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clrmoney
clrmoney
2/16/2017 10:46:34 AM
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Platinum
Discovery downsizing is okay
This may be a good idea for Discovery whn they have so many connected businesses that they may need to have some balance in the long run for them.

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dcawrey
dcawrey
2/16/2017 12:12:11 PM
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Platinum
Re: Discovery downsizing is okay
There are a lot of people who like the true crime stuff on Investigation Discovery. It's actually pretty good binge watching. I'm not surprised Discovery is doing well with this; for $4 a month it's a really cheap entertainment option. 

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Adi
Adi
2/16/2017 1:00:46 PM
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Re: Discovery downsizing is okay
dcawrey - I do think that is the key. Finding niches that appeal to a large, ideally disaggregated group of afficionados and pulling together a content package for them -- that's what OTT is ideal for. And because you can reach a global audience via the Internet, the economics can work even if they didn't for a linear channel. 

For example, Korean drama is really taking off -- it's not anywhere near Hollywood in terms of appeal or revenue -- but among Asian audiences, it's really become a thing. And that's down to OTT.

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afwriter
afwriter
2/18/2017 11:29:42 AM
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Platinum
Re: Discovery downsizing is okay
Netflix is a great example of the Korean Drama, it is all over the place on there.

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dcawrey
dcawrey
2/18/2017 4:26:03 PM
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Platinum
Re: Discovery downsizing is okay
@Adi 60 minutes is giving access to new episodes and its entire content library for $.99 a month. I think it's a great deal. 

What other documentary-style content creators are doing something similar? I'd like to know because I like that kind of content. 

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mpouraryan
mpouraryan
2/17/2017 12:37:22 AM
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Platinum
Re: Discovery downsizing is okay
Discovery has always been a trailblazer--no doubt.   What I do wonder is whether as I read through this discourse whether this is sustainable in the long-term.    

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Joe Stanganelli
Joe Stanganelli
2/18/2017 1:56:12 PM
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Re: Discovery downsizing is okay
@mpouraryan: In 2013, there was a South Park episode (that I will decline to name here, except to say it's the 2nd episode of the 17th season) that did an excellent job analyzing and explaining, IMHO, just why those "Investigation Discovery" shows are so popular. 

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mpouraryan
mpouraryan
2/18/2017 5:42:17 PM
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Platinum
Re: Discovery downsizing is okay
What you underscore, in my view, does reflect how Discovery has endured in the rough and tumble environment it has had to deal with.    Having choice is at the heart it--remaining optimistic it does not dissipate.

 

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dcawrey
dcawrey
2/19/2017 2:12:18 PM
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Platinum
Re: Discovery downsizing is okay
@mpouraryan I think what's great about their content is the fact that it is really recession-proof. It doesn't matter what the political or economic environment is like.

People are going to watch Discovery no matter what. 

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mpouraryan
mpouraryan
2/19/2017 2:38:02 PM
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Platinum
Re: Discovery downsizing is okay
It is indeed a key to their enduring view--I would also classify Disney as such as well--despite their recent struggles at ESPN we've deliberated here in TT.

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elizabethv
elizabethv
2/21/2017 5:16:57 AM
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Platinum
Re: Discovery downsizing is okay
@mpouraryan - I would think it would be sustainable. Their content has always been pretty sustainable. And at only $4 a month, most people can afford to have at least one subscription, if not multiple. Really, the payoff for them seems obvious and almost should have been from the beginning. I think other companies that have a similar content variation can likely take the same idea. Even Disney could think about doing something along those lines, specifically a Disney Jr. channel, etc. My biggest warning thought is eventually OTT services will nickel and dime consummers to the point where it might start driving them back to cable. 

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mpouraryan
mpouraryan
2/21/2017 11:25:59 AM
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Platinum
Re: Discovery downsizing is okay
I would humbly suggest that the era of "Big cable" is over.     It is fun to be witness to such change, though, isn't it?   

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elizabethv
elizabethv
2/25/2017 5:35:50 PM
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Platinum
Re: Discovery downsizing is okay
@mpouraryan - I actually saw an article the other day, I believe on MSNBC, that talked about "big cable" being given their marching orders. I tried to find the article again but was completely unable to. It's interesting that there is so much prediction for the death of "big cable" and yet the stats we see on this site are that it isn't truly struggling as much as some people probably wish it was. I do think it will fade away at some point, but likely not completely disappear from the technological sphere for a long time yet to come.

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mpouraryan
mpouraryan
2/25/2017 7:42:23 PM
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Platinum
Re: Discovery downsizing is okay
Cable has profound challenges.   One indication of what I view Cable being in trouble--at a training retreat this weekend and two of the leaders are noting that they want to watch a move on Netflix--it is all about choice and empowerment which is at the heart of transformation.

 

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elizabethv
elizabethv
2/27/2017 6:01:37 PM
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Platinum
Re: Discovery downsizing is okay
I think you're exactly right. We lived in an entertainment world where we watched what was available to us for a very long time. I can't even begin to count the number of times I watched something that I didn't really want to watch, but it was the best thing on so I just went with it. Now we get to choose. And most of us are not only adapting to that, we're coming to rely on it. And when you take that choice (power) away, we're just not happy. But more than our generation becoming used to it, my kids generation is learning it's all they know. My kids always pick what they want to watch, there's no, "this is what's on TV right now, so this is what you're stuck watching." All they know is the power to pick and choose and the only compromise they ever have to make is with each other. More than I can't see me ever going back to cable, I can't see them ever finding that an appealing option. 

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mpouraryan
mpouraryan
2/27/2017 11:03:19 PM
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Platinum
Re: Discovery downsizing is okay
One indication of the change was the Oscars.  I was away at a training session and did not catch the Oscars--not withstanding the "oversight", I gather from reports  Amazon won big, and Netflix Won Big--as its' documentary on the Syrian White Helmets.   Putting the Genie of Choice back in the bottle is not going to happen--or is it? 

Onward to March and Spring..Happy march to all :) :) 

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JohnBarnes
JohnBarnes
2/28/2017 8:16:28 AM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: Discovery downsizing is okay
MPouraryan,

Notice too that really open choice redefines "simultaneous"; you no longer have to watch at the same time as other people unless you want to, and you can watch any time after first availability.

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mpouraryan
mpouraryan
3/2/2017 12:32:40 PM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: Discovery downsizing is okay
It is that power that all strive to have--the question is how the existing providers will harness that power to their benefit.    

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JohnBarnes
JohnBarnes
3/2/2017 2:39:43 PM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: Discovery downsizing is okay
MPouraryan, My guess us that in the millennia of telecom development and history yet to come, the age of mandatory viewing schedules will be an eyeblink like gaslights, dirigibles, wire recorders, or kinescopes.

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mpouraryan
mpouraryan
3/2/2017 5:30:21 PM
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Platinum
Re: Discovery downsizing is okay
As I am sure you concur @JohnBarnes, we are now at that era aren't we?    Thsi is as we're just seeing Google/Alphabet get into the game with the YouTube Direct Service--the question is where will it all go?

 

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elizabethv
elizabethv
2/28/2017 9:00:09 AM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: Discovery downsizing is okay
@mpouraryan - I think it's great that movies from Amazon and Netflix are getting the appreciation they deserve. They have flexibility a lot of movie studios don't. They can take far more chances/risks. They don't have the concern of needing to be successful like a studio like Disney does, and they have the ability to reach an audience that might otherwise not be reached. Their place in the marketplace is definitely a unique one and they seem to know how to use that to their advantage.

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JohnBarnes
JohnBarnes
2/28/2017 2:36:49 PM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: Discovery downsizing is okay
ElizabethV, Well, historically many of the most innovative periods in film have originated in there being somewhere cheap to make movies combined with a low cost distribution system. Maybe it's happening again.

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mpouraryan
mpouraryan
3/2/2017 12:31:30 PM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: Discovery downsizing is okay
There is no doubt that Disney has its' challenges as underscored by what is going on at ESPN.    It was also quite interesting as I saw how the head of BT in the UK today attacked the exuberant prices being paid for Sports Rights.    I have a sneaking suspicion that's why NBA launched the E-League because they're also seeing the writing on the wall.

 

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srufolo1
srufolo1
2/20/2017 3:34:15 PM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: Discovery downsizing is okay
@dcawrey I think viewers have always been fascinated by true crime stuff and this is a smart move by Discovery.

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Adi
Adi
2/17/2017 6:02:43 AM
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Author
New announcement: Mobile content for snapchat
Interesting new announcement from Discovery today: The programmer will be creating short-form shows based on its content such as Shark Week and MythBusters, specially for Snapchat's mobile users. That's very much the type of discussion I've heard when programmers say "Platform is King", i.e., rework/re-edit existing content or create something based on existing series for new platforms, especially where mobile usage overlaps social networking. 

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Michelle
Michelle
2/17/2017 2:09:55 PM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: New announcement: Mobile content for snapchat
That's really interesting. I'm curious about the MythBusters content. I thought the show ended last year. Multiple seasons are available on Hulu now, but there are no new shows on Discovery.

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afwriter
afwriter
2/18/2017 11:32:19 AM
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Platinum
Re: New announcement: Mobile content for snapchat
This is brilliant. Content creators are being forced to work around our increasingly short attention spans. Almost every new show that Cartoon Network releases (I have kids ok) is in a 15 minute format versus the traditional 30 minute format that was standard up until a few years ago. 

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Joe Stanganelli
Joe Stanganelli
2/18/2017 1:52:37 PM
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Re: New announcement: Mobile content for snapchat
> Almost every new show that Cartoon Network releases (I have kids ok)

@afwriter: No judgment.  I dig me some good cartoons.

As to your observation, the 15-minute (or shorter) cartoon block is not new.  CN has used that format since it started churning out originals when it started out.  Nickelodeon has used that format too when it started doing its originals in the '90s (Doug, Rugrats, Ren & Stimpy, Rocko's Modern Life... also Beavis & Butthead, if you want to count that, since MTV is the same company as Nickelodeon).  Other networks too.  Garfield & Friends, and Heathcliff both immediately come to mind.

And then going back even further: Looney Tunes, and Disney classics.  All of these present examples of cartoons from 30+ years ago that were far shorter than 15 minutes.

I don't think it's an attention span thing.  I think it's a storytelling thing.  Sometimes, it only takes 15 minutes or less to tell a really good story.

Excellent directors note that cartoons are generally better at storytelling than "real-life" filming because there's a lot less cinematic goofing around and a lot more "getting to the point". 

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elizabethv
elizabethv
2/21/2017 5:55:28 AM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: New announcement: Mobile content for snapchat
@Joe - You make a good point about the length of a good cartoon. But I'm not sure if it would work quite as well for live-action shows. People are a little more understanding about the quality of the content of cartoon, versus live-action shows. Though I do think shorter cartoons are a a little more appropriate for kids. Though my kids do love Wild Kratts, which is typically about 30 minuutes long. 

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mpouraryan
mpouraryan
2/21/2017 11:32:14 AM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: New announcement: Mobile content for snapchat
Why Should it not?  It is, in the end, about engagement, right?

..as I leave you all w/this "Food 4 thought":

"Don't ever let anyone tell you
you can't change.

That is what life is.
Change.
It's not some magic trick.
It's your will.
Your thoughts become your words,
become your actions,
become your reality.

Change is your destiny.
Now go chase it."
~ GNC Commerical

 


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Joe Stanganelli
Joe Stanganelli
3/3/2017 8:04:19 AM
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Re: New announcement: Mobile content for snapchat
@elizabethv: I think it could work for live-action just as easily -- and already does, in the form of TV "webisodes" and other serialized video content online.

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JohnBarnes
JohnBarnes
3/2/2017 2:55:05 PM
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Platinum
Re: New announcement: Mobile content for snapchat
Joe, A lot of very early made for TV cartoons were actually in 5 minute segments -- Crusader Rabbit in its earliest version, Space Angel, The Mighty Hercules, Courageous Cat, Tom Terrific. Longer would have cost more and anyway most of the early ones were short segments in longer live action.

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Joe Stanganelli
Joe Stanganelli
3/3/2017 8:05:40 AM
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Author
Re: New announcement: Mobile content for snapchat
@John: Not to mention that back then, it was all done the old-fashioned way of animation: people drawing frame by frame.

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dlr5288
dlr5288
3/31/2017 2:48:22 PM
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Platinum
Re: New announcement: Mobile content for snapchat
I think sometimes I take today's advances for granted. There was a time where animation was all drawn out from scratch and today it's just so different. So much faster and animation looks so much more realistic.

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Joe Stanganelli
Joe Stanganelli
2/18/2017 1:53:43 PM
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Re: New announcement: Mobile content for snapchat
@Adi:

> rework/re-edit existing content or create something based on existing series for new platforms, especially where mobile usage overlaps social networking.

This actually goes back to a classic Hollywood adage: "Don't come up with a new idea.  Come up with a good idea."

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elizabethv
elizabethv
2/21/2017 5:23:55 AM
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Platinum
Re: New announcement: Mobile content for snapchat
@Adi - Shark Week on Snap Chat! That might make me start up a Snap Chat! Shark Week is one of the biggest regrets I have since cutting the cord. It was one of the highlights of my year when I still had cable. Maybe it will be successful enough to let it seep over to Facebook. The last thing I need in my life is a new social network.

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JohnBarnes
JohnBarnes
2/28/2017 8:19:47 AM
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Platinum
Re: New announcement: Mobile content for snapchat
adi,

I see another angle in "rechaptering" older content, too -- perhaps breaking theatre length movies into 15 minute segments, or miniseries into even shorter chapters (since they tend to hop around a lot). Kind of on the model of sports highlights or online news video.

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elizabethv
elizabethv
2/28/2017 8:55:08 AM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: New announcement: Mobile content for snapchat
@JohnBarnes - Penny Dreadfuls! Turn movies and mini-series into audi/visual streaming content. It would work to shorten our already limited attention span, but would likely also be pretty appealing to a lot of customers who just don't have two hours to dedicate to a movie. And let's be honest, how frequently do you watch a movie with no distractions anymore, anyway?

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JohnBarnes
JohnBarnes
2/28/2017 2:45:39 PM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: New announcement: Mobile content for snapchat
ElizabethV, That was pretty much my thinking. There used to be a lively market in 40-60k word novels because many people liked to read the whole thing in the time between supper and bed. Nowadays many editors will tell you they want short chapters to provide more stopping points and web serialization is quite common. How we chop up our entertainment is largely a matter of culture and convenience.

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