Streaming Wars | RPC | Renegade Pop Culture - Podcasts on Animation, Movies, and Video games

Greetings one and all, and welcome to the first installment of Renegade Pop Culture’s coverage of the war to end all wars… The Streaming Wars!

This episode, we welcome our special guest co-host from the Facebook Group, Jacob, to the show! He lends Keona and Josh his expertise as we discuss the past, present, and future of video streaming and content providers like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Apple TV+, and of course, Disney+. We examine the current challenges faced by these companies in today’s landscape, as well as the ways in which things could improve for them in the future.

Oh, and Peacock, which we joke about in this episode. A lot. Not because of their content, but because of their name. Seriously, though. It’s called Peacock. Wackiness doth ensue.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at the time stamps!

8:05 - We begin by discussing the well-known streaming options, such as Netflix and Disney+. We talk about the basic things each service offers, as well as our favorites among the different companies.

14:15 - Josh begins his epic rant about Disney+, as he analyzes the weaker aspects of Disney+’s rollout, such as their lack of a consistently curated recommendations section and how some shows and movies have disappeared from the service entirely. Of course, Disney has done a good job with the Mandalorian and having the entire library of The Simpsons available, albeit in the wrong aspect ratio, but there is definitely room for the House of Mouse to improve themselves.

26:31 - We discuss the upcoming April 6th launch of Quibi, Jeffrey Katzenberg’s newest entertainment industry endeavor. It certainly does seem interesting, almost like a throwback to the days of Webisodes and short-form Youtube content. Just with a larger budget. After viewing some trailers for Quibi’s offerings, I have to say I’m intrigued, though I’m not absolutely sold yet. We’ll see how it all turns out after the service launches.

32:26 - Next, we take a look at the oldest streaming video debate of all time: should you binge watch series, or view one new episode per week? Both choices have their upsides (i.e. it’s nice to have all the episodes of a show available at once to binge if you’re a huge fan of the actors/writing/characters, etc.) and their downsides (such as not being able to build anticipation for the next episode over a week-long period of time). Personally, there are certain shows I love to binge for hours at a time, but for others, I enjoy having the time to really think about the events of the episode on a weekly basis. What about you? Do you prefer to binge-watch series at once, or do you like the anticipatory build of a weekly series? Comment below and let us know what you think!

41:05 - Earlier in the episode, we mentioned certain shows disappearing off of Disney+ as an example of how complicated obtaining the streaming rights for certain shows and films can be. Jacob and Josh tell us all about it in this segment.

44:20 - Could Apple actually buy Disney? That’s the strange topic we all consider as we take a look at analysts’ speculation on the issue. Apple buying Disney would be absolutely insane, in my opinion, and it probably won’t happen, but it’s intriguing to consider.

56:05 - Fox buys the online ad-supported streaming service Tubi, just to get their backlog of films and series in a streaming library. I know, it’s another corporate acquisition. Even in the time of a coronavirus pandemic, the world keeps on spinning.

1:00:08 - Jacob talks about the Kanopy streaming service, which specializes in more highbrow movies, such as the Criterion Collection, along with more thought-provoking content. It’s accessible by universities and public libraries, and is free. Pretty cool.

1:04:37 - NBCUniversal and other studios release movies on digital VOD earlier than anticipated, which has blown a lot of minds in the entertainment industry. Not only did they drop Emma, The Hunt, and The Invisible Man on VOD just over a week ago (months ahead of when they planned to do so), but NBCU is also releasing Trolls World Tour on VOD on the exact same day it was supposed to release in theaters, April 10th. The catch? They’re $19.99 for a 48-hour rental period. I’m not sure I’m digging that. On the other hand, Disney released Frozen 2 on Disney+ early, and they dropped Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker on digital marketplaces a few days ahead of time, as well as Onward, which just bowed in theaters. Additionally, Birds of Prey, The Gentlemen, The Way Back, Bloodshot, and Just Mercy will all head to digital on March 24th. Even more films, like Sonic the Hedgehog and I Still Believe, are headed to digital storefronts on March 31st, so it’s not slowing down.

1:22:42 - Next, we discuss the future of theaters in a post-coronavirus world. Will they all survive? As long as big-budget, tentpole releases keep coming out, theaters will continue to thrive once the pandemic has run its course, since that’s the only way studios can recoup the amount of money they spend financing blockbuster films. Even if first-run films are priced above the $19.99-$24.99 threshold, they’d still have difficulty surpassing the budgets of such films as Avengers or The Lion King.

1:29:34 - Josh gives us one last thought on Disney+, and my audio shorts out a bit. Sorry for the issues during the end of this segment. We’ll be sure to sort those kinds of SNAFUs in the future.

Well, that’s it for another episode! We hope everyone continues to be safe and sound as we struggle through this extremely weird time together. Take care of yourselves, practice good hygiene and social distancing, and we’ll see you all in the next installment of the Renegade Pop Culture podcast! Peace!