[Snorlax94]

http://www.latimes.com/business/hollywoo...story.html

I've posted about the future of streaming vs cable before, and it's not off-topic (and least, in a few years) because Disney is finally getting its act together to have ESPN launch its own standalone streaming service, and as we know, sports broadcast dollars leads to conference dollars which leads to larger athletic budgets.

I found it particularly interesting that most of Disney's profits came from ESPN (i didn't know that). I was aware that ESPN's profits have been shrinking for years, and knew that Netfix was the major threat in the long term, but it's interesting to see Disney finally wake up.

I am still optimistic that the Pac 12's demographics will do better in the future as the media dollars shift to streaming. I think the Pac 12 would be the most appealing conference for a Netflix, Amazon Prime Video or Hulu partnership, and the Pac 12 Networks's independence could some day be an advantage.

Give this article a read if you're interested in this paradigm shift in broadcasting.

[Snorlax94]

http://www.latimes.com/business/hollywoo...story.html

I've posted about the future of streaming vs cable before, and it's not off-topic (and least, in a few years) because Disney is finally getting its act together to have ESPN launch its own standalone streaming service, and as we know, sports broadcast dollars leads to conference dollars which leads to larger athletic budgets.

I found it particularly interesting that most of Disney's profits came from ESPN (i didn't know that). I was aware that ESPN's profits have been shrinking for years, and knew that Netfix was the major threat in the long term, but it's interesting to see Disney finally wake up.

I am still optimistic that the Pac 12's demographics will do better in the future as the media dollars shift to streaming. I think the Pac 12 would be the most appealing conference for a Netflix, Amazon Prime Video or Hulu partnership, and the Pac 12 Networks's independence could some day be an advantage.

Give this article a read if you're interested in this paradigm shift in broadcasting.

[Spiny_Norman]

I found it particularly interesting that most of Disney's profits came from ESPN (i didn't know that). I was aware that ESPN's profits have been shrinking for years, and knew that Netfix was the major threat in the long term, but it's interesting to see Disney finally wake up.

This was a surprise to me too.  I looked at their quarterly earnings.  The net income from Disney's Parks and Resorts plus the net income from Studio Entertainment (which includes Pixar, Star Wars, Marvel) is still less than what they make from Media Networks.

[Spiny_Norman]

I found it particularly interesting that most of Disney's profits came from ESPN (i didn't know that). I was aware that ESPN's profits have been shrinking for years, and knew that Netfix was the major threat in the long term, but it's interesting to see Disney finally wake up.

This was a surprise to me too.  I looked at their quarterly earnings.  The net income from Disney's Parks and Resorts plus the net income from Studio Entertainment (which includes Pixar, Star Wars, Marvel) is still less than what they make from Media Networks.

[Hank 91]

It would be interesting to see if the Pac-12 Network were ever to show up someplace like Hulu or Netflix. Does either of those platforms do any live streaming?

The streaming news that most disappointed me recently was HBO's decision to part ways with Amazon. (This, of course, makes perfect sense. Why wouldn't they just stream their own content?) But I'm one of the one percent of America that doesn't have HBO, which means I haven't seen a drop of Game of Thrones. I'd been holding out for it's appearance on Amazon Prime so I could watch it for free, but now that will never happen.

[Hank 91]

It would be interesting to see if the Pac-12 Network were ever to show up someplace like Hulu or Netflix. Does either of those platforms do any live streaming?

The streaming news that most disappointed me recently was HBO's decision to part ways with Amazon. (This, of course, makes perfect sense. Why wouldn't they just stream their own content?) But I'm one of the one percent of America that doesn't have HBO, which means I haven't seen a drop of Game of Thrones. I'd been holding out for it's appearance on Amazon Prime so I could watch it for free, but now that will never happen.

[ColoradoTree]

It would be interesting to see if the Pac-12 Network were ever to show up someplace like Hulu or Netflix. Does either of those platforms do any live streaming?

The streaming news that most disappointed me recently was HBO's decision to part ways with Amazon. (This, of course, makes perfect sense. Why wouldn't they just stream their own content?) But I'm one of the one percent of America that doesn't have HBO, which means I haven't seen a drop of Game of Thrones. I'd been holding out for it's appearance on Amazon Prime so I could watch it for free, but now that will never happen.

I'm sure you've gotten this advice, but you could always subscribe to HBO Now for a month, binge the heck out of Game of Thrones, and then you'd be all caught up.  Of course, that's roughly 64 hours of television at this point (67 at the conclusion of the current season), so it would take a commitment, but you wouldn't be locked into that $15/month forever--you can cancel anytime.  I know it's an additional expense, but it doesn't have to be.  If you're going to make a concerted effort to watch/catch up on GoT and other HBO shows, you could always cancel Netflix/Hulu for a few months, simply redirect those streaming dollars to HBO for a few months, and then cancel HBO Now and re-start Netflix/Hulu when you're caught up.  That way, you're not paying anything more than you are now.  Then when the final season has about 3 episodes left, you can re-start HBO Now, catch up on that season, and then watch the last few episodes of the show right when they're released. 

And no, I'm not paid by HBO--I'm just a Game of Thrones evangelist. 

[ColoradoTree]

It would be interesting to see if the Pac-12 Network were ever to show up someplace like Hulu or Netflix. Does either of those platforms do any live streaming?

The streaming news that most disappointed me recently was HBO's decision to part ways with Amazon. (This, of course, makes perfect sense. Why wouldn't they just stream their own content?) But I'm one of the one percent of America that doesn't have HBO, which means I haven't seen a drop of Game of Thrones. I'd been holding out for it's appearance on Amazon Prime so I could watch it for free, but now that will never happen.

I'm sure you've gotten this advice, but you could always subscribe to HBO Now for a month, binge the heck out of Game of Thrones, and then you'd be all caught up.  Of course, that's roughly 64 hours of television at this point (67 at the conclusion of the current season), so it would take a commitment, but you wouldn't be locked into that $15/month forever--you can cancel anytime.  I know it's an additional expense, but it doesn't have to be.  If you're going to make a concerted effort to watch/catch up on GoT and other HBO shows, you could always cancel Netflix/Hulu for a few months, simply redirect those streaming dollars to HBO for a few months, and then cancel HBO Now and re-start Netflix/Hulu when you're caught up.  That way, you're not paying anything more than you are now.  Then when the final season has about 3 episodes left, you can re-start HBO Now, catch up on that season, and then watch the last few episodes of the show right when they're released. 

And no, I'm not paid by HBO--I'm just a Game of Thrones evangelist. 

[Mick]

[quote author=Hank 91 link=topic=17139.msg196780#msg196780 date=1502293880]
It would be interesting to see if the Pac-12 Network were ever to show up someplace like Hulu or Netflix. Does either of those platforms do any live streaming?

The streaming news that most disappointed me recently was HBO's decision to part ways with Amazon. (This, of course, makes perfect sense. Why wouldn't they just stream their own content?) But I'm one of the one percent of America that doesn't have HBO, which means I haven't seen a drop of Game of Thrones. I'd been holding out for it's appearance on Amazon Prime so I could watch it for free, but now that will never happen.

I'm sure you've gotten this advice, but you could always subscribe to HBO Now for a month, binge the heck out of Game of Thrones, and then you'd be all caught up.  Of course, that's roughly 64 hours of television at this point (67 at the conclusion of the current season), so it would take a commitment, but you wouldn't be locked into that $15/month forever--you can cancel anytime.  I know it's an additional expense, but it doesn't have to be.  If you're going to make a concerted effort to watch/catch up on GoT and other HBO shows, you could always cancel Netflix/Hulu for a few months, simply redirect those streaming dollars to HBO for a few months, and then cancel HBO Now and re-start Netflix/Hulu when you're caught up.  That way, you're not paying anything more than you are now.  Then when the final season has about 3 episodes left, you can re-start HBO Now, catch up on that season, and then watch the last few episodes of the show right when they're released. 

And no, I'm not paid by HBO--I'm just a Game of Thrones evangelist.
[/quote]

I have HBO Now...FWLIW, GoT is just getting better and better.  Now it's all good stuff, they don't need as much characterization, and the narrative drive is in hyperdrive.

[Mick]

[quote author=Hank 91 link=topic=17139.msg196780#msg196780 date=1502293880]
It would be interesting to see if the Pac-12 Network were ever to show up someplace like Hulu or Netflix. Does either of those platforms do any live streaming?

The streaming news that most disappointed me recently was HBO's decision to part ways with Amazon. (This, of course, makes perfect sense. Why wouldn't they just stream their own content?) But I'm one of the one percent of America that doesn't have HBO, which means I haven't seen a drop of Game of Thrones. I'd been holding out for it's appearance on Amazon Prime so I could watch it for free, but now that will never happen.

I'm sure you've gotten this advice, but you could always subscribe to HBO Now for a month, binge the heck out of Game of Thrones, and then you'd be all caught up.  Of course, that's roughly 64 hours of television at this point (67 at the conclusion of the current season), so it would take a commitment, but you wouldn't be locked into that $15/month forever--you can cancel anytime.  I know it's an additional expense, but it doesn't have to be.  If you're going to make a concerted effort to watch/catch up on GoT and other HBO shows, you could always cancel Netflix/Hulu for a few months, simply redirect those streaming dollars to HBO for a few months, and then cancel HBO Now and re-start Netflix/Hulu when you're caught up.  That way, you're not paying anything more than you are now.  Then when the final season has about 3 episodes left, you can re-start HBO Now, catch up on that season, and then watch the last few episodes of the show right when they're released. 

And no, I'm not paid by HBO--I'm just a Game of Thrones evangelist.
[/quote]

I have HBO Now...FWLIW, GoT is just getting better and better.  Now it's all good stuff, they don't need as much characterization, and the narrative drive is in hyperdrive.

[ColoradoTree]

It would be interesting to see if the Pac-12 Network were ever to show up someplace like Hulu or Netflix. Does either of those platforms do any live streaming?

I don't think so, but the technology is obviously there.  In addition to the sports channels that currently do it all the time, Twitter will live stream some Thursday Night Football games and other sporting events, so I can't imagine their current lack of live streaming would hold Netflix/Amazon/Hulu from entering that space if they felt the money worked.  It does seem like the inevitable next step. 

[ColoradoTree]

It would be interesting to see if the Pac-12 Network were ever to show up someplace like Hulu or Netflix. Does either of those platforms do any live streaming?

I don't think so, but the technology is obviously there.  In addition to the sports channels that currently do it all the time, Twitter will live stream some Thursday Night Football games and other sporting events, so I can't imagine their current lack of live streaming would hold Netflix/Amazon/Hulu from entering that space if they felt the money worked.  It does seem like the inevitable next step. 

[OutsiderFan]

It's back to the future all over again.  Don't remember the exact years, but studios owning content and distribution  by also owning movie theaters, was at one time considered vertical integration and a monopoly which was ultimately broken up.

Netflix was free from anti-trust concerns when it was just distributing the content of others, but when it started producing its own content, it crossed the threshold from being a neutral distributor, to being a content competitor.  Yes, the reaction from Disney is to set up its own distribution, but by doing so it is no better than Netflix and itself will be at risk of being considered a monopoly and broken up.  Of course, by owning just 75% of the company that will be providing the distribution for Disney, may offer it a loophole in that it can claim it doesn't totally own the distribution arm it is using, to protect it from anti-trust litigation.

Why would a content rights holders pay a content creator anything of consequence when they also control distribution?  They sure as hell aren't going to want to give someone with a great content idea access to their own distribution channels if they themselves are creating content they want sold.  This dynamic would make it virtually impossible for the next George Lucas to ever have the economic incentive to create something like Star Wars. 

I know we seem to be in this hyper-capitalist age where bigger is better, and its all about profit growth, but the fundamental reality is the economy and consumers are better served when there are more choices and the market is more accessible.  This is what creates jobs, and it's especially important when automation is taking over many more jobs as time goes on.

As it related to the Pac-12 Network, as I've been saying since it started, the Pac-12 Network may end up generating the member schools the same or more money than the infamous SEC and B1G produce for their members, because those leagues have to give 50% of their profits to ESPN and FOX respectively.  It's obvious the cable TV model is dying, and PPV, a la carte streaming and on-demand video is the future.  It's only a matter of time before all the conferences offer their own streaming subscription plans that bypass cable and satellite TV.  When this happens, the Pac-12 Network will be very well positioned.

[OutsiderFan]

It's back to the future all over again.  Don't remember the exact years, but studios owning content and distribution  by also owning movie theaters, was at one time considered vertical integration and a monopoly which was ultimately broken up.

Netflix was free from anti-trust concerns when it was just distributing the content of others, but when it started producing its own content, it crossed the threshold from being a neutral distributor, to being a content competitor.  Yes, the reaction from Disney is to set up its own distribution, but by doing so it is no better than Netflix and itself will be at risk of being considered a monopoly and broken up.  Of course, by owning just 75% of the company that will be providing the distribution for Disney, may offer it a loophole in that it can claim it doesn't totally own the distribution arm it is using, to protect it from anti-trust litigation.

Why would a content rights holders pay a content creator anything of consequence when they also control distribution?  They sure as hell aren't going to want to give someone with a great content idea access to their own distribution channels if they themselves are creating content they want sold.  This dynamic would make it virtually impossible for the next George Lucas to ever have the economic incentive to create something like Star Wars. 

I know we seem to be in this hyper-capitalist age where bigger is better, and its all about profit growth, but the fundamental reality is the economy and consumers are better served when there are more choices and the market is more accessible.  This is what creates jobs, and it's especially important when automation is taking over many more jobs as time goes on.

As it related to the Pac-12 Network, as I've been saying since it started, the Pac-12 Network may end up generating the member schools the same or more money than the infamous SEC and B1G produce for their members, because those leagues have to give 50% of their profits to ESPN and FOX respectively.  It's obvious the cable TV model is dying, and PPV, a la carte streaming and on-demand video is the future.  It's only a matter of time before all the conferences offer their own streaming subscription plans that bypass cable and satellite TV.  When this happens, the Pac-12 Network will be very well positioned.

[Hank 91]

Two summers ago I binged The Sopranos -- 86 episodes in about 35 days. It was glorious, but it also made me a bit one-dimensional. I had meant to watch either The Wire or Madmen this summer, but I chose to read and write instead. In case you're interested in my reading list:

The Woman in Cabin 10, Ruth Ware -- A mindless thriller to kick off the summer. Entertaining.
The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood -- Fascinating alternate reality fiction. Could have been written in 2016.
Eats, Shoots & Leaves, Lynne Truss -- An entire book about punctuation. Kind of awesome.
The Power of Positive Deviance, Richard Pascale -- Solving problems by finding existing solutions. Interesting stuff.

Currently reading:
To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee -- Re-reading with a group of former students preparing for high school. A classic.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, J.K. Rowling -- Introducing youngest daughter with illustrated version. Gorgeous.
Over the Edge of the World, Laurence Bergreen -- Magellan's circumnavigation. Fascinating.

[Hank 91]

Two summers ago I binged The Sopranos -- 86 episodes in about 35 days. It was glorious, but it also made me a bit one-dimensional. I had meant to watch either The Wire or Madmen this summer, but I chose to read and write instead. In case you're interested in my reading list:

The Woman in Cabin 10, Ruth Ware -- A mindless thriller to kick off the summer. Entertaining.
The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood -- Fascinating alternate reality fiction. Could have been written in 2016.
Eats, Shoots & Leaves, Lynne Truss -- An entire book about punctuation. Kind of awesome.
The Power of Positive Deviance, Richard Pascale -- Solving problems by finding existing solutions. Interesting stuff.

Currently reading:
To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee -- Re-reading with a group of former students preparing for high school. A classic.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, J.K. Rowling -- Introducing youngest daughter with illustrated version. Gorgeous.
Over the Edge of the World, Laurence Bergreen -- Magellan's circumnavigation. Fascinating.

[burger]

I'm sure you've gotten this advice, but you could always subscribe to HBO Now for a month, binge the heck out of Game of Thrones, and then you'd be all caught up.  Of course, that's roughly 64 hours of television at this point (67 at the conclusion of the current season), so it would take a commitment, but you wouldn't be locked into that $15/month forever--you can cancel anytime.  I know it's an additional expense, but it doesn't have to be.

You're right that it doesn't have to be an additional expense: your first month is free when you signup through the phone app (but you can still watch on any device).  If your spouses/roommates/kids have their own phones, they can sign up in subsequent months.  And if you have a Roku (not sure if this is true for other streaming devices), you can get another month free, even if you use the same email address as you used with your phone.

Or if you feel bad about taking $15 from a company that is making zillions, you can just pay the $15 each month.  It's a bargain.

[burger]

I'm sure you've gotten this advice, but you could always subscribe to HBO Now for a month, binge the heck out of Game of Thrones, and then you'd be all caught up.  Of course, that's roughly 64 hours of television at this point (67 at the conclusion of the current season), so it would take a commitment, but you wouldn't be locked into that $15/month forever--you can cancel anytime.  I know it's an additional expense, but it doesn't have to be.

You're right that it doesn't have to be an additional expense: your first month is free when you signup through the phone app (but you can still watch on any device).  If your spouses/roommates/kids have their own phones, they can sign up in subsequent months.  And if you have a Roku (not sure if this is true for other streaming devices), you can get another month free, even if you use the same email address as you used with your phone.

Or if you feel bad about taking $15 from a company that is making zillions, you can just pay the $15 each month.  It's a bargain.

[dabigv13]

Over the Edge of the World, Laurence Bergreen -- Magellan's circumnavigation. Fascinating.

That Magellan book is really something. Impressive amount of detail for something that happened so long ago.

I read that when I was on a big true adventure sort of kick, along with In the Heart of the Sea (recently released in movie form, but the book is far better) and The Last Place On Earth, about Amundsen and Scott's journey to the South Pole, which are both really really good.

[dabigv13]

Over the Edge of the World, Laurence Bergreen -- Magellan's circumnavigation. Fascinating.

That Magellan book is really something. Impressive amount of detail for something that happened so long ago.

I read that when I was on a big true adventure sort of kick, along with In the Heart of the Sea (recently released in movie form, but the book is far better) and The Last Place On Earth, about Amundsen and Scott's journey to the South Pole, which are both really really good.