criterionforum.org

No piracy discussion here, folks. Particularly where it pertains to the labels that are the backbone of this forum's existence.

Any piracy discussion aside, I'm wondering if this kind of technology might help providing cheaper architectures for labels (for instance) to try and get their catalogue online as a streaming platform.

The bottom line for someone like Criterion (if they chose to utilize that technology) is being able to pay people to build and maintain it. My assumption is that FilmStruck was somewhat healthily bankrolled by Warners (they had a podcast, made their own original programming to supplement films, etc) as streaming services go. Even if they wanted to do something that was a fraction of the size, it would demand an IT group likely larger than they have to maintain their website and own internal servers.

Apologies, Piracy was not what I was going for, Similar to what Mfunk mentioned, I meant the technology that supports those user supported methods or block chains that allow data costs / managements to be lifted off the shoulders of a label like Criterion so that they can focus on content and curation like FilmStruck did. Admittedly I don’t know much about the technology aspect of things so this may very well not be possible. At any rate, the biggest thing ill miss the most is all the supplements FilmStruck brought us as well as introductions. I did hold off from purchasing many blu rays recently because of this so my wallet will surely be feeling the pain during Novembers B&N sale.

It's all good, phantomforce. It was the "can't we" part that made me a bit apprehensive about where it might send the conversation.

Now that everything is kaputt and I no longer will breach any contract, I will say that I got a TCM Inner Circle survey about two or three weeks ago asking my opinion on implementing downloads into the FilmStruck app. From their wording I think it would have been similar to Spotify -- you couldn't really take the files out of the program to use elsewhere, but you could at least download certain things for offline viewing later.

As a rural homeowner with painfully slow internet options available, this would have been a huge deal for me. My streaming quality fluctuated wildly depending on the day so the availability to download stuff in certain resolutions would've made it a lifetime subscription for me.

Criterion uploaded several FilmStruck videos to their YouTube page this week

Bill Hader mentions saving FilmStruck and shouts out the petition during his speech at IndieWire Honors

Link to video

Also, thought I'd add a bit of info that I found out from a friend who works in thebTurner building in Atlanta (they work for primarily with TCM, but also assisted FilmStruck at times).

I asked them when the employees working there found out about the shutdown, because it seemed to come out of nowhere — no rumors or anything. They told me that everyone was notified at work about one-hour before the customer announcement e-mails got sent out that Friday... Yikes

Edit: Sent my friend the Bill Hader clip and we talked more. They said that Scorsese apparently tried calling AT&T executives about it (keyphrase: "tried calling"), and other networks are currently offering to purchase the service. So that's hopeful news.

Also, FS already tried merging with Amazon (I assumed as a Prime Channel), but Amazon only wanted them to put up a bulk batch of films — no curation, weekly themes, or supplements/FS extras — so the deal didn't happen.

Thanks so much for the information.

I'm not sure whether that leaves me optimistic or not, but I appreciate that other companies see the value in what was being done. That being said, Filmstruck without TCM's library and contacts is in a weird place as well. Pretty crappy about Amazon, but like with Netflix you get the sense that they want things done only on their terms.

Yeah exactly. I think FS partnering with any of the big 3 in streaming (Amazon/Netflix/Hulu) would be a bad idea and only hurt their service.

I actually wouldn't mind them doing an Amazon Prime channel, but the way Prime channels work right now means they would basically have to redesign the UI just to accommodate FS' curated features. (If they agreed to it, I mean.) That would be a dream come true, but it's going to remain just a dream forever, unfortunately.

I'm wondering about the names of the other parties interested in buying FS though... However, I think the best way to go — wishful thinking aside — would just be for Criterion to collaborate with FS and launch their own streaming service from their website. They could even finally have a Criterion app, haha. They wouldn't even have to change much of the UI or anything; just a copy-paste job would suffice for the most part.

Hell, I'd probably be satisfied if Criterion launched a streaming service with only their titles — but all their titles.

Warner seem to have exclusively licensed the streaming rights to an undisclosed amount of catalog titles to a third part company called Filmrise. They've been uploading tons of key Warner titles to their Amazon channel in the last few days. This started just shortly after the press release about the shuttering of Filmstruck. Mostly pre-1980. (Badlands, Klute, Hammer Horror, Soylent Green, Omega Man, Performance, One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest, Peckinpah Westerns, The Hunger, etc.)

Earlier this year they had licensed a small batch of Warner titles including Blade Runner..but it seems they've since picked up significantly more. It's interesting that Warner is licensing out STREAMING rights.

I hope there is some possibility of Filmstruck being purchased and continued! I would imagine this would be the Filmstruck of the early days with no (or little) Warner material. I was quite happy with the rotating “Filmstruck” area and Criterion catalog with some rotation of special editions, etc. The Warner catalog was a strange albatross to my thinking. Some complained early on that there was nothing of what appeared on TCM, which was true. But after my initial approval of the broader adoption of the Warner library I (personally) found I had no time to do much with those titles, given the amount of “FilmStruck” material (and 6-8 month availability), which on its own, kept me from having time for as much of the Criterion library as I might have wished. Maybe some of us remember a LONG survey which had many questions about the addition of Warner’s film library. I wondered if that might have signaled a move toward more Warner and less Filmstruck/Criterion. Thankfully this was not the case, but you could see the corporate wheels were beginning to turn. In retrospect, obviously, partnering with TCM/Warner was a bad idea, and I regret supporting the addition of the Warner library on that survey.


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ianungstad wrote: Sun Nov 04, 2018 7:57 pm Warner seem to have exclusively licensed the streaming rights to an undisclosed amount of catalog titles to a third part company called Filmrise. They've been uploading tons of key Warner titles to their Amazon channel in the last few days. This started just shortly after the press release about the shuttering of Filmstruck. Mostly pre-1980. (Badlands, Klute, Hammer Horror, Soylent Green, Omega Man, Performance, One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest, Peckinpah Westerns, The Hunger, etc.)

But they’re also all post 1960, in color, largely genre films; essentiall the same as the classic films that appear on Prime periodically anyway. The films that Filmstruck were specializing in are still missing anywhere.

This is still great news though. Brewster McCloud is the rarest film I’ve seen them upload so far.

The petition that Bill Hader, Rian Johnson, Guillermo del Toro, and others have been boosting is up over 40k signatures, nearing its goal of 50k

Please sign it if you haven't!

The petition’s goal isn’t 50k, it’s programmed to autogenerate the next milestone as a goal once it passes the previous one. The petition started with a goal for 100 signatures. This is very pedantic I know.

I mean, it will have an equal impact at 100 or 50000 signatures

I stand corrected! And yes, I realize petitions are essentially meaningless, but if it's something that high profile people can be tweeting/talking about that might get the attention of someone with decision making power, then I'm glad it exists.

Makes me wonder though if FilmStruck subscription count is actually as high as the number of petition signees..

ModelShopAbschied wrote: Sun Nov 04, 2018 8:28 amFS already tried merging with Amazon (I assumed as a Prime Channel), but Amazon only wanted them to put up a bulk batch of films — no curation, weekly themes, or supplements/FS extras — so the deal didn't happen.

Excuse if I'm stating the obvious, but this is good news in of itself. If Criterion's passing on Criterion library-format streaming opportunities, that means they believe they have a decent chance of setting up a Filmstruck-style service somewhere else.

kcota17 wrote: Fri Nov 09, 2018 4:20 am Makes me wonder though if FilmStruck subscription count is actually as high as the number of petition signees..

I signed and I can't get it where I live, but I might as well for those who do

The LA Times reported that Filmstruck had over 100,000 subscribers.

Then in that case, the number of petition signees is distressing. Why would Warner care about 50,000 people signing the petition if they aren’t satisfied at at least 100,000 subscribers for Filmstruck?

kcota17 wrote: Fri Nov 09, 2018 3:27 pm Then in that case, the number of petition signees is distressing. Why would Warner care about 50,000 people signing the petition if they aren’t satisfied at at least 100,000 subscribers for Filmstruck?

Also, a 100,000 subscriber base means about $13 million in gross revenue.

Meanwhile, the press release for the merger says that the combined AT&T / TW expects about $190 billion in annual revenue. So Filmstruck would account for about 0.0069% of that revenue, so I would guess means that 100,000 signatures on a petition aren't going to move the needle.

kcota17 wrote: Fri Nov 09, 2018 3:27 pm Then in that case, the number of petition signees is distressing. Why would Warner care about 50,000 people signing the petition if they aren’t satisfied at at least 100,000 subscribers for Filmstruck?

A video game company just expressed dissatisfaction with about half a billion dollars in sales. Big companies suck ass.