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g5mlp · 10 months

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Here's the entire My Little Pony 2024 Franchise Overview presentation. This was originally distributed online in mid-June 2023, and we reported on it then, but there are a couple of details that didn't make it into the post.

Download links 2024 Franchise Overview 2023 Marketing Plans Hasbro Brands Overview

Slides 2–4. Various random stats which are mostly not important or not properly contextualized. I have just a slight feeling that the stat on slide 3 implying that MLP is bigger than Barbie at the moment is cherrypicked.

Slides 5–6. Slide 6 is the first slide with specific data about Tell Your Tale viewers. It tells us that Tell Your Tale outperformed Make Your Mark on audience approval and toy purchase basket size, and that it outperformed other franchises on repeat toy purchase rate. There are a few more of these stats on slide 20.

Slides 7–9. Tell Your Tale Season 2 will be real, and will have four specials (the accompanying visuals don't seem to be related, other than the beach stuff for special 2). They didn't really explain what "hair play in every episode" or "more magical moments" will mean, although maybe the former is intended to encourage the purchase of toys.

Slides 10–12. This is basically a summary of things that have already been done within the MLP brand over the last few years. "LBE" means "location-based entertainment".

Slide 10 seems to indicate that there are about 7 songs left to be released in Tell Your Tale Season 1.

On slide 12, from left to right, the featured things are the VR book My Little Pony: Virtual Magic; the Sofia Carson-narrated Calm "sleep story"; the I Can Read Comics Level 1 book Sister Switch; the first issue of the G5 IDW comics; the MLP mascots at the Galaxyland theme park in Edmonton, Canada; a render of the lobby of the My Little Pony & Transformers Playlodge in Shanghai; and the "Flight to Equestria" ferris wheel at Galaxyland.

Slides 13–14. Mostly licensed merch, although the Izzy brushable on slide 14 still hasn't been seen anywhere other than this presentation.

Slide 15. Another indication that Make Your Mark won't get anything in 2024: the best they can say about it is that it will "live on Netflix" (i.e. won't be removed from Netflix), which was probably going to happen anyway.

Given the "new episodes weekly" statement, 328 minutes can be neatly divided into 4 22-minute episodes and 48 5-minute episodes, all for Tell Your Tale. Consistent episode lengths make sense for Hasbro, since they intend to license their shows out to TV networks with standard half-hour programming blocks.

"Linear and AVOD" probably refers to traditional TV channels and ad-supported free streaming sites. Some past MLP content is already available on "AVOD" sites such as Pluto TV.

It seems like G5 music will continue to have that generic pop sound.

It's implied that some of the video games shown will be updated in 2024. Maybe not all of them, though, since the MLP Roblox game (Visit Maretime Bay) was shut down in February 2023.

Slides 16–17. They want to grow viewership a lot and convert it to toy purchases. They call Tell Your Tale their "one & only ponable content series"; obviously, maintaining two ongoing animated shows would directly contradict this statement.

The Pipp, Misty, Sunny and Izzy brushables shown all seem to be new, as is the concept art for the accessories of the former three. The Izzy brushable is probably the same one as on slide 14.

Slide 18. They will do a bunch of promo stuff, including releasing a licensed console video game in Q3 2024. The first and third Tell Your Tale specials are to be the tentpole moments (i.e. big marketing focal points) of 2024.

Slides 19–20. Slide 20 features some more new stats on how well Tell Your Tale is performing; it has 177 million cumulative YouTube views, good repeat viewership and better repeat purchase rate than Make Your Mark.

This image is from a different presentation, "2023 Marketing Plans". This slide reveals the Secrets of Starlight logo for the fourth and final My Little Pony: Make Your Mark special.

The "album launch" could be referring to the My Little Pony Theme Song (Sped Up + lofi remixes) EP that was released today. Or maybe something else?

This slide is from the other presentation that was revealed, "Hasbro Brands Overview". It doesn't really reveal anything that wasn't previously known, although it does suggest that Bridlewoodstock will feature in more marketing content through the rest of the year.

Notes

Almost all of the text in the 2024 Franchise Overview presentation is shown in the Calibri font. It doesn't seem like it was originally intended to be that way, and I think it might be due to custom fonts not being loaded properly by whoever converted the presentation to PDF. In spite of this issue, the presentation is likely genuine, evidenced by the high quality images embedded in it, including a shot from a future Tell Your Tale episode on slide 8.

Slides 15 and 18 both note that future plans are subject to change. However, it's probably somewhat unlikely that Hasbro could return to Make Your Mark in 2024. Even if they were to commission more Make Your Mark episodes right now, and could justify the budget for it, it would probably still take more than a year before the first episodes could be completed. I could be wrong about this, but there's nothing to suggest that it would be in the interest of Hasbro, Netflix, Atomic Cartoons or anyone else (except maybe the fans) for Make Your Mark to be renewed after 2023.

While the TYT Audience Report and MLP Shopper Analysis by AIM & We Are Family both seem to be focused on 2- to 8-year-old girls, it's not necessarily an indication that Hasbro is focused solely on this demographic – they might just be the most lucrative demographic, or the one whose analysis produced the best numbers to show to Hasbro's investors and partners.

#my little pony #mlp g5 #mlp #my little pony: tell your tale #my little pony: make your mark

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anna-neko · 9 months

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there's a couple posts goin around, and I've already lost the links but..... here's the gist anyway YOU DON'T NEED A D+ OR HULU OR NETFLIX SUB RIGHT NOW!! (honestly, would lowkey tell Crunchyroll to fuck off as well)

there is more than enuff good free shit streaming out there! we got TUBI, we got PlutoTV, we even have Freevee to a degree** Also, depending on what network your public library is part of, there is also HooplaDigital and Kanopy honorary mention to RetroCrush for anime

Absolutely go and pirate the new shit our corporate overlords cannot be bothered to release to physical media and keep deleting off their streams. But there are plenty, PLENTY of classics from Metropolis to mofo Fifth Element to watch! support those! catch up on some vintage memes of decades past!

not sure if thing u want is streaming? check JustWatch.com before firing up the VPN & torrent seeding

**yes, that last one is Amazon streaming, but free with ads... listen there ain't no ethical consumption under capitalism and all that noise... Tubi is owned by FOX corp, and Pluto is Paramount which is just Viacom rebranding....

#streaming #boring af dystopia #i call myself oldtaku for a reason #anime #movies

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shoujo-josei-anime-poll · 5 months

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I found some of these animes on Netflix, but there's no season 2 for Fruits Basket, so I go to Disney+.

Do you have any recs for other streaming platforms? Thank you 🥰

Hmmm some streaming platforms will surprise you with what random anime they happen to have. I feel like Hulu has a lot. HBO Max & Amazon Prime Video have some. Of course there's Crunchyroll but not everyone has that.

Also check out free streaming services with ads like Pluto and Tubi, things like that.

Also, as of posting this, all Nana episodes (english subtitled) are on youtube, same with Revolutionary Girl Utena (english dub)! just look them up on there

So there are some options but unfortunately some shows just aren't streaming anywhere (legally anyway...)

#ask

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jeanvaljean24601 · 4 years

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How to Watch Mad Men and More Great Shows for Free Right Now

Another day, another brand new streaming platform out there begging you to subscribe to its service so you can ignore your family members and binge-watch a bunch of TV shows and movies in the name of entertainment. This time, it's NBCUniversal's Peacock, which offers a free tier as well as two premium options (one with ads and one without). The service features a number of programs for free, including Friday Night Lights and even Parks and Recreation, but Peacock isn't the only place you can stream great shows without breaking the bank.

Below, we've gathered up a number of shows that don't require you to shell out money for Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, HBO Max, Peacock, and/or whatever other streaming service subscriptions are out there. Sometimes you just need a simple freebie. And you know what? You deserve it. So check out the list below and take comfort in knowing it won't cost you a thing.

Watch it on: IMDb TV

Until recently you had to have a Netflix subscription to watch Mad Men, AMC's Emmy-award winning period drama from Matthew Weiner that was dedicated as much to style as it was to substance. The 1960s-set series, which traced the rise and fall of flawed Madison Avenue advertising executive Don Draper (Jon Hamm) through his own complicated relationship with identity, was a pointed commentary on the toxic masculinity, sexism, and racism of the era. It also changed the way we watch and talk about TV. If you haven't seen it yet, now's the perfect time to do so.

The Dick Van Dyke Show

Watch it on: Tubi (complete series), Pluto TV (complete series)

Realizing The Dick Van Dyke Show is streaming for free feels a bit like winning a secret lottery or viewing an exceptional piece of art without paying the museum admission fee. The popular comedy, which ran for five seasons, was created by Carl Reiner and starred Dick Van Dyke as the head writer of a TV show, while Mary Tyler Moore portrayed his wife. It's a timeless classic — one that took home 15 Emmys during its run, and if you've yet to experience it, you literally have no excuse at this point.

The Dick Van Dyke Show Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Watch it on: ABC app (complete series)

Felicity is best known as the show in which Keri Russell cut her hair (not to be confused with the show in which Keri Russell wore a lot of great wigs, aka The Americans). Depicting Felicity Porter's (Russell) college years and the struggles that accompany trying to figure out who you're supposed to be, the show is also famous for Scott Speedman's whisper-talking and the ongoing battle of Ben (Speedman) vs. Noel (Scott Foley). Although the WB series was previously streaming on Hulu, you can now watch it for free on the ABC app.

A reimagining of the kitschy original series, Syfy's Battlestar Galacticastarred Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff, Tricia Helfer, Michael Hogan, James Callis, and Jamie Bamber and explored the aftermath of a nuclear attack by the Cylons, cybernetic creatures invented by man who evolved and rebelled against their creators. The show was critically acclaimed for the way it tackled the subjects of science, religion, and politics, and for the way it explored the deeply complicated notion of what makes us human. Everything from the miniseries to the two BSG films (Razor and The Plan) is currently available to stream for free on Syfy's website, so there's no better time to watch it. So say we all!

Watch it on: IMDb TV (complete series), Tubi (complete series), Pluto TV (first 13 seasons), YouTube (first 13 seasons)

For many millennials, the fourth series in the Degrassi franchise, Degrassi: The Next Generation, is the defining iteration of the long-running Canadian series. The drama series, which was sometimes so overly dramatic it was actually funny, tackled everything from date rape and suicide to sexual orientation and teen pregnancy. The series, which launched the careers of Drake (then known as Aubrey Graham) and Nina Dobrev, is streaming on multiple free platforms.

Watch it on: ABC app (complete series)

Eli Stone really had it all, which is to say it had Victor Garber singing George Michael songs, Loretta Devine singing George Michael songs, and George Michael singing George Michael songs. What else is there? ABC's offbeat two-season comedy-drama starred a pre-Elementary Jonny Lee Miller as Eli Stone, a high-powered San Francisco lawyer whose brain aneurysm gave him prophetic visions — which usually involved his friends, family, and colleagues breaking into song. Aside from a couple of ill-advised plotlines (the pilot, which suggests vaccines cause autism, is best forgotten), the show was a blast: a weird but memorable cocktail that should have stuck around for more seasons because, as I mentioned, Victor Garber sang George Michael songs. Also, Sigourney Weaver played God?! -Kelly Connolly

Watch it on: YouTube (nearly every episode)

A true Canadian treasure, The Red Green Show was a long-running comedy starring Steve Smith as Red Green, a handyman who constantly tried to cut corners using duct tape and who had his own cable TV show. It was a parody of home improvement shows and outdoor programs and featured segments like Handyman Corner, Adventures with Bill, and The Possum Lodge Word Game. The show ran for 15 seasons, airing on PBS in the States.

TV Premiere Date Calendar: Find Out When Your Favorite Shows Are Back

Watch it on: IMDb TV (complete series), ABC app (complete series)

Critically beloved but struck down before its time, My So-Called Life has been praised for its realistic and honest portrayal of teenage life, not just via Angela Chase (Claire Danes), but through the show's young supporting cast as well. Now considered to be one of the best shows of all time, it tackled topics like homophobia, homelessness, drug use, and more without ever feeling preachy or like an after-school special. Also, Jordan Catalano (Jared Leto) could lean.

Watch it on: CW Seed (first five seasons), IMDb TV (first five seasons)

If you don't have Netflix but still want to watch Schitt's Creek, you'll be happy to know you can watch the first five seasons of the heartwarming, Emmy-nominated comedy series, about a wealthy family who loses everything they own except the town of the show's title, for free on CW Seed and IMDb TV.

Dan Levy and Catherine O'Hara, Schitt's Creek Photo: Pop TV

Watch it on: Peacock (complete series); IMDb TV (complete series)

You may never know what it feels like to have Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler) be proud of you, but you can pretend by watching all five seasons of Friday Night Lights, a series that was as much about a Texas community as it was about the sport that united it. By the end of the show, you'll be asking yourself "What Would Riggins Do?" and tattooing "Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose" on your body, all while chanting "Texas forever!" Trust me, it happens to everybody.

Watch it on: CW Seed (complete series)

It is relatively easy to forget that The CW series The Carrie Diaries was a prequel to Sex and the City, because the charming show, which lasted just two seasons, was able to stand on its own. The coming-of-age series that followed a teenaged Carrie Bradshaw (AnnaSophia Robb) was relatively innocent compared to the original series. The show's 1980s setting made it easier for the writers to focus on more harmless family storylines and teenage heartbreaks, but the show never shied away from the heartstring-tugging drama of young adulthood either. It's a shame the show never got the kind of ratings it deserved and wasn't able to exist beyond Carrie's high school years, but the Season 2 finale works well as a series finale, so viewers won't feel as if the story was left incomplete. android tv box

Watch it on: CW Seed (complete series)

It's a shame Bryan Fuller's saturated dramedy Pushing Daisies, about a pie-maker (Lee Pace) with the ability to bring the dead back to life, couldn't bring itself back to life after becoming a casualty of the 2007-08 writers' strike. A whimsical delight, the show featured the pie-maker teaming up with a local private eye (Chi McBride) to solve murders by reviving the victims for a brief time. Known for its quirky characters, eccentric visual style, and Jim Dale's pitch-perfect narration, it remains must-see TV.

Watch it on: IMDb TV (first seven seasons); Peacock

Columbo kicked off nearly every episode by revealing the crime and its perpetrator to the audience, which means unlike most crime dramas, the show was less about whodunnit and more about Peter Falk's iconic raincoat-wearing homicide detective catching them and getting them to confess. Oh, and just one more thing: it's great.

Watch it on: CW Seed (complete series)

The charming and playful Forever, which starred Ioan Gruffudd as an immortal medical examiner, was the one show that could have saved ABC's Tuesday at 10 p.m. death slot. But the network still canceled the series anyway, enraging the show's fans, who have never let the sting of its death go. Luckily, it now lives on, ahem, forever (aka until the content license expires) on CW Seed.

Watch it on: IMDb TV (complete series)

It sounds odd to say The Middle, which ran for nine seasons on ABC, was unfairly overlooked, but it always felt like the series, which followed the middle class Midwestern Heck family, was a bit of a hidden gem. It wasn't as popular with Emmy voters as, say, Modern Family, and critics also failed to give it its due, but it was a real, heartfelt, reliable family comedy with mass appeal, and you can stream it on IMDb TV for free. h96 tv box

Watch it on: ABC app (complete series)

Trophy Wife's short life — it was canceled after just one season — can probably be chalked up to its unfortunate title, which was meant to be ironic but ultimately kept viewers from tuning in and experiencing the warmth of the show and the relationships at its center. Malin Akerman starred as the young wife of Bradley Whitford's middle-aged lawyer, and the comedy explored the dynamics between the two, his children, and his two ex-wives, who were played by Marcia Gay Harden and Michaela Watkins. h96 max x3

Watch it on: NBC app (complete series)

Loosely based on the Biblical story of King David, Kings was a compelling drama before its time. Rudely cut down after just one season by NBC, the show starred Ian McShane as the king of the fictional kingdom of Gilboa, while Christopher Egan portrayed an idealistic young soldier whose counterpart is David. The show also starred Sebastian Stan, which is reason enough to want to check it out.

Watch it on: ABC app (complete series)

Ray Wise portrays Satan in Reaper, a supernatural dramedy about a slacker (Bret Harrison) who reluctantly becomes a reaper tasked with capturing escaped souls from hell after it's revealed his parents made a deal with the devil many, many years before. The fact the show only lasted two seasons is a crime against humanity. Luckily, you can watch it in its entirety for free on the ABC app. h96 max x3

Watch it on: IMDb TV (complete series)

A team of experts led by a kooky old scientist (John Noble), his son (Joshua Jackson), and an FBI agent (Anna Torv) investigate strange occurrences around the country, X-Files style, in the J.J. Abrams-produced Fringe. The series is one of the best broadcast science-fiction shows of all time, particularly in its first three seasons, and perfected the art of the serialized procedural by weaving the show's deep mythology and excellent character work into weekly standalone stories, making it easy to binge or watch in spurts. And by the time the end of Season 1 starts, you'll have a hard time stopping. -Tim Surette

Watch it on: Tubi (complete series), Vudu (complete series)

Although American TV producers would eventually adapt Being Human, the original British version, which followed three supernatural beings trying to live amongst humans, is far superior. The show, which ran for five seasons, starred Aidan Turner, Russell Tovey, and Lenora Crichlow as a vampire, werewolf, and ghost, respectively. So skip the U.S. version entirely and watch the U.K. series for free.

Watch it on: Pluto TV (complete series), Vudu (complete series), Tubi (complete series)

The Australian young adult-oriented series Dance Academy is not exactly what you'd call "great television," but it is great fun. Brimming with teen angst and melodrama, the series, which ran for three seasons and even had a follow-up movie, followed a handful of dancers at Sydney's National Academy of Dance as they trained in the sport they loved while also falling in and out of love with each other. The acting was sometimes questionable, but the series itself was addictive, not to mention one of the easiest binges you'll ever encounter. h96 max tv box

3rd Rock From the Sun

Watch it on: Tubi (complete series), Pluto TV (complete series), Crackle (all six seasons), Vudu (all six seasons)

You might think a show about a group of socially awkward, 1,000-year-old aliens in human skin suits who are trying (badly) to pose as a human family and blend into an ordinary Midwest town might sound ridiculous, and, well, that's fair. But 3rd Rock From the Sun was still charming in even its most bizarre moments and gave its cast a lot of room to play up their roles and create an ensemble of weirdos that, at some point or another, start to tap into their newfound humanity and relish their new home here on Earth. -Amanda Bell.

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dipulb3 · 4 years

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Amazon Fire TV Stick 2020 review: Stuck in the middle with TV control

New Post has been published on https://appradab.com/amazon-fire-tv-stick-2020-review-stuck-in-the-middle-with-tv-control/

Amazon Fire TV Stick 2020 review: Stuck in the middle with TV control

Streaming TV continues to grow in popularity, with new services and options every day, and to keep up most of the major device makers released new 2020 products you can hook to any TV. Roku has a new Streambar and an Ultra, Google has the Chromecast with Google TV and Amazon has the cheapest new streamers of the bunch: the $30 Fire Stick TV Lite and an update to the $40 Fire TV Stick. I review the Fire Stick TV Lite in depth here, so for this review I’ll be concentrating on the more-expensive Fire TV Stick.

Inexpensive

Remote offers Alexa voice and TV control

Wide range of streaming apps

Integrates well with Echo speakers

Don’t Like

The cheaper Lite is a better value

The step-up 4K stick is better for 4K TVs

More complex menus than Roku

Compared with its 2019 Fire TV Stick predecessor, the latest Fire TV is 50 per cent faster and 50 per cent more efficient, according to Amazon. I don’t test power consumption but I can report it’s plenty quick. Like last year’s version, the Stick’s remote has buttons for volume, mute and power, allowing you to control those functions on your TV — and maybe ditch your TV remote. Those remote buttons are the only real difference between the $30 Stick Lite and the $40 Stick, so you’re basically paying $10 for TV control.

With the existence of the cheaper Lite and the more capable Fire TV Stick 4K, which remains on sale at $50, the $40 Stick (2020) is the middle child, and both of the others are better choices overall. Yes, that TV control is nice, and the Fire Stick offers a lot for your $40, including integration with existing Echo devices, a fine selection of apps (though no HBO Max or Peacock) and a slick interface. But Fire TV still pushes its Prime Video store in search results, and the home screen can be a little too busy for people who know what they want to watch. For $10 more the Fire Stick TV 4K, Roku Streaming Stick Plus and Chromecast with Google TV all offer better features and value, and for $10 less the Lite is an unbeatable deal.

What is it?

Sarah Tew/CNET

Fire TV Sticks are USB stick-sized devices that plug into a spare HDMI port on your TV. They stream audio and video content from dozens of different apps over your Wi-Fi connection. While anyone can use one of these devices, being an Amazon Prime subscriber allows you to watch added programming.

The remote itself hasn’t physically changed much since the first Fire TV was introduced, and it lacks the premium feel of the Roku remote or Google’s new remote. The new Fire Stick remote does add the ability to control your TV volume, though it lacks the shortcuts to Netflix or other often-used services. Setting the remote up with a TV takes about 30 seconds and it can even control a receiver (I used it with a Sony TV and an Onkyo receiver without issue).

Sarah Tew/CNET

Alongside the Fire TV Lite, these are the first devices we’ve seen to offer HDR but not 4K resolution, and it raises the question of what kind of TV it’s designed for. There are hundreds of 4K HDR TVs out there but I tried doing a search for 1080p TVs that can do HDR on Best Buy’s site and found only four. For most people with 4K HDR TVs, we’d recommend getting a streamer that can actually do 4K instead of a 1080p streamer like the Stick.

The stick comes with a power adapter and Amazon strongly recommends you use this. While you could use the USB ports on your TV to power the device, it means the unit could behave unusually. For example, Dolby Atmos content wouldn’t work at all when the unit was plugged into a TV USB port, despite the device declaring it was outputting “Dolby Atmos” — the sound came out as 5.1.

Lots of streaming apps (but no Peacock or HBO Max)

The Fire TV sports (get it?) dozens of streaming apps.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Like other streaming devices the number of services that Amazon Fire TV supports is improving all the time. It can access almost all of the major streaming apps, including Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Hulu, Sling TV, Crackle, Pluto TV, Tubi TV, Amazon Music, Pandora, Spotify and many, many more. With so many services supported it’s almost easier to list the services the adapter doesn’t have, namely NBC’s Peacock and HBO Max (though it does have a vanilla HBO app). The Roku and Chromecast with Google TV platforms both offer Peacock and the latter also includes HBO Max.

What it’s like to use

With only a couple of tiny features to separate them — and the sticks even have the same S3L46N model number — the Fire TV and Fire TV Lite behaved almost identically in my tests. Both offer a healthy complement of features, tightly integrated voice commands and relative speedy response times.

Using the Fire TV Stick remote is easy, and Alexa searches with the microphone button were more responsive and relevant than using the Echo as a go-between. In contrast, Roku may not have the same robust voice capabilities, but text searches via the Roku remote are generally more targeted toward free or included programs rather than simply “buy now” links.

Sarah Tew/CNET

When it comes to user interfaces there are two different schools of thought: App-centric menus like the Roku and Apple TV ones just show you a grid of apps, so you can’t actually browse for something to watch without clicking through to each app. Amazon Fire TV and Google TV take a more content-focused approach, surfacing lots of titles on the home page itself.

If you like to graze for content, the Fire TV might be more appealing, If you know what you want already, or at least what app you want to watch, a Roku is probably a better choice, in part because Amazon’s search results skews heavily toward its own (often user-pays-extra) content.

Amazon has promised an interface update later in 2020, which will come first to both the Lite and the 2020 Fire TV. Amazon says it offers a redesigned main menu and improved browsing, plus a new section called Alexa Explore with new recipes, stock reports and similar things.

Picture and sound quality were very similar between the Lite and the Fire Stick, and image quality was as good as I’d expect. On paper there’s a difference in Atmos audio support: The Stick offers Dolby Atmos audio decoding while the Lite has Dolby Atmos pass-through. The practical difference between them is negligible, however, because an Atmos-capable receiver or soundbar is needed in both cases to hear Atmos audio. Whether the stick or the receiver does the decoding doesn’t really matter.

Also, in my testing I’ve found many services — including Prime Video and Disney Plus — require a 4K TV for Atmos to work anyway. In short, I don’t consider this feature difference a big deal because most people with decent Atmos setups should (once again) be using a bona fide 4K streamer.

Should you buy it?

If you’re in the market for a new $30 or $40 streamer it comes down to a choice between Fire TV’s content-first approach versus Roku app-first one. If you’re familiar with Roku’s simple menu design the number of tiles and options on the Fire TV Stick’s home page can be overwhelming.

If you already have a Fire Stick, there’s absolutely no reason for you to buy the 2020 version. Dolby Atmos and HDR are weird add-ons for 1080p devices, and if Amazon wanted to offer something unique at the price it should have included full 4K support. As it is, if you have a decent 4K TV then you should get a real 4K streamer — it’s just another $10. And if you want to save money, go with the LIte.

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anthonyguidetti · 5 years

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Tips on Cutting the Cord and Saving Money

Some History and Context

When television was first released to the public, there was only one way to get content: through an antenna. Much like radio, television was received over the air through an antenna, requiring viewers to sometimes have to move the antenna around to get a picture to come in fully. People didn't mind the hassle of the antenna because television was new and exciting. Because over-the-air television can only receive channels that are in the line of sight of the signal source, those who lived in mountainous areas, or were just too far away from the signal, couldn't get television. This is where cable TV began, as those who lived too far could now pay a company to receive the signals, and then send it over the lines of cable to the person's house. As cable gained more channels than those with an antenna could receive, like SuperStation WTBS, more and more people wanted access to it. They didn't mind the convenience fee of paying for cable when it offered more value than fussing with an antenna could provide. Cut to the early 2010s, where services like Netflix and Hulu started their streaming services, adding shows and movies people wanted to watch, and could watch anytime they wanted. With prices far cheaper than cable, people began to cut the cord. Why pay cable over $100 to be forced to receive channels you don't watch when you can pay $20 a month for Netflix and Hulu to receive the content you do?

This all started the mess we are in now, where the companies that own the content are now starting their own streaming services. Those who liked to watch Marvel movies, Friends, and The Office on Netflix now need to subscribe to three different streaming services just to continue to watch them. Here's a list of some of the current and upcoming streaming services: Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, HBO Now, HBO Max, Comcast's Unnamed Service, Disney+, CBS All Access, and the list goes on. When you consider the total cost to subscribe to all these services, you might as well resubscribe to cable TV, where you can just DVR the content you want to watch. Marathons of The Office and Friends air constantly on channels like Comedy Central, Nick at Nite, and TBS, with Marvel movies airing constantly across cable.

So, if you're looking for some tips to cut the cord without spending an arm and a leg, and want to do so fully legally, here are some ideas to keep in mind:

1) Do Your Research

Cutting the cord requires some homework. If you have traditional cable TV and are considering cutting the cord, I definitely recommend you take the time to fully utilize all that it has to offer. Most people are probably unaware that cable TV offers an on-demand option. Even if you do not have a DVR, most if not all channels offer an on-demand portal through your cable subscription that allow you to often not only watch the first-run shows a cable channel produces, but also syndicated shows and movies. Comedy Central's on-demand portal has all 9 seasons of The Office available, and AMC offers plenty of movies on-demand as well. It doesn't hurt to use the search function on your cable box, which should pull up all is available on-demand.

You may find the shows and movies you want to watch are right there in your cable subscription, but if they are not, or if you still want to cut the cord, take the time to find out who owns the shows you want to watch. The Office is a show that aired on NBC, and the show is owned by Comcast, who owns NBC. Knowing this, you can infer that The Office will be on Comcast's streaming service. However, with Friends, that show also aired on NBC, but the show is owned by WarnerMedia, so it will be on WarnerMedia's streaming service. Just because a show airs on a channel, doesn't mean the channel owns that show, so taking the time to find out who owns the show you want to watch is important. The Wikipedia entry for the show you want to watch will often list this information in the right-hand box on the page under "Production Companies" or "Distributor". If the show aired on a network like ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, or The CW, there's a chance they don't own the show. Take some of the most popular shows on the networks: Big Bang Theory airs on CBS, but is owned by WarnerMedia. Modern Family airs on ABC is owned by 20th Century Fox (at one point, not owned by Disney). America's Got Talent airs on NBC, but is owned by Fremantle. Keeping this in mind will at least reassure you that this is all more complicated than you think, but hopefully it will help you figure out where your favorite shows will inevitably go.

Not to mention all the over-the-top online cable services like YouTube TV, Sling, Philo, AT&T TV Now, and so on. Philo offers a sports-free service for $20 a month. Why so cheap? Because sports-related channels drive up the cost of cable. ESPN is the reason you pay so much for traditional cable, as ESPN charges the most in carriage fees. Cable companies pay cable channels a fee per subscriber. Because sports channels charge so much, the only way to get the cost down is to get rid of sports channels. However, if you need sports, Sling offers different tiers of packages depending on what channels you want.

I'd also like to take some time to discuss how odd television is. The most popular channels, you know, the ones everyone wants, can be had for free. CBS, NBC, ABC, and other networks regularly beat out pay cable channels, yet viewers pay for cable channels. The basic cable package has the most popular cable channels, and you pay more to get access to the lesser watched cable channels. It's the same with terrestrial and satellite radio. Odd. Anyway...

Lastly, research all the possible streaming services. There are plenty of free services out there that are completely legal to use. Pluto TV, Sony Crackle, and Tubi are just some of the services that you can use for free. These free services are ad-supported, and along with on-demand through your cable provider, this brings me to my next tip:

2) Learn to Live with Ads

Netflix has spoiled us with ad-free viewings. Just like Veruca Salt, "don't care how, I want it now!" I've fallen victim to this as well, as I pay extra for Hulu with no ads, and YouTube Premium. I'm not saying we need to love advertisements, but if you want to save some money, you have to tolerate them. Pluto TV offers an experience just like cable, but is completely free. You just have to live with about two minutes of advertisement breaks. Sony Crackle and Tubi, as well as others, offer a Netflix-like experience, just with commercial breaks, which are great opportunities to use the restroom. If you check around, you just might find that the content you want to watch can be had for free. If you can spare some time to sit through a few commercial breaks, you can save a lot of money.

3) Only Subscribe to What You Regularly Watch

Game of Thrones is a great example how how to subscribe only when you need to. HBO makes a lot of great shows, and broadcasts a lot of great movies, but how many of them do you actually care about? Take some time to evaluate what content you really care about. Now that Game of Thrones has ended, are there any other shows on HBO that you care about? If the answer is no, then cancel your HBO Now subscription. The same goes for Netflix: how much time do you spend watching something on Netflix? If the answer is low, get rid of Netflix. Then, when something airs that you care about, resubscribe. The great part about streaming services is they have no contracts. You can come and go as you please. Take advantage of this, and only subscribe to things you actively use often. Netflix is doing all they can to hook you into their service when Disney, The Office, and Friends leave their service. They know these shows are incredibly important to their business, and they are releasing as much content as they can to keep you subscribed. This may pay off in Netflix's favor, and you may find value in the service. But if you pay for a service continually when you only use it once in a while, that's a lot of money being wasted.

4) Visit Your Local Library or Thrift Store

Every time I drive past my local library, I simultaneously remember and forget it as I pass it, however last week I took the time to walk in and see what they have to offer. Every time I walk in, I'm always pleasantly surprised at what they have to offer. Of course, you'll find books, but you'll also find new release DVDs and CDs. The same can be said for your local thrift store, however, that may take some patience to find exactly what you're looking for. Your local library at least has an online database, so you know exactly what to expect. Part of the convenience of Netflix is the instant search and play, but with the popularity of the online streaming service came the loss of the brick-and-mortar video rental store. While your local library may not have the same quantity of DVDs you expected from a Blockbuster, at least it's "free." You might as well take the time to visit your library, that is something you're paying for anyway.

5) Buy A La Carte, or Buy Physical

Or at least price out this option. You may find that the amount of content you'd want to watch may not equal how much it would cost to just buy them as you want to watch them. Sure, some new release movies and TV shows may be $3.99 for a rental, and that sounds pricey, but Netflix costs some $13 a month. Some rentals may even be 99 cents, so you really have to see how much the content you want to watch costs. Or, visit your local brick-and-mortar stores to see what Redbox has to offer, or Target or Walmart's entertainment section has. Buying the DVD may be pricey, but if you really like the content, you'll get a ton of great special features, and the content doesn't expire like on Netflix: you keep your copy as long as your DVD survives.

The good news about the future of entertainment is we have a lot of choices in what we want to use to watch. It's always a good idea to be aware of what kinds of choices you have, and to understand that you may not even need to spend all that much. Just get yourself a TV antenna, and get used to a service like Pluto TV if you don't want a monthly fee. Or, there are plenty of cheap plans you can find. Or you may find that cable works for you. Do what you want, but understand that you have options.

#cable #comcast #cord cutting #disney #media #netflix #opinions #over the top #ott #philo #sling tv #pluto tv #sling #television #tv #viacom #viacomcbs #video

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creek-cryptid-deluxe · 4 years

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Now it's time for a new blog segment called...

•*¨*•.¸¸☆*･ﾟDr. Morrissey Movies I've Watched This Month + Reviews •*¨*•.¸¸☆*･ﾟ

° Little Women (2019) - now, we all know that despite being a hardcore bookworm i really don't like "classical literature". I find it difficult to read in that it doesn't hold my attention & seems to drag on F O R E V E R. BUT Little Women holds a special place in my heart. Back in the year 1996, when I was 11 & 6th grade was still in elementary school, my school had an accelerated reader program. If you are unfamiliar with the concept, certain books were included in the program & you'd read the book, take a quiz about it, & get however many points the book was worth. The higher the reading level of the book, the more points. Points were tracked on the cafeteria wall using a space theme, as you accumulated points, your spaceship moved through the solar system. Being the smug little shit I was, I was determined to be the only one to make it to Pluto. So I read EVERYTHING. The book worth the most was Little Women. So I checked it out, read it over the weekend, & came to return it. The librarian scoffed, vastly underestimating my love of books & the escape they provided me.

ANYWAY I actually enjoyed the book & the version of the movie from 1994. Now that you have 20 years of backstory, let's chat about this version. I actually enjoyed it more than the 1994 version. It was really beautifully done, however you should be warned that there is a lot of flashback scenes that aren't necessarily obviously flashbacks. But it was fantastic. I watched it three times in 2 days. (Currently available to rent on Amazon Prime)

° Velvet Goldmine (1998) - now this is an older flick, so I'm super late to the party on this, BUT I was only 12 when it came out & there's NO way my parents would have been down with that. It's a Bowie-esque musical set at the end of the 60s - start/mid 70s that follows the rise & fall of a glam rock musician named Brian Slade as told by his friends, lovers, & associates to a journalist who is doing a story on the 10th anniversary of Slade faking his death & vanishing. If you enjoy glam rock, gorgeous men in make up, & metallic sequined outfits, then this is the movie for you. It is definitely one of those few movies on my "buy this dvd" list. As a bonus, Brian Molko (gorgeous poster boy for androgy & lead vocalist for Placebo) is in it. (Currently available to rent on Amazon Prime)

° The Social Network (2010) - i never watched this because I genuinely had zero interest in it. It showed up on netflix, so I figured why not? Really it just showed me that Zuckerberg is even MORE of a jackass & piece of shit than I already thought. Like, holy shit. (Available on Netflix)

° Guns Akimbo (2019) - remember awhile back when some pictures circulated of Daniel Radcliffe (yes, Harry Potter) in a bathrobe & bear feet slippers holding guns? Those were stills from the filming of this movie. The premise is that there is an internet... game show, of sorts, where 2 contestants are pitted against each other in a battle to the death with free reign to use the entire city as well as any resources they can find. It's streamed live online via drones. Radcliffe gets ambushed by the game runners who knock him out & bolt a gun to each hand, then dump him back in his apartment with video instructions. It's a wild ride, lots of action, & the banter/lines are pretty hilarious. Well worth a watch, even if you aren't a huge action fan. (Available to rent on Amazon)

° Isn't it Romantic (2019) - the premise is that Rebel Wilson is a chick who HATES romantic comedies & all the tropes within. She gets knocked out during a mugging & wakes up in a romantic comedy. I honestly didn't even finish it. The premise could have been hilarious if they played it right, but they didn't. The only real upside was that you see Liam Hemsworth in a lot of suits & a towel. Meh. (Available on Hulu)

° Can't Hardly Wait (1998) - this is a classic from my middle school years, when I had a crush on Seth Green... a sentence which implies that I no longer harbor such a crush, which I see now is very misleading. At first glance this is another dumbass teen movie from that time period (see: She's All That, A Walk To Remember, ect) but it's actually a bit more off beat & satirical than that. Plus, there's no girl that changes her clothes & takes off her glasses & is suddenly hot, garnering the attention of the hunky star football player. It's still a solid movie. (Available on Netflix)

There you have it! Dr. Morrissey's movies this month & her opinions about them. I hope you enjoyed this ridiculous journey.

#covid 19 #coronavirus #coronapocalypse #ehlers danlos syndrome #chronically ill #chronic illness #movie #movie reaction

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cryptodictation · 4 years

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All new films and series in April

Like Netflix, Sky and Amazon, Disney + changes the offer from month to month, if not quite as strongly. But films disappear from the program and new ones are added. In the first month's preview since the start of Disney's streaming service last week, we are now seeing Disney + add more titles to its launch offer.

Disney + with Star Wars in April: new Mandalorian episodes

The Marvel and Star Wars worlds are filled out for now. Joined the MCU Ant Man and the Wasp the last film in the universe to offer. We have to wait longer for Star Wars 9 anyway. Star Wars fans can look forward to further episodes in April The Mandalorian rejoice: 4 episodes flow into the offer. (All broadcast dates of the Star Wars real series)

Pixar and the Disney real films are therefore responsible for the film highlights in April. The fourth part of the Toy Story series has so far been missing. Four days later is the Winnie the Pooh film Christopher Robin turn on. And yes, Edward with the scissor hands is also a Disney film.

All new Disney + films and series

3rd of April

The story of two animals Everything in a nutshell Donald's fountain of youth Donald's dog washing machine The dribble champion Of dragons How to play football Lambert, the fearful lion On ice Not to scale Penguins Pluto's party The boy who spoke to badgers The new neighbor TinkerBell – A summer full of adventure

Elephant Penguins: living at the limit – making-of + dolphins The fantastic world of dolphins – making-of

9th April

The Witch and the Wizard

10th of April

Puppy friends Tutankhamun's Treasures Edward with the scissor hands Night in the museum At night in the museum – the mysterious tomb COCO's music – more alive than life

11 April

A Toy Story: Everything doesn't stop at a command

April 15th

17th April

Greg's Diary – Surrounded by Idiots! From sticking together Pluto's purchase

April 23

Disney + podcast: is the streaming service worth it?

In the Moviepilot podcast Stream rush – also with Spotify – let’s check out the new Disney + streaming service for you:

How much does Disney + cost? Can I share the account? Which films and series are worthwhile away from the big Star Wars and Marvel Islands and what do we watch first? Andrea, Jenny and Hendrik answer all your questions.

What are you interested in from the Disney + offer?

The post All new films and series in April appeared first on Cryptodictation.

from WordPress https://cryptodictation.com/2020/03/30/all-new-films-and-series-in-april/

#Entertainment

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kristablogs · 4 years

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The best ways to legally stream movies and TV for free

Why pay for the cow when you can have the milk for free? (JESHOOTS.COM via Unsplash/)

When trusty ol’ streaming platforms start to feel a little stale, you don’t have to resort to binging Parks & Recreation for the fifth time (though it couldn’t hurt, honestly). If you’re stuck inside looking for things to watch, you might be surprised by how many free movies and shows are ripe for the picking on your TV.

Whether you’re using your TV’s built-in smart features or a standalone set-top box like the Roku or Apple TV, you’ll find a huge selection of channels that have some free content, even well-known names like NBC, Fox, and Adult Swim. Many of those are limited if you don’t have a cable subscription, but some, including those with lesser-known names, offer whole movies and TV seasons for no cost at all.

First, temper your expectations just a tad. These channels are free for a reason, so they won’t have tons of big-budget flicks or the latest releases. Mostly, you’ll find a lot of B-movies and classic sitcoms, with a few standouts from more recent years mixed in. There’s also a decent amount of crossover, and catalogues rotate periodically, just like Netflix. Depending on when you’re reading this, the titles below may no longer be available, but they will give you an idea of what the selection and experience looks like.

Crackle

Sony’s Crackle channel has quite a large selection for a free channel, with lots of genres to choose from. Whether you’re a horror fan, an action nut, or just looking for a comedy, you’ll probably find something here. You’ll find critically-acclaimed movies like Fury and The Social Network alongside older titles like the Ace Ventura series, Failure to Launch, Midnight in Paris, and (weirdly) some classic sequels like Airplane II, Naked Gun 33 ½, and some of the Star Trek movies. It also has lots of classic sitcoms, plus also a few recent shows that were decent but didn’t do well, like Marry Me and Mr. Sunshine. There are probably some great ones I didn’t get to see, though, because browsing the app on my Roku was a terrible experience—the platform has only one visible row and an auto-playing video in the background. But if you can put up with that, there’s definitely a lot to watch.

Vudu

There you go—now you're ready for movie night. (Javardh via Unsplash/)

Vudu is primarily a movie-and-TV-buying service, with rentals and purchases similar to iTunes or the Google Play store. It does, however, have a decent selection of free stuff you can watch with ads, from movies like the Lethal Weapon series, V for Vendetta, or—if you need something a bit more upbeat—Superbad and Happy Feet. It has a few TV shows, but its definite strength lies in feature-length films, so check it out if you’re looking for a way to kill a couple hours.

The Roku Channel

Roku has curated their own channel of free movies and TV, showcasing slightly older movies like Hook, The Karate Kid, and Rudy, alongside TV shows like Schitt’s Creek, Without a Trace, and a stable of classic sitcoms like Bewitched. There’s also a lot of reality TV. It’s primarily designed for Roku users (obviously), but it’s also on the web and mobile devices, so you can watch it through your Fire TV’s browser or through AirPlay on your Apple TV.

Tubi

Tubi is not a household name, but I found the app pleasant with a decent selection of usual classic titles, alongside moderately-recent movies like Minority Report, Black Hawk Down, and Michael Bay’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Unlike some of the other channels, though, it has a lot of specific, easily browsable categories like family movies, black cinema, and the cleverly-titled “Not on Netflix,” which makes it a bit easier to find something you’re bound to like.

Filmrise

"Ok, tell me the truth: Can you tell I spent the last two weeks watching '70s Batman?" (Eye for Ebony via Unsplash\/)

Filmrise is one of the few channels that keeps things simple: It’s a big list of movies in a basic interface that’s easy to browse and shares a lot of content with other free channels. I did find some fun titles like Lars and the Real Girl, Legally Blonde, The Illusionist, and Memento (one of my personal favorites). It has a few lesser-known TV shows as well, alongside a few bigger names like 3rd Rock from the Sun, Adam West’s Batman, and lots of Gordon Ramsay. You’ll find those elsewhere, too, but Filmrise has one section I didn’t see lots of other places: live concerts. So if you feel like watching a performance from the Rolling Stones, The Who, Stone Temple Pilots, or Dream Theater, Filmrise has a few to choose from.

Popcornflix

Similar to Filmrise, Popcornflix is a simple, browsable database of free movies and shows. You’ll find classics like Clue and the original Italian Job, modern comedies like Young Adult and She’s Out of My League (which I maintain is funnier than it gets credit for), and some action thrown in for good measure. There’s an awful lot of crossover with other free channels on this list, but it’s worth a peek anyway.

Pluto TV

Pluto TV is a bit different from your typical streaming channels. Instead of a selection of always-available movies and shows, Pluto TV is more like Live TV, with “channels” like BET, Comedy Central, Fox Sports, Spike, Westerns, and even a 007 channel playing classic Bond films 24/7. You can’t start a movie from the beginning, so you’ll have to do things the old-school way and watch what’s currently on. But I suppose it’s nice if you’re the kind of person that likes to flip around channels rather than deal with a single decision. You may also find this built-in to your TV as its own input: Samsung calls it TV Plus, and Vizio calls it WatchFree.

Crunchyroll

Side effects of watching too much Crunchyroll include: an unquenchable thirst to do cosplay, sparrow face, and captioning your Instagram photos with "uwu." (doil oh via Unsplash /)

If you’re an anime fan, you probably already know about Crunchyroll. If you aren’t an anime fan—or you were in the past but haven’t kept up—there’s plenty to (re)discover here. The selection of shows is huge, and most of them are available for free, with the main exception being the latest episodes of some newer titles. You’ll just have to put up with ads unless you pony up.

Plex

While Plex started out as a way for you to stream your own shows across your home network, the company has expanded into a ton of streaming content, including news, web series, movies and shows. It’s a similar type of selection you see with other services, with a few standout titles like Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (which is leaving in March) and Killing Them Softly, plus some good but lesser-known series like The Dresden Files. Browsing will be familiar to anyone with a Netflix account, and Plex does a good job of splitting its large library up into more specific categories for easy browsing. You do, however, need a free account to stream.

Hoopla

Hoopla isn’t available to everyone, instead partnering with some local libraries and schools across the country to provide streaming movies, shows, and audiobooks to their members. You’ll find a similar selection to the above streaming services, but it also has titles I didn’t see in many other channels, like What We Do in the Shadows (seriously, watch it) and Good Will Hunting. It also has a remarkably large selection of family-oriented stuff, from The Pokémon Movie to 13 Going On 30. You’ll need to create a free account, but as long as your local library is supported by Hoopla—you can check when you sign up—you’ll have a pretty big selection to choose from.

Sling TV

If you’ve cut cable TV out of your life, you probably know all about Sling, the pseudo-a-la-carte live TV replacement. But alongside its live channels, Sling has a selection of free streaming content that you can watch without an account. A lot of it is news-based, but you’ll also find a few shows like the 21 Jump Street TV series, Hell’s Kitchen, and Grounded for Life. Sling’s free selection is probably one of the weaker I’ve seen (as most of its notable shows are available on other channels), but it’s worth checking out as you browse.

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scootoaster · 4 years

Text

The best ways to legally stream movies and TV for free

Why pay for the cow when you can have the milk for free? (JESHOOTS.COM via Unsplash/)

Crackle

Vudu

There you go—now you're ready for movie night. (Javardh via Unsplash/)

The Roku Channel

Tubi

Filmrise

"Ok, tell me the truth: Can you tell I spent the last two weeks watching '70s Batman?" (Eye for Ebony via Unsplash\/)

Popcornflix

Pluto TV

Crunchyroll

Side effects of watching too much Crunchyroll include: an unquenchable thirst to do cosplay, sparrow face, and captioning your Instagram photos with "uwu." (doil oh via Unsplash /)

Plex

Hoopla

Sling TV

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preciousmetals0 · 4 years

Text

Will Netflix Bow to Baby Yoda?

Will Netflix Bow to Baby Yoda?:

All We Are Saying

Ev’rybody’s talking ’bout revolution, evolution, regulation, meditations, United Nations…

But all the Federal Reserve is saying is give quantitative easing (QE) a chance. Actually, the Fed isn’t saying that … directly, anyway. (Sorry for the poor lead-in, John.)

Today, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell held U.S. interest rates steady and promised to keep lending markets stable. Practically everyone on Wall Street expected this, and practically everyone is talking about steady interest rates.

However, what few are talking about is the fact that the Fed just flooded the repo market with $70.2 billion in temporary liquidity. This is at least the fourth time the overnight lending market (aka the repo market) has created enough of a stir to gain Great Stuff’s attention. And if it’s getting my attention, it should get yours.

The repo problem first reared its ugly head back in September, when the Fed dumped $128 billion into the repo market to stabilize liquidity for bank reserves. Wall Street brushed the occurrence off like it was no big deal.

But it happened again in October, prompting the Fed to establish a program to provide $60 billion in liquidity per month to address the problem.

And, as you already know, that $60 billion wasn’t enough. This time, the Fed needed to drop $70.2 billion in temporary lending funds into the market.

The problem here is that if the repo market dries up, there is no “lender of last resort” to financial institutions, hedge funds and, apparently, publicly traded real estate investment trusts (REITs).

But while REITs got a bad name following last month’s revelation on AGNC, a recent study by the Bank for International Settlements indicates that big banks and hedge funds are more to blame. With banks concentrating more of their holdings in U.S. Treasurys, it’s limited “their ability to supply funding at short notice in repo markets,” the report said.

The Takeaway:

The time for downplaying the repo market’s woes is gone. The Fed’s balance sheet has ballooned to $4.07 trillion from bailing out the repo market. That’s no small feat.

Something is seriously — possibly systemically — wrong with the financial markets right now … and the Fed is running around like a cartoon character on a sinking ship, plugging holes with its fingers.

What’s more, the problem isn’t limited to the U.S. Issues are now becoming apparent in Europe’s $9 trillion repo market.

Nobody likes the term quantitative easing (QE), but when the Fed dumps billions into the market to rescue financial firms, what else would you call it?

It’s time Wall Street and the Federal Reserve address the elephant in the room. Something is decidedly wrong. A large financial institution — maybe a large bank or hedge fund — or two (or three) is in trouble. Right now, we’re putting Band-Aids on the problem, hoping it’ll go away.

It won’t. There’s a reason why Credit Suisse believes that the Fed will need to launch a “QE4” to help shore up the repo market’s cash crunch. And the sooner we find out what that is and address it, the better.

The Good: The Wearables Wonder

I don’t get the wearables market. Specifically, things like Apple Inc.’s (Nasdaq: AAPL) AirPods and Apple Watch do nothing for me. I haven’t worn a watch since I got a smartphone, and I have a set of Bluetooth earbuds that I paid less than $30 for.

Clearly, I’m not Apple’s target market. But while I might be a curmudgeon when it comes to wearables, the market is reportedly huge. Both Bank of America and Evercore ISI lifted their price targets on AAPL shares today — BofA from $270 to $290 and Evercore to $305 from $275.

Both ratings firms cited strong demand for AirPods and the Apple Watch. Both cited strong margins on Apple’s wearables products, with favorable sales figures sure to come out of the holiday season. Both also noted low expectations for the iPhone 11, stating that the iPhone would outperform this year.

Personally, I’m more hyped about the growth in Apple’s services business … but not hyped enough to recommend buying the stock just yet.

The Bad: Down on the Depot

Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD) is holding its analyst day tomorrow, and the company decided to get out in front of the event to set expectations.

Unfortunately, there appears to be a bit of a disconnect between HD and analysts on this front.

Home Depot says it expects 2020 sales growth of 3.5% to 4%, same-store sales growth of 3.5% to 4% and operating margins of 14%.

Analysts, however, expect 2020 sales growth of 4.4% and same-store sales growth of 4.3%. Kind of a bummer, right?

Investors think so, and HD shares are down nearly 2% as a result. Home Depot will have some ’splaining to do at tomorrow’s event.

The Ugly: Nothing but Netflix No Longer

The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) launched Disney+ and is revamping Hulu. Viacom and CBS completed the merger to become, well, ViacomCBS Inc. (NYSE: CBS) and is backing Pluto TV hard. Even Apple’s Apple TV+ is gaining traction.

The streaming world just got a lot more complicated for Netflix Inc. (Nasdaq: NFLX). The OG content streamer is still king of the market, but everyone is gunning for the top. And they’re doing so with much lower prices than Netflix.

Because of this, Needham analyst Laura Martin downgraded NFLX to underperform this week. Martin believes that Netflix will lose 4 million U.S. subscribers in 2020 due to these lower-cost competitors. To offset the competition, Martin said that Netflix needs to launch a lower-cost subscription option and consider supporting this tier with ads.

The lower-cost plan isn’t a bad idea, but ad support will turn many subscribers off. I know that I cut the cord to both lower my costs and get rid of ads. I pay for the higher-tier Hulu plan just to avoid ads.

I still remember that time long, long ago when there were no ads on cable TV. (Anyone else remember that?) I hated when they started appearing on cable. I paid for the service, not for the ads. It’s the same with streaming. Start putting ads in my streaming, and I’ll find somewhere else to spend my money … or go the free route with Pluto TV. (Seriously, ViacomCBS is onto something big here.)

That said, if Netflix does lose 4 million customers next year, it may have no other choice but to follow Martin’s suggestions.

There’s so much Great Stuff out there today that we’re giving you a two-for-one deal on funny today. (This is getting out of hand; now there are two of them!)

Aah … a throwback to the infamous “people familiar with the matter.”

Umm … thanks, SEC? I don’t know if it’s funnier that the SEC tweeted this or that it really should be taken as serious advice.

Great Stuff: Help Your Friends Make Billions!

Are you hoarding all this Great Stuff for yourself?

I don’t blame you. If I had a financial e-zine with a trading chart that could help me make billions, I’d keep it quiet too.

But no … no! Shame on you for not sharing!

Where’s your holiday spirit?

Sharing is caring, and Great Stuff cares.

So, if you have a friend who still gets their daily financial news in that dry, Waspy old format from the major financial publications, forward them today’s copy of Great Stuff.

Liven up their day. Help them make billions too!

They’ll thank you for it.

Finally, don’t forget to like and follow Great Stuff on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!

Until next time, good trading!

Regards,

Joseph Hargett

Great Stuff Managing Editor, Banyan Hill Publishing

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ecoamerica · 25 days

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youtube

Watch the American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 now: https://youtu.be/bWiW4Rp8vF0?feature=shared

The American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 broadcast recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by active climate leaders. Watch to find out which finalist received the $50,000 grand prize! Hosted by Vanessa Hauc and featuring Bill McKibben and Katharine Hayhoe!

7K notes · View notes

goldira01 · 4 years

Link

All We Are Saying

Ev’rybody’s talking ’bout revolution, evolution, regulation, meditations, United Nations…

But all the Federal Reserve is saying is give quantitative easing (QE) a chance. Actually, the Fed isn’t saying that … directly, anyway. (Sorry for the poor lead-in, John.)

But it happened again in October, prompting the Fed to establish a program to provide $60 billion in liquidity per month to address the problem.

And, as you already know, that $60 billion wasn’t enough. This time, the Fed needed to drop $70.2 billion in temporary lending funds into the market.

The Takeaway:

The time for downplaying the repo market’s woes is gone. The Fed’s balance sheet has ballooned to $4.07 trillion from bailing out the repo market. That’s no small feat.

What’s more, the problem isn’t limited to the U.S. Issues are now becoming apparent in Europe’s $9 trillion repo market.

Nobody likes the term quantitative easing (QE), but when the Fed dumps billions into the market to rescue financial firms, what else would you call it?

It won’t. There��s a reason why Credit Suisse believes that the Fed will need to launch a “QE4” to help shore up the repo market’s cash crunch. And the sooner we find out what that is and address it, the better.

The Good: The Wearables Wonder

Personally, I’m more hyped about the growth in Apple’s services business … but not hyped enough to recommend buying the stock just yet.

The Bad: Down on the Depot

Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD) is holding its analyst day tomorrow, and the company decided to get out in front of the event to set expectations.

Unfortunately, there appears to be a bit of a disconnect between HD and analysts on this front.

Home Depot says it expects 2020 sales growth of 3.5% to 4%, same-store sales growth of 3.5% to 4% and operating margins of 14%.

Analysts, however, expect 2020 sales growth of 4.4% and same-store sales growth of 4.3%. Kind of a bummer, right?

Investors think so, and HD shares are down nearly 2% as a result. Home Depot will have some ’splaining to do at tomorrow’s event.

The Ugly: Nothing but Netflix No Longer

That said, if Netflix does lose 4 million customers next year, it may have no other choice but to follow Martin’s suggestions.

There’s so much Great Stuff out there today that we’re giving you a two-for-one deal on funny today. (This is getting out of hand; now there are two of them!)

Aah … a throwback to the infamous “people familiar with the matter.”

Umm … thanks, SEC? I don’t know if it’s funnier that the SEC tweeted this or that it really should be taken as serious advice.

Great Stuff: Help Your Friends Make Billions!

Are you hoarding all this Great Stuff for yourself?

I don’t blame you. If I had a financial e-zine with a trading chart that could help me make billions, I’d keep it quiet too.

But no … no! Shame on you for not sharing!

Where’s your holiday spirit?

Sharing is caring, and Great Stuff cares.

So, if you have a friend who still gets their daily financial news in that dry, Waspy old format from the major financial publications, forward them today’s copy of Great Stuff.

Liven up their day. Help them make billions too!

They’ll thank you for it.

Finally, don’t forget to like and follow Great Stuff on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!

Until next time, good trading!

Regards,

Joseph Hargett

Great Stuff Managing Editor, Banyan Hill Publishing

#Timor Invest

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ramialkarmi · 6 years

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Inside Roku's battle to control the future of TV advertising — and why it better watch out for Amazon (ROKU, AMZN)

Roku's future is in advertising, and it wants to own as much of the connected TV ad ecosystem as possible.

That's leading Roku to throw its weight around with publishers and advertisers – borrowing tactics from the "walled garden" playbooks of Google and Facebook.

The streaming TV company has a strong position. But Amazon is gaining steam with Fire TV and could build an equally powerful 'OTT' ad infrastructure.

Roku has made it very clear of late. The company best know for selling inexpensive hardware to help cord-cutters stream video on their TVs sees its future as an advertising company.

And to secure that future, Roku is playing hardball with partners and advertisers, say people who work directly with the company.

Specifically, it wants to control as much of the advertising infrastructure on its devices (and smart TVs that employ its software) as possible, including the data used to target people with ads as well as the data derived from individual apps.

Roku would also like to sell as much ad inventory on Roku apps as it can.

And generally speaking, Roku would like ads and apps and tracking mechanisms to be built using Roku's proprietary technology. In other words, they want things to work their way.

Over the past few months, Roku has gotten more demanding with some partners, people familiar with the matter say. This aggressive elbow-throwing is rubbing some the wrong way, as it smacks of classic "walled garden" behavior, the kind of "it's our platform/our data/our rules" muscling that Facebook and Google are known for.

Roku is a crucial player in the very nascent 'OTT' ("over the top") ad space, but it's hardly got the clout Facebook or Google have in digital advertising. In fact, Amazon is coming on strong in this market, as sales of its Fire TV product surge.

Still, Roku is seen as having a huge early lead in OTT ads. And for now, that means it can throw its weight around.

"They are the biggest player in the space," said Jason Burke, VP of strategic development at Clypd, an ad tech firm that work with big TV networks. "So they can somewhat get away with having equal or higher walls than those other guys."

The stakes are huge. As Google has demonstrated, the company that controls how ads are delivered, tracked, targeted and sold can play a massive, if not dominant role in how a market evolves.

Whoever can do that in connected TV would seemingly have a massive opportunity.

Connected TV is seen as the holy grail of advertising

While linear TV viewing continues to slide, causing advertisers to pull back on traditional TV ad spending, 'OTT' is seen as holding huge potential for the ad business.

True, loads of people use Rokus and Apple TVs and Amazon Fires to stream non ad supported content from the likes of Netflix, Amazon and HBO. But ad-supported OTT is growing fast. as more people stream sports on apps for networks like ESPN or NBC or binge scripted shows on apps for networks like AMC or FX.

The video ad tech firm Innovid says that this past May was the first time it tracked more ads delivered on TVs than on desktops. Of all the video ad inventory Innovid sees, 27% of it is being delivered on smart TVs, up from roughly 10% 18 months ago.

The great promise of 'OTT' ads is that they theoretically combine the best of TV and digital media. That is, these ads appear on big TV screens in the living room, offering advertisers large canvas and sight, sound and motion to get their messages across.

And because they're delivered over the internet, OTT ads can theoretically use data and targeting to deliver individualized messages to consumers.

The industry is a long way from fully supporting that reality, but the growth is promising.

According to eMarketer, TV ad spending in the US is expected to slip by 0.5% to $69.87 billion this year.

Meanwhile, OTT spending is on the rise. Roku’s US ad revenue is projected to jump by 93% this year to $293 million, per eMarketer. Again, relatively small, but growing fast.

It helps that Roku, thanks to its 20 million-plus users, has a commanding share of the ads delivered, according to the analytics firm Pixalate.

The Roku Advertising Framework

In many ways, Roku is a device company that is also an ad tech company. It has built a proprietary platform, the Roku Advertising Framework, designed to help publishers make money and advertisers to reach OTT viewers effectively.

As part of that framework, Roku sells ads for many of the publishers on its platform. In fact, in its most recent earnings report, Roku's 'platform' business accounted for 55% of its revenue.

In some cases, Roku insists on selling 30% of a publishers ad inventory for an app if they want to be distributed on Roku devices. There's even talk in the industry that Roku may look to charge smaller publishers for distribution. Roku declined to comment on that point.

Not every publisher agrees to this type of arrangement. Hulu, for example, doesn't let Roku sell any of its ad inventory. But many others, like Pluto TV, Tubi TV, and Crackle do.

Plus, Roku has its own channels that carry ads.

And in recent months, Roku has pushed for more concessions from its publishers, while also not keeping them in the loop on changes, say partners.

"They have a tendency to own as much as they can," said one app executive. "Partners do not like working with them. They do try to strong arm. And they are very important."

Maybe that's just good business, others argue.

"Roku has built the only good ecosystem in the connected TV space," said Tal Chalozin, CTO and cofounder at Innovid. "They've enabled monetization and have done an amazing job. So they deserve a lot of credit. And they charge a nice fee for it."

Roku bills itself as publisher friendly

Scott Rosenberg, Roku's SVP, Advertising, said that Roku has worked hard to build an ad ecosystem that works well for publishers. He pointed to the company's work with Nielsen and other third party researchers as evidence that Roku tries to deliver on its partners' needs.

"Contrary to a lot of platforms, we are very invested in making sure that our pubs are successful," he said. "That’s a differentiator. A lot of other platforms don't offer marketing tools to help them grow their audience, for example."

To be sure, there are media companies that are very pleased with their Roku distribution.

"I think we’re really progressive,"Rosenberg said.

Who's data is it anyway?

Consumer data – whether it's who people are, what they do on the web, their age, sex, location, shopping preferences – is the lifeblood of digital advertising. It's what makes Google (who knows what you search for) and Facebook (who knows what you like) so powerful.

So whichever company controls the data that is used to target and track what goes on in OTT should have huge clout.

Roku would like it to be Roku.

"They have to win this battle," said a top ad buyer. "If they can force the ad community to rely on their identifier, they can make money on every single ad on the platform."

Specifically, Roku wants publishers and advertisers using its anonymous device ID rather than other sources. And every time a person visits an app, a different device ID is generated. So marrying up data across apps is difficult, as is connecting the dots with what consumers do on other platforms.

For publishers, this means that Roku often knows more about how people consumer their content than they do.

For apps like Hulu, or NBC Sports, users likely og in to use these apps. So these companies are able to collect decent viewership data. But for many other publishers, they're relying on Roku's permission to extract data on viewing patterns or audience makeup. Some say you can pay to get access to more data.

That's led to tensions on some fronts.

"What this potentially does is it ties an arm behind the media seller's back," said one ad sales executive.

"There attitude is, 'if you don’t like it you’re off the platform,' said one media CEO. "A lot of people don’t like them."

Besides battles over ad sales control, some larger media companies wonder whether Roku appreciates the role that media companies play in its success. "We're helping them sell a number of devices," said one media executive. Yet with these tech companies, "there's constant disregard for the value of IP."

Identity is the key to Roku's future

Advertisers want to be able to use all sorts of data, including their own customer files, to target people with ads. For instance, a bank might want to run certain ads at people that are already customers and different ads aimed at prospective customers.

These kinds of brands also want to evaluate ad campaigns across channels, so they know how many people they reach on TV, the web, and other channels, and how often they reach the people they are trying to target.

Ad buyers say Roku doesn't make that easy. "Looking holistically across ad campaigns is a huge challenge in this space," said one ad buyer. "They've never been willing to help."

And some contend that Roku may hide behind user privacy concerns in keeping some advertiser' data needs at bay.

"What we've seen lately is that Cambridge Analytica plus GDPR is giving big powerful places the license to be walled gardens," said Tracey Scheppach, CEO of Matter More Media, which specializes in targeted TV ads.

A walled garden stance may limit Roku's growth over time.

"I applaud Roku, they've put a lot of effort into building an ad platform," said Michael Bologna, President of one2one Media, which specializes in advanced TV advertising. "Siloed single approaches only last so long and go so far."

Roku for its part doesn't agree that its been difficult to work with when it comes to data or targeting. Rosenberg said the company has demonstrated a willingness's to integrate with outside research firms and ad tech purveyors to help brands reach the targets they want.

At the same time, Roku won't compromise on its customer relationships.

"This is about honoring a customer," Rosenberg said. "Our data never leaves our house. We’re very, very protective of it. We dont want to sidestep user preferences. That's our guiding light, that the consumer is in control."

"One of the most basic challenges marketers face in an increasingly fragmented market [is reconciling data across devices]," he said. "It's a hard problem, and we don’t have a short answer for it."

Amazon is coming

Roku's position may just be really good business. The company sees an asset it uniquely controls, and it's looking to make the most out of that advantage. Again, much like Google and Facebook do.

The difference here is that Facebook and Google's market shares are much more defensible. Roku's growth has been a terrific story. But Amazon's Fire TV product is stealing share fast.

And while ad buyers say that Amazon's TV ad business has been nascent, the company is working on its own OTT ad network, say people familiar with the matter.

As its demonstrated in the past, once Amazon gets serious about something (like say, digital advertising), watch out.

"The picture is changing so fast due to Amazon," said one digital publisher. "Roku is under huge pressure."

What's next for Roku?

Roku's ride as a public company has been up and down. The company's recent embrace of advertising seemed to please Wall Street. Yet continuing its growth won't be easy, as Amazon and other contenders like Samsung push for market share.

Meanwhile, when it comes to OTT advertising, the industry's two dominant players won't stand pat. Could Google or Facebook ever make a play to acquire Roku?

It's purely speculative in this case, but buying Roku might be an easy entry point into the nearly $70 billion TV ad market – a market both companies crave cracking.

"Roku has ad tech and ID, but it also has relationships with TV networks that Google, Facebook and Amazon don't have," said Clypd's Burke. "A buyer would inherit that."

The fact that Roku is public complicates matters. And in Google's case, it already does manufacture an OTT device in Chromecast.

Some don't see Roku having any interest in selling. Others see Facebook as a natural acquirer, given its interest in TV ads and the fact that it doesn't make any OTT hardware.

"They could overnight put Facebook Watch on every Roku TV," said Bologna.

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