Event Horizon

Dear Netflix: What?

The Netflix price hike kicked in this month and I'd decided to keep both plans. When Netflix announced the price increase I was right there with everyone else voicing outrage on social networks. Because I was a customer long before the streaming option became available, I felt like Netflix had it wrong in the way they were framing the issue. I wasn't on an streaming plan with an occasional DVD rental, I was on a DVD plan with occasional streaming. I was also put off by the manner in which they announced it, seemingly without regard to their most loyal and long-standing customers. Price increase, fine, but grandfather in the existing user base, show your loyal customers that you appreciate their business. 

After calming down a bit I re-thought my position and now I'm not at all worried by this price increase. What changed my mind? I remembered why I joined Netflix in the first place. I previously rented movies from Blockbuster and would usually rent one or two movies a weekend at $4.25 per rental. So, conservatively, let's say I rented only one movie each weekend this month and turned them all in on time (avoiding late fees), I would have paid $17. And if I rented more than one movie over a weekend or incurred late fees that total would have been much more. And keep in mind that renting movies at that time meant driving to the video store (and hoping they had the movie I wanted in stock) and back again, an expense and hassle that Netflix service avoids. So, given all of that, the Netlfix price increase is still a savings and my membership still has value to me. So, all was forgiven.

Now, this week, the Netflix CEO announced that he knows he made a mistake with the two price plans and he was prepared to fix it - by splitting the two services into different businesses. Okaaay. Now I have to decide not only if I want to keep two services but if I want to keep two separate accounts, two ques, and two bills. Come on Netflix, ever heard of bundling? All the cool service providers are doing it.

I like renting DVDs and I still consider streaming a hit-or-miss option, as they are likely to not have what I'm looking for available on streaming. Just this last weekend, for example, I rented Source Code on DVD and it's not available yet on the streaming service. And I still buy the occasional DVD if it's something I want in my collection. Even if my DVD player died tomorrow I'd probably replace it. I think they are underestimating the staying power of the DVD.

Of course, their long-term strategy is sound, eventually the DVD will go the way of the VCR, but I'm sure I'm not the only one wondering if Netflix will still be around when that day arrives.

Idol Thoughts

 

I have a confession to make, I've been watching American Idol for the past couple of weeks. Long time readers of this blog will know that I really dislike reality TV, mostly because it's changed the TV network landscape by making programming much cheaper for networks in a time of declining ad revenue, forcing them to rethink broadcasting regular dramatic series (which are more expensive to produce) and creating an artificial (and arbitrary) expectation for the ratings they expect from series TV. I tend to see reality TV as junk food and regular dramatic series as a full meal, and naturally, these attract different kinds of viewers and should not be evaluated according to the same standards. The networks should not introduce a new dramatic series, put it on for a few episodes and then cancel it because it did not provide the appropriate ratings buildup for the reality show that followed (as NBC did with Kings) on the schedule. I don't think you can make that kind of linkage when you are talking about different kinds of shows. No matter how good the drama is, I'm not sticking around for the next iteration of Dancing With America's Favorite Celebrity Dog. In general, I would prefer to see more dramatic episodic programming rather than more reality TV shows.

So, how do I explain my recent interest in Idol? I blame Susan Boyle. After watching the video of the Scottish singing sensation, I thought it might be interesting to see what the Americans were up to, so I started watching Idol. I've been very impressed with the contestants and not so impressed with the judges. The contestants have been very talented and although I have not always agreed (I thought Allison Iraheta showed great talent) with the votes, I have been impressed with their potential. As for the judges, I think they display a marked lack of professionalism in their comments and demeanor and I can forgive the contestants if they feel they are not getting the artistic feedback from them that they deserve. I really dislike the way the judges have fawned over Adam Lambert. I think Lambert is phenomenal and deserves to win, but the judges should really show more professional objectivity and restraint. It's unlikely that I'll continue watching Idol after this season, but I do plan on following the careers of Lambert, Allen and Iraheta and hope to hear good things from them in the future.

Photo: AP Photo/Fox, Frank Micelotta

Jericho Lives!

Jericho was one of my favorite shows and a great example of the sad tendency of my favorite shows to be quickly cancelled by the reality TV-loving networks. Jericho was the show that did well in the ratings, was killed, came back, and was killed again, and it may be, well, back again (cinemarealm - Forget the odds, Jericho lives!):

Jericho, the twice-cancelled CBS series best known for the most passionate fanbase seen and felt in recent decades, is officially back from the dead - for the third time. Executive producer Jon Turteltaub broke the news to iFMagazine earlier today while promoting his upcoming horror/mystery series Harper’s Island, which is expected to premiere on CBS in April. “We’re developing a feature for Jericho“, he said. “It would not require you to have seen the TV show, but it [would] get into life after an event like this on a national scale. It would be the bigger, full on American version of what’s going on beyond the town in Jericho.”

The show is in reruns on the CW network and there is also the potential, after the feature, that the series itself could return to prime time. I've discussed the merits of Jericho before and so I just want to take this opportunity to recommend this series to you as a quality drama featuring a great ensemble cast given some thought provoking material to bring to life every week. The show was badly mistreated by their original network and deserved much more promotion and advertising than they received. I hope things will work out better this time.

Olympic Opening Ceremony

I was very impressed with the opening ceremonies on Friday (AP - Opening night is a big TV draw for NBC):

The colorful Olympics opening night ceremony from Beijing on NBC averaged 34.2 million viewers, making it the biggest television event since the Super Bowl. It was the biggest audience ever for an Olympic opening ceremony not held in the U.S., and even eclipsed this year's Academy Awards and finale of "American Idol," Nielsen Media Research said on Saturday.

The ceremony was moving, inspirational and breathtaking. I feel sorry for Great Britain, I don't see how they can possibly top that in 2012.

I was not impressed with NBC coverage of the 400 metres individual medley in which Michael Phelps won his first gold medal of this Olympics because they neglected to show the medal ceremony. If an American wins a gold medal, I'd like to see the medal ceremony, is that too much to ask? I remember past Olympic coverage on other networks and they showed the medal ceremonies and it was always an emotional and proud moment for the American winners. Why is NBC not showing it?

Commercial TV: Dead or Alive?

There is a pattern in entertainment technology in which new advances that allow consumers to enjoy media in new ways becomes a perceived threat to the entertainment industry and they fight back, trying to stifle the innovative technology. This happened with the introduction of the VCR in the 1980s, when entertainment industry executives (most notably Jack Valenti) said that personal video recorders would destroy the movie industry as people would stay at home rather than go out to movies. Of course, it was later demonstrated that the introduction of VCR's didn't bring on the end of Hollywood as we know it, and in fact opened up a new market for selling movies to consumers.

More recently, the development of digital video recorders (DVRs) like TiVo prompted doomsayers in the industry to say that it would lead to the end of commercial television. So, after the hype and the doom and gloom, what is the reality? The latest Nielsen numbers show (Tech Trader Daily) more TV being watched than ever before, even with DVRs. Personally, I found that owning a DVR didn't make me watch more TV, it's just that when I'm ready to watch TV, it's something that I want to watch rather than whatever happens to be on. As for the fear of DVR owners skipping commercials, I do actually end up watching them, usually those at the start of the commercial break and at the end, and I almost always watch my favorite commercials. That Geico gecko cracks me up every time.

So, loosen up Hollywood, the technology trends are always changing, don't be afraid, just understand that people want what you offer, they love your product, they just want to consume it on their own terms. Once you understand this, you will learn to work with your customers and make a lot of money in the process.

Sci-Fi on Fall TV

Just when I was about to give on on network TV's reality-show-wasteland, Fox has stepped up and is offering several new sci-fi drama series, coming this fall (Wired - Sci-Fi Shows Set to Dominate Fox's Fall Linup):

If you're already starting to feel pangs of anxiety about the nearing conclusion of sci-fi soap opera Battlestar Galactica, rest assured -- this fall, you can expect your TiVo to be working overtime. Fox is stepping up to try and fill that programming void with a series of sci-fi sagas slated to hit the airwaves.

Virtuality and Fringe sound promising. And the new Joss Whedon show, Dollhouse, is bound to attract a rabid fan following, but in the interest of attracting a larger fan base (and bigger ratings), I'd like to suggest to Joss Whedon that the name of the series be changed. Look, we know that a sci-fi show is going after a largely young male demographic, and you are not going to appeal to them with a show whose name is more appropriate to something on the Lifetime network. It's just not going to work. All I'm saying is, if the show is canceled, I'm blaming the name.

Galactica Returns

I've mentioned before that my favorite TV series tend to be quickly canceled and replaced by reality TV shows (so long Jericho). Battlestar Galactica is one television series that I really like that has not been canceled. It returns tonight for the final season. The best sci-fi combines contemporary issues (the War on Terrorism) and adds some speculation on how science and technology (machine intelligence) will change humans. Battlestar Galactica is an outstanding example of this sci-fi tradition. For those new to this stunning accomplishment in sci-fi entertainment, here is a quick eight minute recap of the entire series thus far:

Writers Strike Ends

The writers strike is over (AP- Writers Vote to End 3-Month Strike):

The move allows some TV series to return this spring with a handful of new episodes. It also clears the way for the Academy Awards to be staged on Feb. 24 without the threat of pickets or a boycott by actors that would have dulled the glamour of Hollywood's signature celebration.

Oh, ok, it wasn't about the TV series, it was the Academy Awards that provided the motivation to end that strike. Well, whatever, I supported the writers. Still, I have to admit that I have not been hurting for TV entertainment, what with new Jericho, Smallville, Supernatural, Stargate Atlantis, Sarah Connor Chronicles, Kyle XY and Torchwood, I've not been feeling at all deprived.

Reality TV?

Yet another reality TV series has debuted to impressive ratings (TV Decoder - ‘Moment of Truth:’ More Proof That We Like to See People Squirm):

“The Moment of Truth,” Fox’s new game show in which contestants are asked provocative questions after having been hooked up to a lie detector, passed its own first test with flying colors, drawing particularly impressive ratings in its debut on Wednesday at 9 p.m. According to Nielsen’s estimates, the show delivered 23.2 million viewers, more than any series premiere on any network in nearly a year.

I'm not really surprised by this, but I am mystified. I don't really care for reality TV shows and I've hoped (for a long time now) that this trend in TV programming would end. Apparently, it's not going away. What is the appeal of reality TV? Can someone explain it to me? One of the reasons the writers strike means something to me is that I like TV shows written by professionals, directed by professionals, produced my professionals, and performed by professional actors. Reality shows are not entertainment to me because they are not about anything, there's no story, no narrative, nothing that defines the standard fare of episodic TV. This latest show just seems creepy to me, like some kind of college psych experiment writ large. I don't get it. Am I the only one who doesn't like reality TV?

The Sarah Connor Chronicles

As the writers strike continues to decimate my Now Playing list, I'm happy to find a new television series to invest some time in. Fox has debuted a new sci-fi TV series called Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles that picks up where Terminator 2: Judgment Day ends. What did you think of the series debut? I really enjoyed it, the production values were high, the f/x were credible, and the ensemble cast did a great job. Summer Glau won me over in her role as the protective terminator, though I did keep flashing back to her role in Firefly, I'm sure I'll get over it. I was hoping that they would explain one of the logical dilemmas posed in T2: Why would the Skynet artificial intelligence decide to destroy humanity using nuclear weapons, when presumably nuclear weapons would be just as toxic to machine intelligence (due to electromagnetic pulse radiation) as to humans? Sadly, this small question was not addressed. Still, I liked what I saw and will keep watching. I think it's a winner, but then again, my sense of what constitutes a winning show is somewhat questionable, as I tend to like good shows that are canceled by their networks. I liked Journeyman and The 4,400, both high quality shows with great casts, and both canceled fairly recently. Still, I'm willing to invest in good programming as long as they keep producing it. TV Squad has some interesting discussion going on about the first two episodes, it's worth a look. I'm not as negative as many of those commenting, I tend to think that pilot episodes are often the worst episodes in a series run, after all, they have to introduce us to the series, real character development (which I always think of as the heart of a show) comes later after the writers (and the actors) find their footing.