Tag: Netflix
0 Disney’s exclusive deal with Netflix
Netflix has returned from another content hunt with massive bounty as the result of a huge bidding war. They have locked in an exclusive streaming contract with Disney for a large catalog of content, including movies from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Marvel Studios, and Disneynature, according to CNN Money.
The catch? Netflix users won’t see a lot of this content until 2016, when Disney’s current agreement with Starz (a la Sony) expires.
This reads a lot like the deal between Netflix and Dreamworks to post their computer animated library by 2013. It’s also mirroring that deal, as Disney has already provided Netflix with some recognizable and notable content, including “Alice in Wonderland”, “Pocahontas” and “Dumbo”, to name a few.
The deal also includes many sequel-heavy series, like the “Air Bud” sequels, and the “Brave Little Toaster” sequels, but not their originals.
A big piece of this agreement is that it yanks a lot of future content out of the hands of premium cable TV channels like HBO, Showtime and Starz, as they lose access to new Disney/Marvel/Pixar content released after 2016 that would usually linger on their channels between each film’s exit from the theater, but before they hit DVD/Blu-ray. It also blocks streaming sites like Amazon Prime and Crackle from access to the content as well.
It’s nice to see Netflix experiencing success through this agreement (including a recent rise in the company’s stock), but there will still be the gaggles of nay-sayers uninterested in waiting four years for the overall payoff.
At the same time, there are speculators wondering how this will affect Disney’s recently acquired gold-mine of the Star Wars universe. Although LucasFilm was not listed among the content providers (as far as I have seen), the release of Episode 7 in 2015 may lay the groundwork for future negotiations and deals to continue to feed us desired content.
I am, personally, among those excited now, as two of my childhood Disney favorites, “The Great Mouse Detective” and “The Rescuers Down Under” are among the titles already available on Netflix. The fact that the voice talents of Bob Newhart, Eva Gabor, John Candy, and Vincent Price are just a click away makes me wish I wasn’t at work so I could start a Disney binge right now.
Still, there are a number of additional Netflix releases to look forward to this month, as we’ve discussed on the show before, including “ParaNorman”, “Looper” and “The Campaign”. All three of these will be on Netflix around Christmas or New Years, according to movieinsider.com.
Looks like we have at least 1,121 days until we will reap the benefits of this deal, but we’ll keep an eye on things here in the Wheels Brewing Co Studio.
0 Episode 62 – 11/27/12 feat. Peter Jurgensen & Matt Walstead
Peter and Matt join Dan and Adam in the studio to chat about what they’re watching, what they’re listening to, and how movies are tougher to watch than TV shows when streaming. That, and they also play a great round of Movie Bluff.
Taped at The Wheels Brewing Co Studio, Minneapolis, MN on November 27, 2012.
Check out photos and this week’s bonus tracks by clicking here.
Click here to listen: Episode 62
0 Episode 61 – 11/21/12 feat. Curtis James & Drew James
Curtis and Drew join Dan and Adam in the Wheels Brewing Co Studio for one of the best rounds of Movie Bluff that’s been played so far. They also talk about what’s coming to Netflix in the next month, and getting caught up in TV shows.
Taped at The Wheels Brewing Co Studio, Minneapolis, MN on November 21, 2012.
Check out photos and this week’s bonus tracks by clicking here.
Click here to listen: Episode 61
0 Episode 60 – 11/13/12 feat. Katie Best & Maianne Preble
Katie and Maianne join Dan and Adam in the Wheels Brewing Co Studio for a goofy, fun, light-hearted episode after surviving election season. There’s talk of streaming services and media, e-books, radio, and more. They also play a round of “Movie Bluff”.
Taped at The Wheels Brewing Co Studio, Minneapolis, MN on November 13, 2012.
Check out photos and this week’s bonus tracks by clicking here.
Click here to listen: Episode 60 – 111312
0 Episode 59 – 11/06/12 feat. Caity Shea Robertson & Dave Wheeler
Dave and Producer Caity join Dan and Adam in the Wheels Brewing Co Studio on ELECTION NIGHT! And it’s also 99% election coverage free! Everyone chats about what they’ve been viewing, or listening to, recently, plus a bit of news. There’s a little bit of everything in this one, as Dave, Caity, Adam and Dan are no strangers to riffing from conversation to conversation. Plus, we play Movie Bluff!
Taped at The Wheels Brewing Co Studio, Minneapolis, MN on November 6, 2012.
Check out photos and this week’s bonus tracks by clicking here.
Click here to listen: Episode 59
0 CBS has made it to Hulu … sort of
It was announced today that the CBS network will be pushing a number of titles from its library to Hulu.com for the streaming site’s premium Hulu Plus users, starting January 2013. According to the LA Times, the new titles to Hulu will include classic TV shows like “The Twilight Zone”, “I Love Lucy”, and “Star Trek”, as well as a handful of newer titles like “CSI: Miami” and “Numb3rs”.
It’s hard to get very riled up about this new deal, as there doesn’t seem to be a net gain for anyone involved as a result. Casual visitors to Hulu will not have access to these videos (assuming ‘casual’ translates to ‘without premium account’), Hulu members who invest the $7.99 per month don’t get any new content, as the videos soon to be available to Hulu have been on Netflix and Amazon Prime for months already, and CBS won’t get new viewers on their channel as they continue to hold a tight grip on their new content.
It’s also hard for me to get mad or excited about the deal as a whole since I know next to nothing about CBS’s line-up, nor do I have a drive to educate myself either. Since moving into my apartment in Minneapolis, I have yet to sign up for any cable or dish TV service, and I constantly have to remind myself that I have an over-the-air antenna, but when that’s employed, I must catch things exclusively when broadcast, lacking any sort of DVR as well. With all of these puzzle pieces in place, my primary veins for discovery of new material comes from streaming services like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime, and with CBS nowhere near there with new content, I feel no need to reach out if they won’t from the other side of the chasm.
And before you say anything, yes, they do have full episodes on their web site from their new shows. But, as a man, I demand the ability to flip the channel quickly as my attention span expires, in order to hunt for something more entertaining, and having to sit at my desk (purposefully uncomfortable in order to encourage progress over lolly-gagging) turns me off to the idea of trying to engage in new content.
As I write this, I feel more and more like a true, lazy American, demanding everything be delivered to me on my couch, but, instead, I believe it is CBS that should be chastised for not taking advantage of every opportunity before them to leverage their content for more viewers, money, and more money. But, obviously, the world of streaming media, especially how it translates from broadcast to screen, is still not 100% foraged, and CBS could be concocting a new path that’ll be followed in the future, but, for now, I just don’t get it.
(And yes, I am generalizing severely on this topic, knowing that a lot of programming is held back by production companies and/or cast and crew, also looking to make an extra buck or two, but I find it hard to believe that networks are surrounded by great examples of pushing content online, seeing its lifts in digital video sales and live-broadcast viewership, and still opt out. My hope is that they come to their senses soon, so Adam and I will have some new content to discuss.)
0 Episode 58 – 10/28/12 feat. Amber Hendricks & Spencer Knapp
Amber and Spencer joined Dan and Adam in the Wheels Brewing Co Studio in Minneapolis for a post ‘night on the town’ recovery, and chat about exposure to streaming signals. It’s a chill Sunday in the studio, and we discuss what everyone is watching, including Amber and Spencer’s first steps into “Doctor Who”. After that, everyone opts for a few rounds of Build a Title. Enjoy!
Taped at The Wheels Brewing Co Studio, Minneapolis, MN on October 28, 2012.
Check out photos and this week’s bonus tracks by clicking here.
Click here to listen: Episode 58 – 102812
0 Episode 57 – 10/24/12 feat. Kris McNeal & Jeff Priesmeyer
Kris joined via Skype in Duluth, while Jeff joined Dan and Adam in the Wheels Brewing Co Studio in Minneapolis for a high school reunion, and to talk about streaming stuff. Kris talks briefly about his experience around the Great Lakes, and he and Jeff talk about what they’re watching online right now. There’s also a lot of great rambling, and then Kris and Jeff learn how to play “Movie Bluff”.
Taped at The Wheels Brewing Co Studio, Minneapolis, MN on October 24, 2012.
Check out photos and this week’s bonus tracks by clicking here.
Click here to listen: Episode 57
0 Episode 56 – 10/16/12 feat. Jon “Alaska” Maakestad & Lauren “Lola” Schauer
“Alaska” and “Lola” join Dan and Adam in the studio to discuss the importance in finding neighbors who do not know how to encrypt Wi-Fi routers, and to discuss what they’re watching. This was a good cycle of discussion regarding what everyone is listening to, watching, and planning to watch, as “Alaska” and “Lola” discuss their upcoming adventures. ‘Bout half way through, everyone teaches “Alaska” how to play “Movie Bluff”. Good times. Take a listen!
Taped at The Wheels Brewing Co Studio, Minneapolis, MN on October 16, 2012.
Check out photos and this week’s bonus tracks by clicking here.
Click here to listen: Episode 56 – 101612
0 Netflix Max: The cure for our indecisiveness?
Have you ever had a time when you’re on Netflix and you can’t decide what to watch? Â It’s terrible, isn’t it?! Â You’re faced with a rather large library with plenty of perfectly acceptable TV and movie options to entertain you for a while, but first you have to pick one, and that requires making a decision and you’re feeling so “meh” Â that nothing is jumping out at you. Â Well, fear not – Max is here to save the day (maybe)!
Netflix’s Max service is an interactive game that uses several methods to help the viewer decide what to watch. Â With a style and attitude very much like the “You Don’t Know Jack” series complete with a snappy, idiosyncratic announcer and musical interludes, Max asks you to pick a genre and then rate movies in that genre that you may or may not have seen. Â After rating several movies, Max makes a recommendation. Â If you decline that option, Max will try something else to help you pick. Â Since its release, several new ways to play have been added to mix things up and add to the experience, such as picking a specific actor to find movies/TV for. Â Max also makes use of Netflix’s algorithms to find recommendations based on the ratings the user has given shows in the past. Â Max has been around for a few months now, available on the Playstation 3 platform (no word on if it’s coming out for other devices yet).
Tonight, I fired up Netflix Max and played “One Simple Question”: Max had me choose impulsively between suburban dysfunction or detectives. Â I chose detectives and it recommended, much to my chagrin, Â “Murder, She Wrote.” Â After Max’s 30-second pitch (not available for all titles) describing the merits of the show, I decided to give it a try. Forty-five minutes later, Angela Lansbury had won me over and I was seriously considering watching the next episode in spite of my previous reservations. Â Max won me over in this case, and this wasn’t the first time. Â Max and my own curiosity have led me to watch quite a few things I loved (if you haven’t watched “Black Books” yet, get on it), but probably would never have found out about otherwise. Â In that regard, Max is very good for separating the wheat from the chaff. Â Max doesn’t always get it right, though. Â There have been occasions when none of the recommendations have sounded appealing – at that point, Max says, “Thank you for playing!” and that’s the end of it.
Overall, even if it’s not always effective at recommending something to watch, Netflix Max is quite entertaining in itself. Â With further development and a presence on other platforms, Max has the potential to be a lot of fun and hopefully relieve us all of our streaming media indecision.
The Buffering Podcast 