN, just a much better picture.

 

[Bruce]

Still a simulcast of CNN, the extremely boring morning show is on both.

Went to CNN MAX programming at 8am.

My guess is 8am to 4pm, CNN MAX, 6-8am simulcast, 4-11pm, also simulcast, after that, no idea, i am not staying up that late to find out.

Anyways, good replacement for regular news, it will be easier to drop live TV when I do so in January after College football is over.

Pro Football is handled since the Super Bowl will be on Paramount+ .

I will probably returning to YTTV in September because of College football, we are two years away from all of it streaming(contracts).

 

[Bruce]

House of Dragons Season 2 on next summer/2024.

But until then, we will have new episodes of Guy’s Grocery Games…….

I really hate what Warner/Discovery has done to HBO, the one premium I always had back in the pre streaming days, for the content, new movies from Sony/Columbia, 20th Century Fox, Universal and Warner, premium TV Series and great catalog content.

Now just Warner movies ( they could of tried to get Sony Movies, but they went to Netflix), a lot less premium series , a bunch of reality shows, sports I will never watch and CNN ( which is good for me, but not worth $200 a year).

At least get moving on the Harry Potter series, the books are written, not like they are creating new material from the beginning, the first season’s bible is written.

Since actors in the UK are mostly under a different union, there is not a delay there.

 

[ncted]

4K Streaming Removed From Ad-Free Max Legacy Plan

Heads up, select Max subscribers. Starting next month (December 5), Max is changing up the ad-free plan for legacy users, removing the ability to stream 4K titles with Dolby Atmos. In addition to limiting all streams to Full HD, Max is now also limiting the amount of concurrent... #Android #HBO

www.droid-life.com

 

[Bruce]

4K Streaming Removed From Ad-Free Max Legacy Plan

Heads up, select Max subscribers. Starting next month (December 5), Max is changing up the ad-free plan for legacy users, removing the ability to stream 4K titles with Dolby Atmos. In addition to limiting all streams to Full HD, Max is now also limiting the amount of concurrent... #Android #HBO

www.droid-life.com

I have noticed that I have not seen one mention of being able to upgrade to 4K via legacy media (Comcast, DirecTV, etc), only on the service itself.

Found a list of the series planned for 2024, some are dependent on the strike ending soon-

network’s 2024 slate will be:

Winter: True Detective S4, Curb You Enthusiasm S12

Spring: The Regime, The Sympathizer, The Jinx: Part Two, Hacks S3 ( depends on the strike, do not know how many episodes were filmed before shutting down), Tokyo Vice S2, Pretty Little Liars: Summer School, Sex Lives of College Girls S3

Summer: House of the Dragon S2, My Brilliant Friend S4, Industry S3

Fall: The Penguin, Dune: Prophecy, The Franchise (Armando Iannucci) ( The Penguin depends on the strike

 

[klang]

4K Streaming Removed From Ad-Free Max Legacy Plan

Heads up, select Max subscribers. Starting next month (December 5), Max is changing up the ad-free plan for legacy users, removing the ability to stream 4K titles with Dolby Atmos. In addition to limiting all streams to Full HD, Max is now also limiting the amount of concurrent... #Android #HBO

www.droid-life.com

Knew this was coming so I upgraded to Ultimate a couple months ago.