News ViacomCBS Merger Agreement Reached

[Campe]

Link.

It is actually good to see this happen--Trek is back under one roof. However, I do wonder how a certain sect of fandom will see this with their insistence of the "25% different" rule and all of that.

Will this mean a change in name for CBS All Access?
Will we eventually see a Discovery movie?
Will Discovery suddenly look all TOS-ish now?

I know the answer to at least one of those is no.

 

[XCV330]

I think it definitely will affect the movies. I'm just not smart enough to know how.

 

[tomalak301]

I wonder if CBS All Access might become like PS Vue or Youtube TV now. With an animated Star Trek series going to Nickolodeon, I wouldn't be surprised if they, along with the other Viacom networks, find their way onto CBS All Access in the near term.

 

[Tuskin38]

Link.

It is actually good to see this happen--Trek is back under one roof. However, I do wonder how a certain sect of fandom will see this with their insistence of the "25% different" rule and all of that.

Will this mean a change in name for CBS All Access?
Will we eventually see a Discovery movie?
Will Discovery suddenly look all TOS-ish now?

I know the answer to at least one of those is no.

Your link goes to the 'create thread' page.
https://www.cbscorporation.com/cbs-and-viacom-to-combine/

 

[pst]

Link.

It is actually good to see this happen--Trek is back under one roof. However, I do wonder how a certain sect of fandom will see this with their insistence of the "25% different" rule and all of that.

Will this mean a change in name for CBS All Access?
Will we eventually see a Discovery movie?
Will Discovery suddenly look all TOS-ish now?

I know the answer to at least one of those is no.

all of this assumes midnight's edge (and the like) were correct in their analysis of the license. which was always dubious.

however, if the 25% rule ever existed, it should be dead and buried now.

 

[Campe]

Your link goes to the 'create thread' page.
https://www.cbscorporation.com/cbs-and-viacom-to-combine/

Whoops, fixed to the CNBC article I meant to link to. Thanks!

all of this assumes midnight's edge (and the like) were correct in their analysis of the license. which was always dubious.

however, if the 25% rule ever existed, it should be dead and buried now.

I assume nothing. I'm making light of Midnight's Edge and their friends who believe this is going to change anything in regards to the current TV plans.

 

[eschaton]

I am presuming that this means that Paramount movies and Viacom channels will work their way onto CBS All Access. AFAIK Viacom was not working on their own streaming service, so it makes sense to migrate content over there.

Of course, it probably won't be entitled CBS All Access any longer, because they'll be able to move over Comedy Central, all the MTV channels, all the BET channels, the Nickelodeon Group, etc. But the underlying site architecture could probably remain intact.

One wonders if this was their plan all along, because really they didn't have enough of a stable of content to ever really threaten Netflix or Disney.

 

[Lord Garth]

Even though I think this will change ZERO on the TV Front, I'm interested in seeing what this will do for Star Trek in Movie Land.

 

[Campe]

One wonders if this was their plan all along, because really they didn't have enough of a stable of content to ever really threaten Netflix or Disney.

I don't believe CBSAA was designed to compete with Netflix or Disney.

 

[eschaton]

I don't believe CBSAA was designed to compete with Netflix or Disney.

I mean, none of these services are designed as a direct replacement for another. But if you have a very small stable of original/exclusive content compared to Hulu/Netflix/Amazon Prime - but charges a similar price. Ultimately they're either going to have to up the content/drop the price, or hope Netflix and the other big players raise their prices first.

 

[NewHeavensNewEarth]

I think they can come up with a better name than CBS-AllAccess.

 

[eschaton]

I'm seeing some reports the now-merged company is looking to buy Sony Pictures and Discovery Communications.

 

[Campe]

I mean, none of these services are designed as a direct replacement for another. But if you have a very small stable of original/exclusive content compared to Hulu/Netflix/Amazon Prime - but charges a similar price. Ultimately they're either going to have to up the content/drop the price, or hope Netflix and the other big players raise their prices first.

Well, considering that Netflix keeps hiking their prices and not doing a great job of keeping my family engaged with their programming, they lost a customer earlier this year. But its not a zero sum game. We don't set a true budget for our streaming services (as long as it doesn't come near what we'd pay for cable, we're fine with it.) We picked up HBO Now, but also temporarily dropped CBSAA because both the programs my wife and I watch (Good Fight for her, Star Trek for me) are on break. We will up that subscription once one comes back and we'll get Disney+. But we also have and have had Hulu with no commercials and Amazon Prime. We're just using the services we want at the time. At some point, Netflix might come back into the equation, but not today.

 

[eschaton]

Well, considering that Netflix keeps hiking their prices and not doing a great job of keeping my family engaged with their programming, they lost a customer earlier this year. But its not a zero sum game. We don't set a true budget for our streaming services (as long as it doesn't come near what we'd pay for cable, we're fine with it.) We picked up HBO Now, but also temporarily dropped CBSAA because both the programs my wife and I watch (Good Fight for her, Star Trek for me) are on break. We will up that subscription once one comes back and we'll get Disney+. But we also have and have had Hulu with no commercials and Amazon Prime. We're just using the services we want at the time. At some point, Netflix might come back into the equation, but not today.

Speaking personally Netflix is a good value for us because my kids can always find something they want to watch - and the stable of children's programming is very, very large now, kids are indiscriminate regarding quality, and there are no commercials.

 

[Ralphis]

I wonder if CBS All Access might become like PS Vue or Youtube TV now. With an animated Star Trek series going to Nickolodeon, I wouldn't be surprised if they, along with the other Viacom networks, find their way onto CBS All Access in the near term.

Viacom also own Pluto TV, which basically is a free version of Playstation Vue and YoutubeTV in that there are hundreds of live streaming channels on there. They have an MTV channel on there, as well as a CMT and Comedy Central channel (they're not the same feeds as you'd find on cable/satellite TV, they're kind of auxiliary/secondary channels that show the back catalog of those channels). There's even a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles channel on there. I wouldn't be surprised if they took Pluto TV and merged it with CBS All Access, or vice versa. Wouldn't even be surprised if they put Showtime programming on there as well. With Disney+, HBO Max and whatever Comcast/NBC is going to call their streaming platform on the horizon, ViacomCBS will need to offer something.

I'm seeing some reports the now-merged company is looking to buy Sony Pictures and Discovery Communications.

I've read those, but also AMC Networks and Lionsgate too. Lionsgate actually seems most likely as they already bought Lionsgate's half of Pop earlier this year, and have been reported to be interested in buying Starz from Lionsgate. Just as well buy the whole enchilada.

 

[Campe]

Speaking personally Netflix is a good value for us because my kids can always find something they want to watch - and the stable of children's programming is very, very large now, kids are indiscriminate regarding quality, and there are no commercials.

On a brief 30 second survey of each, Prime and Hulu seem to have pretty decent children's programming too. And HBO has first run Sesame Street. But my son is 3 months old. He's not quite there... yet.

 

[BillJ]

Doesn’t change anything for me.

 

[RuthlessNate]

I'm just wondering now if a bigger company with its own streaming service but no TV network ownership, like Amazon or Apple, buys ViacomCBS.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

I assume nothing. I'm making light of Midnight's Edge and their friends who believe this is going to change anything in regards to the current TV plans.

They'll start another CT: the fact that Kurtzman et al aren't realigning the series to TOS design aesthetic is evidence that they hate Star Trek and are trying to destroy it.

 

[Rahul]

Even though I think this will change ZERO on the TV Front, I'm interested in seeing what this will do for Star Trek in Movie Land.

TV land:
There's a non-zero percent chance they will do a "Kelvin"-Kirk & Spock animated series, continuing (or be inbetween) the movies. It's just too tempting. They now have the likeness of Pine-Kirk & co., and all of the prop designs. And you can recast the voice actors. But that would allow for a new television series with the iconic original characters. I would do that.

Apart from that - all live-action stuff - is very likely to stay within one, their old/"new" prime universe.

Movie Land:
Gonna' be interesting. On the one hand - if the Quentin Tarantino movie works out, they're gonna' do that. After that - like, their next movie cast (even if ST4 never materializes) is probably gonna' be in the "prime" continuity again. Either working directly off of their All Access-branch, or get some old actors from before back together, or have a completely new characters, or recast old ones (like Disco-Spock) - it's gonna' be the "old" continuity again, at least officially (even if everything looks and feels different, like DIS did).