#disney+ max bundle

[marvelsmostwanted]

This is sad but unfortunately I think this is just going to be the norm for the next few years as streaming services die a slow death.

HBO Max should in theory be able to make money from a show that was at one point the top new series in the US. At the time, David Jenkins said "This is what happens when a major media company invests in inclusive mainstream stories" (agree!) but unfortunately that major media company, like all streaming services, has a terrible business model that can't support that investment.

This is an interesting article about how streaming services are losing money and scrambling to make it back by trying to convince people to buy cheaper, ad-supported options or bundling with other streaming services. Unfortunately for them, I think that's like... all of the options? At some point they're just going to continue to lose money. Making shows is expensive and very few consumers are willing to pay more when they could just cancel and use a cheaper service (or, you know. 🏴‍☠️)

This is also a good article that was written after Shadow and Bone was cancelled by Netflix about whether it could be saved:

"The problem is that while saving shows used to be plausible, at times, the cost of Shadow and Bone combined with the fact that streaming services are really, really starting to cut back on spending means that this would be an extremely tough sell. WB Discovery’s Max is being lambasted for killing finished projects for tax breaks to chip into its massive debt. Disney Plus has done the same thing and has said they will cut back on things like expensive Marvel shows. Amazon Prime is mired in expensive creator deals going nowhere and throwing insane amounts of money at projects they are realizing are not panning out. Paramount Plus losing $500 million a year. NBC’s Peacock is losing $650 million a quarter."

TLDR; Streaming services have reached such a dire point financially that they have to cancel some of their most popular content (Marvel shows on Disney+???? These have seemingly been very successful; it's wild to read that they're "cutting back") in the desperate hope that a new season of something that's cheaper to make will get more attention.

What I gathered from these articles is that steaming services are dying a slow death and sadly, a lot of good shows are going to go with them.

[striders]

yeah the new disney+/hulu/max bundle thing is a bullshit reinvention of the cable wheel but its also like… almost definitely a death knell before disney absorbs WB, right? like that’s not a crazy thing to anticipate at this point, i don’t think.

[magicalrocketships]

Hmmmm, remember those 1200 words of de-aged Max that I absolutely wasn't going to write any more of, and then I wrote 1000+ words of de-aged Daniel in the same verse but I was absolutely not going to write more?

Well, anyway, here are 1500 words of de-aged Max in the same universe:

A tiny Max Verstappen is a bit of a shock to the system.

There is none of the blunt confidence and fierce determination that Daniel had just assumed had always been there to some extent or other. Instead, baby Max shrinks away from him into the corner of the sofa and offers one word answers at best ("How old are you, Maxy-Max?" Seven. "What would you like to eat?" Shrug).

It is even worse when baby Max hands him a little creased card, obviously pulled from the pocket of a wallet, which says in grown up Max's careful handwriting, if you go small then Daniel will look after you, followed by Daniel's address and phone number. The phone's been crossed out and updated as Daniel's changed his number. On the other side is presumably the same message but in Dutch. Little Max blinks up at him and chews on his lip and offers him absolutely no explanation for why his grown up self never actually mentioned his Go Small plans out loud. Sure, Daniel's offered, and he doesn't mind, but that was years ago and an actual heads-up that he's the only name on the list might have been nice.

But Daniel smiles at baby Max even though he's not entirely sure what the fuck is going on. He puts the TV on and chooses the first suitable-for-kids thing he finds on Disney+ (Bluey, which may or may not be too young for Max, Daniel doesn't know, but it's fine for now) before going to root in the cupboards by the bathroom to see if he can find a dusty Go Small kit that he's pretty sure he never got rid of. He might have had his turn going small (from what he remembers of it, a pretty cool day hanging out in the paddock in Malaysia) but it's not unheard of to go small twice, and you never know when you might need it for someone else - case in point.

He comes back to find Max in the same position he left him in, drowning in clothes far too big for him and being far too quiet for Daniel's liking.

Getting Max out of his grown up clothes and into the Go Small kit is an exercise in frustration, because Max doesn't want to wear them and won't capitulate and at least he's just as stubborn as ever even if he's so shy and uncertain that Daniel just wants to bundle him up into a blanket and give him a hug, except Max very clearly does not want one.

If Max is still little in the morning then he'll have to figure out another outfit, but as it is, it's evening and time for small people to be in bed, but first— food. Daniel cycles through his fridge and then his freezer. Max's response to literally everything offered is a little shake of his head. In the end Daniel makes him a piece of toast and puts a smiley face on it in jam, sits it next to a bowl of cereal and a bottle of milk, and puts some sweets next to that.

Max eats some of the dry cereal, half of a piece of toast, and — without taking his eyes off Daniel, which is only slightly creepy — slides one of the sweets off the table and into his lap.

"Okay," Daniel says, with a smile. "That wasn't so hard, was it? You ready to go to bed now?" With any luck, in the morning, Max will be big again and then Daniel can have some words about preparation and likes and dislikes and planning. Then— "Tomato soup. You like tomato soup."

Max looks at him with bright eyes.

"Is that a yes?"

Max gives him a little nod.

"Perfect, great. That's what we'll get you tomorrow. Tomato soup. Lots of it."

Max follows him into his spare bedroom like a silent shadow.

This is fine. Daniel is fine. Max is fine. Everything is fine.

&&&

Daniel wakes up to someone moving around his apartment.

It takes him a moment to think: Max, and another moment to blink away sleep and realise it's still the middle of the night. He rubs at his eyes and goes to investigate, stumbling into his spare bedroom and finding the doona on the floor and the sheets missing from the bed.

He discovers baby Max by the washing machine, his sheets on the floor, an extremely tell-tale wet patch on the front of Max's shorts, and Max trying and failing to get the washing machine door open.

Max shrinks into the wall.

Daniel very, very deliberately drops his shoulders. "Hello, Maxy-Max," he says softly. Max's eyes are wet. "Did you have an accident?"

"I didn't mean to," Max says very quickly.

"I know," Daniel says. "It's okay. That's why they're called accidents. Shall we go get you cleaned up?"

Max glances at the washing machine and back up at Daniel. He chews on his lip. He's been crying.

"It doesn't matter," Daniel says. "It's okay. You're still a good boy."

Max shakes his head. Daniel decides to have an internal meltdown about this another day, and channels his best and most organised self instead.

"What's going to happen," Daniel says, "is we're going to go and give you a little bath, and then we're going to get you all clean and dry, then me and you can have a warm drink and a story, then we'll get you back into bed and back to sleep, okay?"

Max glances down at the wet sheets.

"And in the middle of that, I'm going to put new sheets on your bed, and in the morning I'll look after the laundry. Washing machines are for big Daniels and not for little Maxes."

Max looks up at him, blinking.

"That's right," Daniel says, and he holds out his hand. "Good boys like little Max don't have to worry about things like washing machines."

Max stares at Daniel's hand for the longest time before, finally, slipping his hand into Daniel's.

Okay, Daniel thinks, only semi-hysterically, this is fine.

&&&

Daniel doesn't have another Go Small kit lying about, so he picks one of his t-shirts for Max to wear like a nightie after his bath. Max perches on the chair in the spare bedroom with a cup of warm milk as Daniel surreptitiously Googles "how to clean up a wet bed" and, realising he doesn't have the baking soda the first three webpages recommend, settles for giving it a quick spray with some Febreze and covering the mattress with a fresh towel. Going small rarely lasts longer than 2-3 days, so at the end of it he can always just chuck the mattress and get a new one if he's fucked it up. Then he puts fresh sheets on the bed, gets Max settled under the covers, and tries to figure out what the fuck story Max is going to want to hear from his vast collection of zero.

He remembers— he remembers something about Max having a flag poster on his wall.

"Do you like flags, Max?"

Max's eyes light up.

He falls asleep curled into Daniel's side, half way through Daniel reading him a list of facts about the Australian flag from a kid's geography site. Then after gently removing himself from Max's side, Daniel goes back into his bedroom, stares hopelessly at his own bed for the longest moment, and then Googles Go Small specialists in the local area.

There's no real build up to going small. Nobody knows when it's going to happen to them, nobody knows what age they're going to be when it happens, or what season it's going to happen in. Which means there's a very lucrative business market in being able to provide 48 hours' worth of clothes, entertainment, and supplies at incredibly short notice. In somewhere like Monaco, where there are people with money to burn, they offer a 24 hour service.

Daniel orders a 48 hour kit, requests a bed-wetting supplies add-on, and books an at-home shoe fitting for first thing in the morning. He makes a special groceries request for cans of tomato soup. Even if Max is back to his normal age in the morning, Daniel can donate the supplies away. It'll help someone, even if it doesn't help Max.

He thinks about Max's small, tentative hand in his, his silent shadow, and the way his eyes lit up at Daniel offering him flag facts. Daniel reaches for his phone again, and special orders a kids' book about flags for delivery in the morning.

With half an ear and eye open in case Max wakes up again, he tries to go the fuck to sleep.

&&&

In the morning, when he wakes up, Max is still seven and Daniel is still way, way out of his depth.

Shit.

---

Thank you to Lena @stolemyhheart and Em @powerful-owl for reading this over!

There is now more of this posted here.

[ralfmaximus]

Could streaming go the way of all-in-one platforms like Spotify? According to former WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar, that model could replace the streaming bundle deals that are suddenly chic. Comcast announced bundles of Peacock, Netflix, and Apple TV+ for a flat rate (in this case, $15 a month), while Disney has Disney+, Hulu, and Max combinations.

Oh boy, yet another streaming service to compete with the others we already hate. Will it have ads? I bet it'll have ads.

Also: Spotify sucks. There, I said it. They're the worst possible model for paying artists (tl;dr they don't) and citing them as an example to emulate tells you everything this guy's thinking.

[brainwormcity]

Yes, I would love to financially contribute financially to my favorite actors' shows but streaming services are making it a fucking nightmare. Amazon prime for Good Omens and Broadchurch, Showtime for Masters of Sex, Disney plus and Max for Doctor Who and Prodigal Son, Britbox for Staged, Netflix for Inside Man, etc, etc, etc. I love them but I am so poor. 😭 Just fucking bundle or something. When did this become like cable again?

[trendfilmsetter]

Disney and Warner set to create a new combined streaming platform bundle combining Disney+, Max and Hulu.

Set to release this summer.

[lol-jackles]

You called it!

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/the-bundle-is-back-why-netflix-max-disney-and-others-are-teaming-up-103045424.html

Link.

Yup, the more things change the more they stay the same. We are going from 50 streaming services back to the 5 big networks 5 big streaming services and pricing themselves into cable prices, meanwhile some ~genius is going to reinvent cable because people don't get live sport with streaming services.

I’m old enough to remember when commercial-free cable was supposed to kill broadcast but became the thing they were supposed to kill. Another thing steaming as in common with cable is they both pay lower salaries to actors than broadcast shows.  

It's like the companies are regifting this holiday season lol

[kevin33james-blog]

TV Guide EPG XML: Top Sources to Access

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Hulu

Description: Hulu is a comprehensive streaming service offering on-demand and live TV options with a diverse content library.

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Unique Features: Personalized profiles, live TV guide, and exclusive access to live sports and news.

Disney+

Description: Disney+ is the ultimate destination for Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic content with an emphasis on family-friendly entertainment.

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Amazon Prime Video

Description: Amazon Prime Video offers a vast library of movies, TV shows, and Amazon Originals with additional benefits for Amazon Prime members.

Supported Devices: Seamlessly integrates with iPhones, iPads, and Apple TV for a unified streaming experience.

Content Library: Diverse range of movies, TV shows, and exclusive Amazon Prime Originals across various genres.

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HBO Max

Description: HBO Max offers premium entertainment with a focus on HBO, Warner Bros., DC, and Cartoon Network content, including exclusive movie premieres.

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[klapollo]

max is bundled with disney+ and hulu now????? i cant keep up with these corporate hydras anymore

[dualredundancy]

[lazywolfwiccan]

My mom: Changes my Disney + bundle without my permission

Me: Cancels Max and Paramount+ because she touched my shit (to save money) WHEN IT'S MINE AND I GOT FUCKING PAID!

@atiny-angel @swifteforeverandalways @wendysbrassknuckles @axelwolf8109

[shut-up-and-eat-your-salad]

We saw that they were doing a bundle where you could get Max, Hulu, and Disney together for a pretty good discount so we figured what the heck and I’m so glad to have Max back especially bc I love watching Good Eats and Unwrapped, it reminds me of being a kid and staying at my grandparents house

[endlessvoidsnkittens]

I started watching Our Flag Means Death because we (my family) upgraded to the Hulu / Disney + / Max bundle. I totally forgot about that being on Max so I was very excited. I know it got canceled and only has two seasons but I still wanted to see it. That helped calm the brain weasels a little.

I need to go clean the litterbox now, but meh. Lol. Who wants to do that? But Bub will get salty with me if I don't. So I shall.

I feel like I should be doing SOMETHING anyway. Since I just sat still for two episodes.

[oonajaeadira]

Hi Adira!!! I hope you're doing well <3 <3 If you're still doing the Pedro asks, how about 7, 8, & 14??

Oh my balls, friend, this was buried in my inbox. I'm so so sorry!

If you could travel anywhere in the world with any Pedro character, who would be your companion and where would you go?

I could sit here all night and whittle this down to just one....or I could list my favorite boys and where I'd go with them. (This is assuming they are all contemporary-day and Earth-dwelling.)

Dieter: Start in Amsterdam and then museum tour of Europe--his choice.

Din: Thai meditation retreat.

Ezra: Iceland. He'd love that place.

Frankie: camping in Grand Teton.

Jack: I would actually like him to choose and surprise me; he'd be sure to choose something good. Bonus points if he flies us there himself.

Javi: Globe-hopping every Disney resort.

Javier: I actually think I might like to visit Hawai'i with him. Damn he'd be glorious in a speedo. Or a lei.

Joel: Open road trip in a camper van.

Max: Halloween in New Orleans.

Oberyn: Again, I'd let him choose. I know what he'd want to try or introduce me to, and he'd already know the best place to go.

PATS: Triple-jump London/Paris/Rome in late fall-early winter. Lightly bundled in jackets and scarves. Light snow. Warm baths.

Pero: Southern Spain and Morocco.

The Thief: St. Petersburg, specifically The Hermitage Museum. With the stipulation that he keeps his sticky fingers in his pockets (he won't).

Tim Rockford: Really anywhere. Getting him to take a vacation would be the hard part. I headcanon that he might take an interest in antiquities, like Egypt or Croatia or the Agean costal countries.

.

Be flirted with by Agent Whiskey or Javier Peña?

Jack, hands down. Because he's corny and fun and I could flirt back knowing it was a good time. Javier is...a lot more subtle and soulful...and I could fall in love too easy. Without knowing his true intentions, that's an easy recipe for a broken heart.

.

If you could only ever read or write fics for one Pedro character who would it be?

Disclaimer: this answer will change by the day/hour/mood.

If someone put a gun to my head right now, I would probably choose Ezra. What I love so much about Ezra in this fandom is that his fics run the gamut and they all feel very very plausible. We only get to see canon Ezra for a short period of his life, and under very very stressful circumstances. We all know that he’s doing what he has to to survive and that would bring out extreme decisions and personality from any of us. We never get to see what he’s like in his everyday life and therefore there are so many possibilities. I very much believe he could be the soft husband. But I also believe he could be the naughty spitter with a love of piss-play. There are some characters where I have a really strong aversion to the fic when I think the boy is being portrayed wildly out of character. But truly, I’ve yet to have this reaction to any Ezra fic. He has the ability to surprise.

And I love writing him. I love writing him so so much. As long as it’s been since I have and as much as I love playing and experimenting with the other boys, if I had to only pick one to put in situations for the rest of my life, it’s him.

.

Pedro asks