Back to the Future
Torniamo all'antico e sarà un progresso
Following up on my obsession with streaming services and their lack of profitability, here’s a great article from The Hollywood Reporter about how Hollywood is starting to embrace a very old—but tried and true—model.
Some interesting takeaways:
By the time the final episode of The Office aired on May 16, 2013, the NBC sitcom already had inked lucrative TV syndication deals. And its parent company, NBCUniversal, had decided to sell the streaming rights, too, to Netflix. Over the next few years, Netflix’s subscriber base discovered the show, ultimately forcing NBCU to buy back the rights for $500 million and make it a centerpiece of its new streaming service Peacock.
And then later on…
The Office hasn’t cracked a top 10 list since it became exclusive to Peacock in 2021.
Translation: NBCU paid $500 million to put The Office in front of fewer eyeballs.
I dunno what they call that in the streaming business, but anywhere else, we’d call it a bad deal.
Even Disney is realizing that maybe they should license some of their content again…
At the company’s annual shareholder meeting April 3, Iger told attendees, “We’re not looking to license our core Marvel, Disney, Pixar or Star Wars product to third parties,” but added that “we will consider on occasion licensing other product to third parties.”
This from a guy who famously compared licensing products to selling nuclear weapons to your enemies!
But now all the owners of what the kids call “content” (barf) are looking to get back in the licensing game, enough so that one analyst quoted in the article believes we’ll see some major titles leaving their current streaming homes soon (think: Friends).
Which brings us to DC’s owners, Warner Bros./Discovery.
Yesterday, the internet set itself on fire with news that all the Looney Tunes shorts will soon be leaving Max.
Never mind that WB/Discovery has now walked that back. I think you’re going to see a lot more news like it.
Whatever you think of WBD’s latest moves, they are desperately in need of cash after the merger.
And pulling things off their streaming service—or sharing “exclusivity”— while licensing them out for big sums will be a big part of their strategy moving forward:
“The fact is licensing some library content to other SVOD platforms, like Netflix or Amazon, as part of a co-exclusive agreement is just smart business,” WBD CEO David Zaslav told analysts Aug. 3. “We’re expanding our audience while maximizing the value of the asset and providing more revenue streams. And that is our job, to optimize the windowing to get the best possible return on investment.”
Which is a big reason why I didn’t jump at Max’s Black Friday deal:
A lot of the cont—*ahem* movies and TV I’m interested in are already starting to pop up elsewhere.
(Although, I gotta say, Naked Attraction has to be seen to be believed.)
Anyway, the future of streaming seems to be the past of streaming.
And my wallet is OK with that.
Awkward Transition
You know who else is going Back to the Future?
When David Schrader and I decided to end our NIGHTMARE THEATER horror anthology with number 3, it seemed like a no-brainer to embrace an old gimmick by calling the book NIGHTMARE THEATER 3-D.
And it’s fitting that as I write you, we are about to slay STRETCH GOAL #3.
(Which is, ironically, what I called my post-Thanksgiving waistline.)
To recap: Stretch Goal #1 was the 11x17 posters I told you about last time.
With Stretch Goal #2 we added a new story by Andy Nordvall & Don Nguyen and a double feature by Puppet Master's Shawn Gabborin.
When we hit $19,666, we'll unlock a special pin-up from Richard Fairgray featuring Shelley Poe Stoker and... a very special guest star.
To tell would be spoiling things. But I'll just say that the SFW version will be included in the book... and if you ask very nicely, we'll send you the NSFW version digitally. (But don't say we didn't warn you!)
If you're one of the 350+ backers who’ve already joined us, thank you!
And if you've been meaning to jump in, there are only 48 hours left, so click the image above or...
Don’t forget! If you also backed BLAZING BLADE OF FRANKENSTEIN #3 as well as NT3D, we'll send you a little extra love. Just be sure to leave a comment on the BBoF Kickstarter page that says "Shelley Poe Stoker sent me."
Speaking of Last Chances…
It’s also the last chance get this awesome, exclusive 5x7" print by Evan Scale for everyone who backs both Rob Multari's current NIGHT WOLF campaign and NIGHTMARE THEATER 3D:
Physical tier backers of both campaigns will get a physical copy of the print, and digital backers will receive a hi-res digital version. For FREE!
NIGHT WOLF is already up to issue 8, but Rob's made it very easy to catch up, and he always puts together a great selection of covers.
If you love stories about supernatural beings like werewolves, vampires, demons, witches, zombies and more (and, hey, you're here, so I'm pretty sure you do!), do yourself a favor and snag this free print.
CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT NIGHT WOLF 1-8
Parting Shot
Before I get back to stuffing myself with leftovers, wanted to let you know that David and I were guests on Blake's Buzz last week.
As always, it was a pretty freewheeling affair, and we maaaaay have even coined a new expression or two. The live audience was pretty, uh, lively, and we even answered a few of their burning questions. (If you were in the live audience, thanks for joining us!)
You can click the image below or...
CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT BLAKE'S BUZZ
OK, that’s all for now.
Next time: How Nirvana taught me it’s all bullshit…but not in the way you think.
See you at the Nightmare Theater?
- Clay
Pretty sure I want to be Clay when I grow up.