USA distribution -CBS All Access discussion

[jefferiestubes8]

Today CBS announced Further CBSA distribution outside USA.

CBS, owner of the most-watched U.S. TV network, will launch its CBS All Access service internationally in the first half of next year, starting in Canada, the company said as part of second-quarter earnings.

Sounds like before June 29. So how is Season 2 in Canada in later 2018?

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-cbs-corp-results-idUSKBN1AN2DC

 

[Yminale]

Today CBS announced Further CBSA distribution outside USA.

Sounds like before June 29. So how is Season 2 in Canada in later 2018?

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-cbs-corp-results-idUSKBN1AN2DC

Well first Season 1 has to be success ... No point wondering until that happens.

 

[Noname Given]

Not if nobody knows about it, it isn't. CBS has done a piss-poor job of marketing DSC up until recently, and I fear that @galad2003's experience will become more the rule than the exception and it may already be too late to build that kind of momentum.

History: A lot of people believed that Betamax was a better format than VHS back in the 80's. It died because Sony's marketing sucked and it didn't hold as much recording time as VHS tapes. Was it really better than VHS? I believe so, based on what I've read about the technology (and this is coming from someone who hates Sony products as a general rule). Did it matter that it was actually better? Nope. Same thing more recently between BluRay and HDDVD. HDDVD may have been the better tech from a compression standpoint, but BluRay (ironically, by Sony) become the de facto industry standard (IIRC) because it had better interactive menu features than HDDVD did.

Now: CBS is following Sony's earlier business model. It may be ahead of the curve conceptually by forcing people to abandon "linear TV" but there are too many other popular and more well-established brands that people are more likely to stay with because most people feel change just for the sake of change is not enough for them to open their wallets further. Competition only works if the CONSUMER believes something else is better. Nobody gives a shit what CBS thinks about its own press and technology, because of course they're going to say it's all that and a bag of chips.

There's also the fact that Sony (and Sony was like Apple in this regard) didn't license anyone else to make Betamax machines or tapes; while JVC did for the VHS tech. The result? Companies competing against each other (which lowered the price for consumers.) JVC also courted the Motion Picture studios with the idea of renting major movies on take and helped that industry get started. The Sony marketing push for betamax was for recording anything off your TV.

In the end, the fact taht VHS equipment and tapes were cheaper - and the public LIKED the idea of renting and watching films at home and more films were available on VHS back in the day.

So, CBS is more like JVC with ST: D in that in Canada the show WILL be on a Cable channel; and in the rest of the world, via Netflix. CBS is not putting all it's hopes into it's CBS All Access service (it could have, but didn't.) How well it turns out for them in the end is anyone's guess - but IF the whole streaming idea fails, I can guarantee CBS would start offering it for bid to U.S. Cable outlets and SYFY or some other Cable channel would snap it up. Hell, there's many a CBS Exec that's stated the deal with Netflix for outside U.S. distribution has already pretty much covered the Season One production costs - so it's not a question of "will ST: D be profitble" and more like "How much profit will it generate, and will it help improve the image and subscription numbers (and retention) for CBS All Access?"

 

[Tuskin38]

Today CBS announced Further CBSA distribution outside USA.

Sounds like before June 29. So how is Season 2 in Canada in later 2018?

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-cbs-corp-results-idUSKBN1AN2DC

No.. please no. I like the idea of having it on TV.

 

[RAMA]

Reposting this for those on the fence:

STSC:

1. Airing Sept. 24th to November 5th. 8 episodes(8 weeks)
2. Off Nov 12th to December
3. Airing January to completion. 7 Episodes (7 weeks)

You can watch the series in September for free. CBS will air the pilot. The 2nd episode (3rd episode?) will premiere on All Access right after. A free week membership here takes care of Sept. You pay for Oct, Nov. Unsubscribe for December. Then Subscribe January and Feb. That's 4 months subscription. 4x$6=$24. That's $1.60 per episode. If you pay for 5 months, it's $2 per episode.

Now, there are other ways of doing this, but we don't really know HOW MANY episodes will be available at one time, so my way is demonstrated if you want to see the show right away and don't want to wait till prospective subscribing till the end of the series for all episodes to binge watch it, or subscribing mid-season, or a variation thereof.

 

[Balok's Decoy]

Reposting this for those on the fence:

STSC:

1. Airing Sept. 24th to November 5th. 8 episodes(8 weeks)
2. Off Nov 12th to December
3. Airing January to completion. 7 Episodes (7 weeks)

You can watch the series in September for free. CBS will air the pilot. The 2nd episode (3rd episode?) will premiere on All Access right after. A free week membership here takes care of Sept. You pay for Oct, Nov. Unsubscribe for December. Then Subscribe January and Feb. That's 4 months subscription. 4x$6=$24. That's $1.60 per episode. If you pay for 5 months, it's $2 per episode.

Now, there are other ways of doing this, but we don't really know HOW MANY episodes will be available at one time, so my way is demonstrated if you want to see the show right away and don't want to wait till prospective subscribing till the end of the series for all episodes to binge watch it, or subscribing mid-season, or a variation thereof.

Or if people are REALLY opposed to giving CBS their money and can be patient, they can wait until every DSC episode is out, subscribe, watch every episode within the 1 free week, then unsubscribe before the payment kicks in.

Sigh, I don't know why I'm the one giving this advice but still...

 

[RAMA]

Or if people are REALLY opposed to giving CBS their money and can be patient, they can wait until every DSC episode is out, subscribe, watch every episode within the 1 free week, then unsubscribe before the payment kicks in.

Sigh, I don't know why I'm the one giving this advice but still...

Re-read my post, I mention that..

 

[RAMA]

CBS CEO predicts Star Trek will drive All Access growth this fall

Today CBS announced their second quarter earnings with revenue up 9.4% to $3.26 billion. In a call with investors, CEO Les Moonves touted the CBS All Access platform noting that together with the Showtime streaming service, it should reach a total of over four million subscribers by the end of this year.

Moonves specifically discussed Discovery during the call:

You have all heard quite a bit about the debut of Star Trek: Discoverynext month. I have now seen the first six episodes and I can assure you that it is terrific. It is the perfect vehicle to take All Access to the next level and beyond.


https://techcrunch.com/2017/08/07/c...aming-service-for-sports/?ncid=mobilenavtrend

 

[KennyB]

I think that's a pretty safe bet. Retaining the subscriptions will be the key.

 

[RAMA]

I think that's a pretty safe bet. Retaining the subscriptions will be the key.

What's more important is the CEO loves the product. Contrary to what some will have you believe.

It's also good that CBS is very healthy financially because as we have seen, Paramount's health has delayed Trek projects.

 

[KennyB]

What's more important is the CEO loves the product.

But really as CEO would you expect anything less than glowing from Les?

 

[KirkusOveractus]

What's more important is the CEO loves the product. Contrary to what some will have you believe.

It's also good that CBS is very healthy financially because as we have seen, Paramount's health has delayed Trek projects.

Beyond delaying the projects, CBS being well financially is reflecting in the promotion. I see a lot more being done for Discovery than Paramount did for the last couple movies.

 

[BillJ]

But really as CEO would you expect anything less than glowing from Les?

This. Even if he hates it, CBS has a lot riding on Discovery's success. I take any comment from them with a Vulcan-sized grain of salt.

 

[KirkusOveractus]

This. Even if he hates it, CBS has a lot riding on Discovery's success. I take any comment from them with a Vulcan-sized grain of salt.

Which Vulcan? The Kelvin Timeline one means a very small grain of salt now...

 

[Zod]

He likes it. I hate it.

I hate the fact that I have to subscribe to this service to watch the only show on the network that I even remotely care for.

They don't leave folks like me with many options.

 

[Krandor]

Good artile on CBS plans for streaming. They are definiely going all-in and addresses very bluntly why star trek is on there because they think they can make more money with it on AA.

http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/cps-all-access-showtime-4-million-subscribers-1202518063/

 

[Noname Given]

What's more important is the CEO loves the product. Contrary to what some will have you believe.

It's also good that CBS is very healthy financially because as we have seen, Paramount's health has delayed Trek projects.

Well, he loves the growth and profit said product will hopefully bring. He'd also love an old style TV Test Pattern if he thought people would subscribe and pay to watch that 24/7. He's a businessman concerned with the bottom line (and there's nothing wrong with that.) My point? As soon as the ROI drops below a certain level - he'll pull/cancel Star Trek again. That the way the media business works.

 

[Spider]

I don't trust a damn thing Moonves says. About anything. If Moonves told me the sky is blue, I'd have to go outside and look.

 

[cylkoth]

I don't trust a damn thing Moonves says. About anything. If Moonves told me the sky is blue, I'd have to go outside and look.

This just in....Les Moonves says he loves his mum, very very much.

 

[Visitor1982]

The fact that Star Trek is a very important part of All Access makes me think CBS wants more than 15 Star Trek episodes a year... I wouldn't be surprised if more Star Trek TV series will be greenlit to fill the 35+ weeks Discovery isn't on.