Nibbling at the Edge of the Golden Calf

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Nibbling at the Edge of the Golden Calf
Number 128
Broadcast Date July 11, 2016
Episode Length 46:42
Hosts Brian Brushwood, Tom Merritt
Guests Mikey Neumann

YouTube may roll its own channels alongside big broadcasters, ESPN may launch subscription service after all, Comcast and Netflix make peace. With special guest Mikey Neumann. Check out his Twitter and Movies with Mikey.

Guests

Intro Video

Primary Target

The Information says deals are coming together for a YouTube service with ABC (ESPN) and CBS on board.
YouTube may pass on smaller networks like HGTV and instead provide channels made up of similar content from YouTube creators.
Bloomberg previously said the service would be called Unplugged and run $35 a month
Launch in 6-9 months

Signals Intelligence

The Information also says ESPN is working on a package of live sports to sell as a standalone Internet service
It would be of niche sports, so it sounds quite a bit like ESPN3
Subscriber counts fell between October 2014 and 2015 from 95 million to 92 million
SIDE NOTE: You can get ESPN online only TODAY by buying Sling TV Orange for $20 a month and using it to sign in to the WatchESPN app.

Gear Up

Comcast announced it has reached an agreement to include the Netflix app on the Comcast X1 platform. Kara Swisher at Recode cites sources that the integrated Netflix experience will appear in a similar fashion to other cable providers, essentially providing a portal to Netflix, which users can log into and navigate the service. The deal marks an amicable turn in the two companies relationship, as far back as 2012, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings accused Comcast of violating Net Neutrality by favoring its own video service.

Front Lines

Netflix officially announced Tuesday a deal to bring CW shows to its platform 8 days after the season ends. CW's deal with HUlu will expire this autumn. Viewers will have to use CW's apps and website to access shows online while the season is ongoing.
ReCode's Kurt Wagner has several sources that say Twitter is in talks with Turner to get digital streaming rights for NBA and Major League Soccer games. It is unclear if Twitter would get live games or so-called Fringe content like pre and post-game analysis and highlights. And ReCode reports Twitter has reched a deal with CBS to stream the national conventions for the two top parties in the US later this month.
Google announced Thursday it has acquired Anvato, a video platform for cloud editing, on-demand and live streaming. NBC, CBS, Fox and Univision are among its clients. This puts Google in competition with Amazon, Microsoft and to some extent BAM.
Google released Chrome version 51 to its stable release channel. The new version includes embedded support for Google's Cast technology, no more need for an extension. The release also allows Chrome to automatically control bitrate, quality, and resolution, although users can still tweak these if needed.
TV service Molotov launched in France on Apple TV with more device support coming soon. The service gives you live and on demand TV with a cloud DVR they call bookmarking. The service will launch with 35 basic channels and 10 hours of bookmarks for free. You can get 100 hours of bookmarks and the ability for 4 simultaneous users for €4 a month and all of that plus 37 more channels for €10 a month.
TMZ published a letter from Roberto Escoabr, brother of Pablo Escobar citing inaccuracies in the first season of Narcos and requesting a review of season 2 before it is released. Roberto has "Successor-In-Interest" rights to Pablo Escobar and the Escobar family name. He cites California Civil Code that prevents using a deceased person's likeness for advertising or marketing without permission of the estate. Netflix has not commented on the letter.

Under Surveillance

8-part Netflix series Stranger Things debuts July 15. It's set in the 1983 in Hawkins, Indianahome to a mysteriousl laboratory operated by the Department of Energy. In episode 1 something breaks free from the lab and crosses the pat of young Will Beyers as he’s bicycling home from a heated Dungeons & Dungeons campaign. His disappearance sets everything in motion. The Duffer brothers call it “a love letter to the cult classics of the ’80s.”
Joe and Anthony Russo are turning the 1979 cult classic, The Warriors into an original drama series for Hulu. No director, cast or premiere date yet.
Netflix has a trailer out for documentary series Last Chance U about the successful football program at Mississippi Community College. It premieres July 29
Amazon is the exclusive streaming home for 33 of Warner Bros. classic library tittles like Space Jam, Ocean's Eleven and soon The Matrix, Full Metal Jacket and Training Day.

Dispatches From The Front

Brian,

PS Vue credentials allow you to sign in and watch live TV on USA Network in the browser. Mr Robot problem solved.

- John



Brian wrote in and wanted us to remind folks considering cutting the cord that they should make sure their ISP either doesn't have data caps or has a plan that can accommodate the increased data of streaming all your video.




I wanted to let you know that I found episode 127 extremely interesting and useful, particularly because my wife and I at this time are looking at both Sling TV and Playstation Vue. We are very ready to cut the cord but need a little extra urging from you guys to do so. Some background: We recently contacted our cable company (Blue Ridge Cable-Central Pennsylvania) about lowering our monthly bill as it is approaching $200.00. There were several different packages on the website that we were interested in but alas. They were all for NEW customers and not for loyal customers who have been with the company for 10+ years. The sales rep told us the best she could do was add a land line (how archaic) and that would lower our price, but we were not eligible for any other incentives. My wife was super angry and fired off an email to them about loyal customers only to get a response (we think from the same sales rep) that stated they value our loyalty but will do nothing to incentivize us, only new customers. So...we've had it. We immediately killed HBO because we can get HBO Now cheaper and knocked off a ton of our channels but we want to go further. Except...! The dreaded sports channels as you talked about on Ep 127. We are a house of Pittsburgh sports fans and even though we live 5 hours from Pittsburgh we are still blacked out from MLB TV and NHL services because our cable company carries Root Sports Pittsburgh which broadcasts Pirates and Penguins games. Finally, my question. A family member uses a service called Un-locator which I think is a VPN to get around this restraint where they live. Is this service legal? Can we get in trouble for it? I know people use VPN's all the time but we are a little fuzzy on them. Could you guys explain them? I apologize if this has been covered before but I am a fairly new listener and can't recall hearing you talk about it. Any help you can give would be great.

Thanks so much, - Craig from Pennsylvania




Thanks for putting together a show for the Fourth of July. I was very surprised to see it show up in my feed, but then realized it was another State of the Cordkillers thing. I loved it. I really appreciate the extra work that you have been putting in to make sure that there is something for me to watch on my commute (via bus). You guys deserve a raise, ohh wait, that's my job.

Keep up the awesome,

- Tim, Boss #1372




I just wanted to thank you both Tom & Brian for all the info. you have provided and continue to provide. I recently Cut the Cord with Directv. It was amazing just how much they don't want to lose customers. They offered to nearly cut my bill in half, upgrade my channel package, give me the top of the line NFL Sunday ticket package, all premium channels for free for 3 months, and a $200 visa card! It was almost enough to pull me back in.. They threw out the argument that I already spent what they were offering on my Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, and Sling TV. Thanks to your show I could also point out I already had Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon so the price difference was $20 for Sling to what they offered with discounts at $62. No contest.. Since cutting the cord I discovered they added the Playstation Vue app to Roku which is a better deal for Sling Tv since it offers up to 5 streams, and cloud DVR. Been loving being free from contracts and high bills. Listening to you guys has helped me find all the programming my family needs. Roku's are installed on every tv in the house and everybody can find exactly what they need. Takes a little adjustment but well worth it! Thanks again guys.. After finishing this email I'm going over to sign up and sponsor the show.. I think I owe you that for all the information that helped me eliminate Directv.

Thanks again, - Jeff



Hey guys,

My wife and I decided to cut the cord a couple of years ago. We were tired of the huge cable bill, and live in an area where over the air TV is non-existent without a possibly expensive external antenna we're just not willing to fork out the money for. So we're simply on Comcast internet service. We do fine with Netflix, Hulu, occasionally CBS All Access (my wife is die hard fan of Survivor and Amazing Race), and Amazon Prime here and there. We manage well with our watch habits as well as what our 2 year old twin boys want when they get TV time. We mostly live in the Apple ecosystem to buy & watch stuff, and have purchased several series for the boys to watch on the Apple TV and on an iPad for road-trips in the van. Otherwise, we're watching on the Xbox One, which we also have for gaming and as a Skype machine for keeping in touch with family. So that's how we roll!

Now I have a question for you. Just wondering if you could help us out and tell us(cordkillers) the best ways to attempt to watch the Olympic summer games without a cable subscription. Again, in our case even over the air TV isn't an option, so what is? Will there be any decent live options online? Will he have to just deal with highlights?

Help us Obi-Wan-Tom&Brian, you're our only hope! - Audie


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Preceded by:
"Declare Your Independence from Cable"
Nibbling at the Edge of the Golden Calf
Followed by:
"Shut Up and Eat It!"