Its weird because here at least HBO/Warner Bros still have the older library with Disney only getting the new stuff. So hopefully there is a part of the deal that it graduates back to HBO once it gets old enough.
2 Likes
HBO material is currently distributed through Sky in the UK but next year they will be launching their subscription here. Any shows you can recommend i keep an eye out for?- iām well out of touch on their library.
You really should.
1 Like
Almost all HBO content will have international distribution through other partners. so I would imagine most of the stuff that anyone would recommend has been available to you already.
Recently I thought the mini series they just finished called Task was exceptional, kind of like the spiritual successor to Mayor of Eastown. They just launched Welcome to Derry last week. Im not sure if its a pure prequel to It or a more general Stephen King anthology (like they tried to do with Castle Rock), but its being very well received so far. Im going to give it another couple of episodes before I start it though.
2 Likes
mentioned it earlier up the thread to nil responseā¦
but as anyone elses kids started watching the āthe amazing digital circusāā¦
what a profoundly mad showā¦think Ren and Stimpy but with a messageā¦
i think its cool kids nowadays immediately understand whats going onā¦
2 Likes
I did stick it on for my kids, but they didnāt seem that fussed. (The phrase, āone of Dadās weird animationsā, came up.) To be honest, they have gone beyond the family viewing stage, which is a bit depressing.
The youngest one has put Helluva Boss on, which is on Prime, and that seems quite enjoyable. Itās not really for kids though.
1 Like
Finished the latest season of Slow Horses. Enjoyed it, but felt it was an episode too short.
Really looking forward to the next season!
3 Likes
Itās very enjoyable, but itās started relying a bit too much on the contrivances that come from them reminding us that once upon a time lamb was actually a very good spy. It made the ārevealā at the end, something that should have grounded it in terms of the stakes and even his commitment to the work, feel a bit wasted
1 Like
Iāve stumbled onto a golden oldie which I started watching last night.
The Bush Tucker Man. Itās on Youtube.
1 Like
Thatās good tucker mate!
1 Like
There is a news report that Sky is in talks to buy ITVās broadcasting business:
Iām not sure what the deal is with the regulation of this, as the ITV franchises were once a license to print money, but broadcast TV is dying on its arse.
I would assume that there would be some requirement to offer FTV TV (presumably also via ITVx) but it might offer a nice way of cross-selling Skyās output, which I believe has also been in decline.
Has anyone in the UK used the Freely platform? (basically an IP based version of Freeview)
I can see a position in the near future where broadcast TV will essentially just be a live stream option on the likes of the iPlayer.
1 Like
Yes, ITV confirmed the talks. The FT said there are also other companies looking at ITV also. There have been two or three other notable talks over the last year or two that didnāt come to anything but given the announcements behind this one, and Skyās presence in the UK already, I think it is likely to go ahead.
What is a bit surprising is that they are only seeking to buy part of ITV, and the part they want in particular - the expectation has been that the only bit of ITV other companies would be interested in would be the studios arm.
Regulation wise, I think it likely that any deal would get the go ahead given the decline in traditional tv and the rise of digital competition. I think Sky also will understand the landscape within the UK quite well having operated here for so long and would be surprised if they have entered talks without some assurances already that it wouldnāt be blocked.
1 Like
I was just wondering who owned Channel 5 these days. Apparently itās Paramount. I knew it was RTL for years.
UKTV is now exclusively a BBC Enterprises subsidiary.
I think there needs to be a reassessment of broadcasting anyway. Itās important that the public service broadcasting element is retained in some way. Iād suggest switching the iPlayer to an advertising model and funding the public service elements (including Channel 4) from a source other than the TV licence. Possibly some sort of surcharge on pay streaming services?
Iām not sure how the figures add up, but there is a real risk to the entire sector if there isnāt some sort of UK input.
1 Like
Iām surprised that ITV are getting squeezed to the same degree as the US networks that they would be in this position. I guess for them it is less an effect of people switching to streaming services cutting off peopleās access to the network as it is here (free access to the US broadcast networks is technically possible but the infrastructure is awful so its a very rare thing), and more just the increased competition for attention means they cannot generate the ad revenue anymore with their reduced viewing figures? Same result in the end I guess - fewer eye balls means less revenue.
1 Like
The iplayer should be made available internationally. I bet you wouldnāt mind paying something to access it front Germany same as me.
I think ITV and Channel 5 have been able to counter the drop in linear TV viewing by appealing to an older demographic. However, itās really only pensioners that are still watching linear TV, and that audience is dying off (literally).
I heard Richard Osmanās podcast the other day and he said that there was a day last week when no programme drew more than 1 million views in the 21:00 slot, which is meant to be peak viewing.
If you look at the current BARB charts then the biggest catches are event TV: Traitors, Strictly and Bake-off. Coronation Street is now below 4 million, and I suspect that it doesnāt pick up many new viewers.
1 Like
I think competition is one issue with regards to generating ad revenue, but the state of the economy here and in Europe has also meant that ad revenues have not been as plentiful as would have been hoped.
That also has a secondary effect on ITV as it reduces demand from other companies for its programmes.
1 Like
Looks like Apple are in the Mick Herron business and just released an adaption of one of his other books called Down Cemetery Road. This is apparently the first book of a 4 book series focusing on the character Emma Thompson plays in this, all books he wrote before starting the Slough House series. This is being generally well received so Id imagine there would be more to come from this one
2 Likes
Its a cultural challenge.
Superficially itās be relatively easy for them to shift fully to digital and offer their app as a free view with ads (there are several very successful ones in the US). They could even work with tv companies to get the app to come preinstalled on UK tvs. But its still a question of who is choosing ITV over Netflix once they turn it on. If its older people then you have to also find a way to change how they view tv (buying a smart tv and going going to an app) and that is a much bigger challenge.
1 Like
@Nikola Did you ever watch Southlands?