Streaming Services

[swo17]

Not really

[FrauBlucher]

Has Amazon released any of their streaming series on disc?

[yoloswegmaster]

Has Amazon released any of their streaming series on disc?

The only ones that I can think of are Fleabag, The Boys S1+2, Small Axe (only on DVD in the U.K), and Sneaky Pete S1+2 (only in U.K).

[jazzo]

Small Axe was released on MOD DVD in North America, too.

I keep hoping for Red Oaks, but don’t think it’s likely.

[hearthesilence]

Small Axe was released on MOD DVD in North America, too.

I keep hoping for Red Oaks, but don’t think it’s likely.

I doubt it'll ever happen, but if Red Oaks does get a physical release (and FWIW, it was one of the first shows made available in HDR so it could make a pretty cool UHD) it would be a great one to get commentaries on. Just look at the directors they got for it.

But Small Axe would be the only one I'd consider getting. Just a shame the physical release is a crummy DVD.

[FrauBlucher]

The reason why I asked was wondering if Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power would get a physical media release. I noticed that New Line Cinema and Warner TV are co-producers. I can't imagine this not getting a bluray release.

[Gregory]

Without warning, Warner Discovery just removed half of the previously available 511 Looney Tunes and Merry Melodies shorts from HBO Max.
Vol. 2 of the Platinum Collection Blu-rays, which Warner released a decade ago, has been out of print for years and selling for high prices. I have all three volumes, but each contains 50 shorts in hi-def (150 total), which doesn't come close to matching even the very incomplete coverage of the 511 shorts that were available on HBO Max. (I also dutifully bought the Golden Collection DVD sets, and got much mileage out of those, but some of the later volumes were ruined by disc rot.)
It's always frustrating to be a fan of these hugely important properties and simply wanting most of them (not just the most famous/beloved ones) to become available in some form, and to see how they've been treated over the years.

[hearthesilence]

Without warning, Warner Discovery just removed half of the previously available 511 Looney Tunes and Merry Melodies shorts from HBO Max.
Vol. 2 of the Platinum Collection Blu-rays, which Warner released a decade ago, has been out of print for years and selling for high prices. I have all three volumes, but each contains 50 shorts in hi-def (150 total), which doesn't come close to matching even the very incomplete coverage of the 511 shorts that were available on HBO Max. (I also dutifully bought the Golden Collection DVD sets, and got much mileage out of those, but some of the later volumes were ruined by disc rot.)
It's always frustrating to be a fan of these hugely important properties and simply wanting most of them (not just the most famous/beloved ones) to become available in some form, and to see how they've been treated over the years.

Out of curiousity, were those shorts on HBO Max uncensored?

[Gregory]

No, I don't believe so. There was often little apparent method behind which of the roughly one thousand or so Looney Tunes and Merry Melodies shorts produced were included on HBO Max and which were absent, but there were clearly evident decisions such as excluding Speedy Gonzalez, which was consistent with the Cartoon Network ban on those cartoons.

[Boosmahn]

Disney CEO Bob Iger is open to selling Hulu.

This comes amidst restructuring at Disney, including layoffs amounting to 3.2% of their previous workforce!

[hearthesilence]

Disney CEO Bob Iger is open to selling Hulu.

This comes amidst restructuring at Disney, including layoffs amounting to 3.2% of their previous workforce!

There's like one person I know who worked for Disney that I've talked to regularly and he was one of the layoffs. It's always heartbreaking when these things happen - I remember when the tech bubble burst, quite a few grown-ups I knew lost their jobs from mass layoffs, and it definitely turned their lives upside down for quite a few years.

[FrauBlucher]

NYS to prevent rise in MTA fares are considering additional tax on Netflix subscribers.

[Black Hat]

These streaming services are a plague on society so I think this is outstanding news. Now if only some semblance of competent management will take hold of the MTA. Viva Andy Byford!

[PfR73]

Maybe I'm missing something in the article that would explain it; but it seems unfair to me that everyone in the state would have to pay a tax to fund a subway in just one city?

[FrauBlucher]

What I didn't realize was that there are a handful of states that tax the streaming services or should say the subscribers

[Black Hat]

Maybe I'm missing something in the article that would explain it; but it seems unfair to me that everyone in the state would have to pay a tax to fund a subway in just one city?

Considering that "one city" subsidizes the entire state, including that ridiculous new stadium coming in Buffalo Hochul unilaterally shoveled 600 million (sure to be more) to, the answer, in short, is no.

[ando]

Interesting Times article on a looming writer's strike in Hollywood, chiefly around residuals from streaming services.

[Toland's Mitchell]

Interesting Times article on a looming writer's strike in Hollywood, chiefly around residuals from streaming services.

I'm surprised there isn't more discussion here about the writer's strike. Residuals from streamers makes total sense as a major negotiating point, since original content on streamers wasn't a thing back in 2007-08 during the last writers strike. The other major issue is the use of AI in the screenwriting process, which threatens to put many writers out of work depending how this next collective bargaining agreement turns out.

[Black Hat]

HBO, with their absurd MAX rebrand, has reached a new demonic height by removing the Director credit on their interface and replacing it with a list of names under the heading of Creators.

[Boosmahn]

Great look with all of the guild negotiations going on right now. Who thought this would be a good idea?

[Roscoe]

I was able to log on to MAX painlessly, and was disappointed at the interface. It's all lumped into MOVIES and SERIES and WHAT'S NEW. I much preferred the hubs they used to have, for Looney Tunes and other assorted things so I wouldn't have to scroll and search. Maybe they'll change it later on, but it seems a major step backward. And at least one of the films on the app refused to stream -- all I got was a black screen.

[Matt]

They still have the hubs, but they’re now to be found somewhere in the main column of listings and called “Brand Spotlights,” a media conglomerate marketing department phrase if ever there was one. After you find them, they function the same as before.

One more hilarious twist is that you can choose “Space Ghost Coast to Coast” characters for your avatar, but they have removed the actual series from the platform! You can still see full episodes on the Adult Swim website (for now).

[Roscoe]

Basically, it's a massive FIX of WHAT WASN'T BROKEN.

[Boosmahn]

HBO, with their absurd MAX rebrand, has reached a new demonic height by removing the Director credit on their interface and replacing it with a list of names under the heading of Creators.

They're backtracking and claiming it was a mistake.

[ntnon]

I was able to log on to MAX painlessly, and was disappointed at the interface. It's all lumped into MOVIES and SERIES and WHAT'S NEW. I much preferred the hubs they used to have, for Looney Tunes and other assorted things so I wouldn't have to scroll and search. Maybe they'll change it later on, but it seems a major step backward. And at least one of the films on the app refused to stream -- all I got was a black screen.

Without easily-visible hubs, it'll be a lot easier for people to miss when they remove Looney Tunes or DC or Harry Potter (etc.) content.. and "easier to miss" = "fewer complaints," a win for Warner/HBO!