[nicetrout]

IDK. I'm pretty skeptical about this LOTR thing catching the same Game of Thrones lightning. I'm pretty skeptical about the notion that like Fantasy is in the Zietgist. People rit large still aren't clamoring for sprawling epic fantasy IMO. I think people just like GOT specifically.

I know original Trilogy was hot but that was different. They were movies. And like 15 years ago.

[Gintokian]

worry, on 10 April 2018 - 07:25 PM, said:

It's not just about new customer acquisition. You have to offer existing subscribers new stuff too, just like any content provider does. Either way, Prime costs less than Netflix if you consider annual cost, so I don't see any roadblock to getting new people either. Let's not forget that the reason the rights were so expensive in the first place is because everybody wanted it. There was a bidding war. And to the question of whether people are going to watch this...of course they are going to watch it.

All that said, Prime is primarily a customer loyalty rewards program. It's all about sucking customers away from competitors for all they do and sell, not just the digital platform. The goal is monopoly. Amazon should be seized by the federal government, its profits distributed to the people, and Jeff Bezos imprisoned for crimes against labor. But in the mean time, let's not pretend that this isn't going to be a hit show.

For sure you have to offer new stuff to existing customers but when they're spending a billion dollara I'm sure they're hoping for lots of new customers.
I totally agree that lots of people will watch it but I'm just not convinced they're going to bother paying for prime to do so.
It does cost less than Netflix yes but I get the feeling people don't want to keep paying for multiple new streaming services and I don't think the content is there for people to start dropping Netflix for it.
Personally I don't have the money to subscribe to more than netflix and crunchyroll and I can't see myself dropping either.
As much as I love the Tolkien world I'll probably end up watching the show on some shitty streaming site sadly.

[worry]

Well, last year alone Amazon's net revenue was $178 billion. Spending $1 billion over 5 years on one of the biggest properties in the world just doesn't seem like a risk to me. And the point isn't for the one show to generate $1 billion-PLUS to earn a profit, like studios do with movies. It's bigger picture for Amazon. Like again, Amazon Prime is more along the same lines as brick & mortar loyalty programs and Prime originals are like loss leaders. The goal is to make amazon.com the one-stop shop for everything you need.

[Gintokian]

I suppose that is true. I'm just getting sick of all these different streaming services, already we have Netflix, Hulu, Shomi, Crave, Amazon Prime, and soon the Disney one. They all have shows I'd like to watch but it's too much now. I miss the days when it was just Netflix, especially in Canada now everything split over so many different services and they keep changing who has what.

[Abyss]

Gintokian, on 11 April 2018 - 03:40 PM, said:

I suppose that is true. I'm just getting sick of all these different streaming services, already we have Netflix, Hulu, Shomi, Crave, Amazon Prime, and soon the Disney one. They all have shows I'd like to watch but it's too much now. I miss the days when it was just Netflix, especially in Canada now everything split over so many different services and they keep changing who has what.

Ah, but Shomi failed, we don't legally get Hulu, Crave is massively redundant to Rogers or Bell's on demand services, you can sign up for Netflix for a month, probably for free, marathon whatever, then cancel. Same for HBO/TMN. Amazon too unless you were getting Prime for your shopping purposes, in which case, hey, free streaming service.


People screamed for a break from cable companies. Here it is, at least, so far. And it is cheaper, but you have to do more work.

[QuickTidal]

Abyss, on 11 April 2018 - 05:33 PM, said:

Gintokian, on 11 April 2018 - 03:40 PM, said:

I suppose that is true. I'm just getting sick of all these different streaming services, already we have Netflix, Hulu, Shomi, Crave, Amazon Prime, and soon the Disney one. They all have shows I'd like to watch but it's too much now. I miss the days when it was just Netflix, especially in Canada now everything split over so many different services and they keep changing who has what.

Ah, but Shomi failed, we don't legally get Hulu, Crave is massively redundant to Rogers or Bell's on demand services, you can sign up for Netflix for a month, probably for free, marathon whatever, then cancel. Same for HBO/TMN. Amazon too unless you were getting Prime for your shopping purposes, in which case, hey, free streaming service.


People screamed for a break from cable companies. Here it is, at least, so far. And it is cheaper, but you have to do more work.

This.

And to be honest, this is all going to take years to shake out. On the far side of it will be the streaming services that survived the coming streaming services wars (casualties like Shomi already mentioned), and you will have a clean 10 to choose from, and you will need to do your homework to figure out which to subscribe to that feature the things you wish to watch.

Abyss is right, we got rid of/are getting rid of the cable model...it's just that the next model for consuming TV and movies requires a more savvy operator to make out worth their while and money. I get and accept that.

Part of the issue in Canada is that something like Amazon Prime can't offer me EVERYTHING that Prime makes (the new show BRITANNIA for instance) because companies like Bell snap up the "rights" before the service can offer it...and they will throw it in with their big packages like HBO for $20/month....or SIT on it and not release it at all.

[Gintokian]

QuickTidal, on 11 April 2018 - 05:42 PM, said:

Abyss, on 11 April 2018 - 05:33 PM, said:

Gintokian, on 11 April 2018 - 03:40 PM, said:

I suppose that is true. I'm just getting sick of all these different streaming services, already we have Netflix, Hulu, Shomi, Crave, Amazon Prime, and soon the Disney one. They all have shows I'd like to watch but it's too much now. I miss the days when it was just Netflix, especially in Canada now everything split over so many different services and they keep changing who has what.

Ah, but Shomi failed, we don't legally get Hulu, Crave is massively redundant to Rogers or Bell's on demand services, you can sign up for Netflix for a month, probably for free, marathon whatever, then cancel. Same for HBO/TMN. Amazon too unless you were getting Prime for your shopping purposes, in which case, hey, free streaming service.


People screamed for a break from cable companies. Here it is, at least, so far. And it is cheaper, but you have to do more work.

This.

And to be honest, this is all going to take years to shake out. On the far side of it will be the streaming services that survived the coming streaming services wars (casualties like Shomi already mentioned), and you will have a clean 10 to choose from, and you will need to do your homework to figure out which to subscribe to that feature the things you wish to watch.

Abyss is right, we got rid of/are getting rid of the cable model...it's just that the next model for consuming TV and movies requires a more savvy operator to make out worth their while and money. I get and accept that.

Part of the issue in Canada is that something like Amazon Prime can't offer me EVERYTHING that Prime makes (the new show BRITANNIA for instance) because companies like Bell snap up the "rights" before the service can offer it...and they will throw it in with their big packages like HBO for $20/month....or SIT on it and not release it at all.

That's kind of what I'm saying here. It's become such a pain to figure out which service has the shows you want and then there's no guarantee they'll keep the rights to those shows for long before another service gobbles them up. (I had just started watching Firefly again when Netflix Canada got rid of it). If you did end up getting every service with all the shows you want it would possible cost the same or more than regular cable, and if you want sports then you're royally screwed, those services are so expensive right now. Maybe the price for some will come down in the future but right now it's difficult.

Do you need Bell, Rogers or Cogeco cable in order to get their on-demand services? Or just the internet?

[Macros]

Prime has Britannia??

To the TV I say!

Well in a few days when I actually have time

[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

Genuinely unsure. My instinct is to wince at Jackson's involvement because of the mess The Hobbit films became, but the points Wert made are as I understand it pretty on the nose and so that makes it not really Jackson's fault. Perhaps with creative freedom he'll come good again?

I'd be interested, tentatively, in a Silmarillion adaption but as has been mentioned I cannot see the rights becoming available. However, with the third and final "tale of the elder days" being released in August (The Fall of Gondolin) I wonder if those three stories may be something worth looking into in terms of TV adaption (should the estate decide to lease/give the rights).

This post has been edited by TheRetiredBridgeburner: 14 April 2018 - 07:48 AM

[Gintokian]

TheRetiredBridgeburner, on 14 April 2018 - 07:47 AM, said:

Genuinely unsure. My instinct is to wince at Jackson's involvement because of the mess The Hobbit films became, but the points Wert made are as I understand it pretty on the nose and so that makes it not really Jackson's fault. Perhaps with creative freedom he'll come good again?

I'd be interested, tentatively, in a Silmarillion adaption but as has been mentioned I cannot see the rights becoming available. However, with the third and final "tale of the elder days" being released in August (The Fall of Gondolin) I wonder if those three stories may be something worth looking into in terms of TV adaption (should the estate decide to lease/give the rights).

Since Peter Jackson is potentially only producing it and not writing/directing it I don't think his involvement will affect it too much, he did also do an amazing job with the lotr movies so there is hope if he is more involved.

I have a feeling that if the new show does well and is popular then it won't be too hard to get the rights to thr silmarillion or other works (just have to shell out a buttloaf of money), especially since Christopher Tolkien has retired from thr estate now

This post has been edited by Gintokian: 14 April 2018 - 08:06 AM

[Salt-Man Z]

Lindsay Ellis is doing a great series on what exactly went wrong with the Hobbit movies. Part 3 (of 2) is due this Wednesday:

Part 1:

Spoiler

Part 2:

Spoiler

[worry]

Hmm, looks like it's already out.

Part 3:

Spoiler

[Werthead]

Actual Part 3:

Spoiler

[worry]

I'm just now getting the "Part 3 of 2" joke.

[Gintokian]

Werthead, on 20 April 2018 - 10:15 PM, said:

Actual Part 3:

Spoiler

I liked worry's, sorry Luv2B_Sassy's, version better. It had singing and 70s elves.

[Nicodimas]

I was pysched to read this today !

Hopefully with Jackson on board it’s better then the movies

[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

Salt-Man Z, on 17 April 2018 - 02:57 AM, said:

Lindsay Ellis is doing a great series on what exactly went wrong with the Hobbit movies. Part 3 (of 2) is due this Wednesday:

Part 1:

Spoiler

Part 2:

Spoiler

I love her - and this has been a great series.

[Salt-Man Z]

TheRetiredBridgeburner, on 21 April 2018 - 05:09 AM, said:

I love her - and this has been a great series.

Right? I do wish she'd get back to dissecting the Michael Bay Transformers films, though; that series has been truly eye-opening.

[Macros]

Finally way the three videos there.

Actually very interesting and we'll put together, I've never seen any of her stuff before.

[Werthead]

Updates on the Amazon LotR series.

Amazon have released a series of maps which seem to confirm that the TV series will now be set firmly in the Second Age of Middle-earth. So, no hobbits but the Numenoreans will show up, along with the elves and Sauron. Based on the maps, it appears that the story might be multi-generational, spanning the period from the forging of the Rings of Power to the War of the Last Alliance that ended the Second Age, a period of 1700 years. The last map makes a big deal of Numenor being there in particular.

This is great. The original idea - "The Amazing Adventures of Young Aragorn" - was a bit crap, so seeing them go deep-diving into the lore is excellent.

Even more intriguing is that the map of Numenor and many of the place names on the Second Age map are copyrighted as part of Unfinished Tales. Amazon must have persuaded the Tolkien Estate to let them licence the rights to Unfinished Tales. That suggests that if the project is successful, they might even get the Silmarillion rights later on.

The show is expected to start production in November for a mid-2021 release.