The Movie Network is the New MTV

The demise of Movie Central and apparent bankruptcy of Super Channel has all but confirmed what I always knew: Premium channels have become as irrelevant as old-fashioned music channels. That's not to say the likes of Revolt, Fuse, and even MuchMusic have become old news, or more worthless than premium channels. Once upon a time, we relied on Much and MTV for our music fix. But overtime, the internet would provide a more faster, convenient way to get the latest news and music videos. So, Vevo and Spotify became the new standards for finding new music, while the music networks found success in other entertainment ventures, often incorporating it with what little music programming they have.

Now history is repeating itself. Netflix and Hulu have been slowly eating away at the precious subscriber-base HBO and Showtime have spent years building. Game of Thrones is HBO's number one show, but's also the most pirated show in the world. Showtime's series don't get that much, but there's no denying that cord-cutting is a thing. It's not the end of cable television, but they'll need to evolve to better compete with the increased competition. Hence HBO Now, which essentially turns HBO into a premium streaming service, and Showtime's bundle with Hulu. Now, in addition to the standard cable model, the two channels have found a way to connect directly to cord-cutters.

You'd think Canadian networks would follow in their footsteps in this pick-and-pay era. If you do, then you must have been living under a rock for the last six or so years. 

When competing against The Movie Network and Super Channel, Netfilx has it in the bag, because most of our premium networks were run by old men in suits who refuse to try anything new. By now, CraveTV should have offered next-day streams of the acquired programming that we came to see. Instead, Bell Media still expects you to shell out tens of dollars to The Movie Network, on top of your already expensive cable bundle, and stream their shows through a restricted on-demand channel or through a shitty TV Anywhere app. The ease, the accessibility, the easy money and notoriety CraveTV could have gotten by now: they don't have it because Bell Media is too stubborn to face the future.

All of the above is what's plaguing Super Channel, and why they've filed for bankruptcy, but it doesn't end there. From the beginning, Super Channel was competing against premium network shows with basic-cable product. I'm not slinging mud at Rizzoli and Isles, Spooksville, and especially Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. I'm just saying they expected you to pay tens of dollars for shows that air on more affordable networks in the U.S. I wouldn't be surprised if more people watched the off-season encores on Showcase television than the new episodes airing on Super Channel.

The Starz and movie deals, as well as Canadian original programming of their own, were exactly what Super Channel needed, but they were also the last thing they needed. Everything has become too expensive for them because Super Channel itself was too expensive for new costumers. The ultimate irony for me is that Super Channel wasn't just put into check by The Movie Network. There's one other pay TV channel we often overlook: Family Channel.

In case you don't know, or simply forgot, Family is a premium service, but it's bundled with basic cable channels like YTV and Teletoon and treated as such. However, just like Super Channel, Family Channel also airs basic cable product: from Canadian shows to acquired Disney fare. Since its a channel for kids, they don't have to worry about cord-cutters too much, even though teenagers are a fickle audience to please. As long as they keep churning out hits like The Next Step and Degrassi (which should have ended after MTV and TeenNick cancelled The Next Generation, but I digress), they won't be left in the dark. When all is said and done, the only reason why Family is acknowledged as a higher-tier channel compared to YTV and Teletoon is because their own premium licence means they don't have to air commercials. 

In the era of pick-and-pay, Family Channel is no different than Super Channel or The Movie Network; if the people want it, they will subscribe to it. That's why both services need to find a way to evolve and be more accessible. In danger of going off the air, Super Channel is doing just that; by first evaluating what works and what doesn't. Meanwhile, Canadians are more than ready to pay directly to HBO and Showtime, because The Movie Network and CraveTV just aren't a good enough substitute. I don't believe Game of Thrones will be the end of The Movie Network, I believe it will be the end of cable as we know it.

And while all of this is going on, Netflix is still chilling in the background. For all the flack Netflix Canada gets for lacking the beefier offerings the Americans get, there are still more people subscribed to it than any premium channel. Contrary to what the pirates would have you believe, we're fine with whatever shows we're allowed to legally stream on Netfilx. Of course, we'd be even happier if geo-blocking was never a thing, since anti-consumer polices are the major cause of piracy to begin with! 

#FucGeoBlocking

Re: Ashby: In the CRTC's game of thrones, cable companies must lose

Full Article:
http://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/columnists/ashby-in-the-crtcs-game-of-thrones-bell-and-hbo-must-lose
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I'm not gonna let MTV upstage me with the power plays they've been making. It's time I got back to my roots too.

With Bell Media granted exclusive access to HBO programming, you'd think that they would have the flexibility to meet the needs of its consumers. For example, they could allow consumers who aren't subscribed to (or don't want subscribe to) The Movie Network to watch Game of Thrones on CraveTV. In addition to streaming past seasons, they would be able to watch new episodes, along with the rest of HBO's catalog. Being that Game of Thrones is one of the most pirated shows in the world, and CraveTV is cheaper than HBO Now, it would be a win-win for the company and all Canadians. After all, the only way to stop piracy is to meet the needs of the consumer.

However, that would imply that Bell Media actually gave a shit about the costumer, or had respect for the numerous channels and television shows they owned. Let me refresh your memory.

They turned MuchMoreMusic into a skeleton network. They left MTV2, BookTelevision and FashionTelevisionChannel to hang, dry, and eventually die when consumers are finally able to pick-and-pay for channels that are actually worth a damn. They switch around acquired programming like a kid with LEGO blocks and later lock them up behind cable subscriptions and paywalls. If you're new to this blog and wonder why I'm always slinging mud at this company, I just gave you your answer.

When it comes to television, Bell Media is the Electronic Arts of Canadian broadcasting; they are the worst of the worst.

Let Me Clear My Throat...

One of the reasons why I do rants on this blog, rather than in videos, is that it allows me to speak my mind without worrying too much about offending anyone, especially someone who (wishful thinking) likes my videos. It's the perfect place for me to vent about the true evils and annoyances of this world!

For example, did you know that teenage girls have the worst tastes in entertainment? 

Their music is shit, their dramas are shit, and their sitcoms are the very definition of anti-humor. Oh sure, you might have enjoyed that crap when you were young, but that's because they were factory made to be only enjoyed by teenage idiots. It will not age well, not even if you remember it for nostalgia. When you've finally grown a pair or had your first time of the month, you'll wonder what the hell you ever saw in that shit. That's not the ramblings of an old geezer or jaded student, that's the goddamn truth.

What about sci-fi geeks are their need to cry over spilled milk? Yesterday, it was George Lucas "mutilating" his own franchises, despite the fact that Star Wars fanboys were supposedly into nonsensical bullshit, or that Indiana Jones movies aren't supposed to be realistic. The day after that, it was Sci-Fi Channel changing its name Syfy, to avoid sounding both generic and misleading, like The History Channel. 

Today, its the "actionized" trailer for he new Star Trek movie, and the controversy surrounding Scarlett Johansson playing the Major in the upcoming live-action Ghost in the Shell movie. Never mind the fact that, thanks to a little something called Dragon Ball Evolution, no one will touch that movie with a 500TB hard drive.  To them, it's the end of the world. To the rest of society, it's basement-dwelling geeks complaining about things they don't like. I know that's politically incorrect, and an insult that's been used to death, but stereotypes exist for a reason.

...And that's just what was going though my mind when I typed this up. I know it's unhealthy to think like this, but it's also just as unhealthy to keep things bottled up inside. However, it's also very hazardous to hear the opinions of others, as you might have just learned the hard way if you were offended by this post. What can I tell ya? Some things need to be said, and a blog is the best place to say it.

...Just throwing this out there, as exited as I am for the next game, I honestly think Kingdom Hearts is just making shit up now.

ELEAGUE's Biggest Challenge So Far...

Canadians can't watch TBS, which means all they'll have is the observer feed on Twitch. That's fine, Turner's new competitive gaming league is still a work in progress. Plus, thanks to its lackluster exposure on EPSN, e-sports as a whole have a LONG way to go before they secure a place on television. Honestly, a video game tournament on a mainstream sports network. What were they thinking? If anything, they should have aired that event on G4. After all, they could have used more programming like that, as opposed to half of the stuff they were airing at the time.

No, I don't blame TBS for this, because this is just another reminder of how abysmal in variety Canadian networks are that we don't have a proper broadcaster for ELEAGUE or anything game-related.

The first choice anyone would make is G4 Canada. They could use some decent programming after they parted ways with The Electric Playground, because now they're back to airing the same unrelated crap they were churning out before the CRTC laid down the law. Considering the American version was popular enough to be resurrected as the brand for Syfy Games news coverage, it's safe to say the Canadian version is just a waste of money at this point.

So why not bring ELEAGUE to another Rogers Media television property: Sportsnet 360? If SN360 can air poker tournaments and whatever drivel the WWE churns out, there's no excuse not to air something like a competitive gaming event in their downtime. The Score Television Network was known to air events like these, and they continue to cover e-sports with their e-sports app.

When it all comes down to it, e-sports doesn't have a home on television for the same reasons why adult anime can only be seen on Toonami or why music networks spend half their time airing crappy reality shows. In this modern era, niche entertainment just doesn't work. It doesn't bring in ratings and mainstreamers don't get it. Instead, its left up to the Twitch's, Crunchyroll's and Vevo's of the internet to deliver what the people want, when the people want it.

ELEAGUE hopes to change that, at least for e-sports, and we'll just have to hope for the best.

Quick Update June 2016

I'm in a really bad place right now. I have nothing to live for except living itself. Without going IRL on you, the Reycralibur Finale has not been a top priority for me as of late. Like I said, I have nothing to live for, least of all YouTube peons who don't even watch machinima. I still have plenty of Smash Bros. shorts to make, and there will always be something to rant about on this blog, so I'm not out of the game just yet.

The Call of Duty Complex

Blame anyone who complained about MuchMore's relaunch as M3 back in 2013 for me saying this but, Whoever said "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" needs to be punched in the face. And kicked in the groin. And set on fire. And die.

For progress to be made, some things (especially MuchMore) NEED to be broken. Not only will they be fixed, they will be better than before. Change is a good thing, and yet, having too much of a good thing is a bad thing. So? Get rid of what makes it horrible, not what makes it great. Problem solved! That's evolution. That's change. That's the way life works.

Don't agree? Then allow me to retort: CALL OF DUTY!

Let's be honest. The main entries developed by Treyarch and, especially, Sledgehammer Games' own Advanced Warfare were better than any of the games churned out by Infinity Ward in recent years. Treyarch in particular deserve recognition for building upon what made Modern Warfare so great by adding new features and tweaking the core gameplay just a bit. Obviously, it wasn't enough, but at least it was better than Infinity Ward's "If it ain't broke..." approach.

Compare Black Ops II's Strikeforce missions, branching paths, and "Pick 10" multiplayer, to Modern Warfare 3's linear campaign and reshuffled killstreaks. ...OK, so all those changes weren't perfect, but the only thing rehashed about Black Ops 2 was the graphics. Treyarch had the right idea. For Call of Duty to stay relevant, it needs to evolve and continue evolving.

Why else do you think that Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (and by extension, Modern Warfare 2, depending on who you asked) is still regarded as the franchise's high point? Compared to what came before it, it was very different. It changed the shooter game and opened a Pandora's box of imitators. Now the franchise itself has become an imitator, and its shift to sci-fi does little to hide the obvious.

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Whoever said that needs to be shot. At least when MTV ditched music television, they still remained a pop culture icon to this day. If it wasn't for Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto V would still be played from a top-down perspective. People who say "If it ain't broke...", can go fuck themselves.

...Though, in retrospective, MuchMore should have never became M3. Not when music videos are still the only programs worth watching on that channel.

Netflix Went Worldwide WAY Too Soon

Once upon a time, if you put something out there on the internet, the whole world could see it. Then, one day, someone decided that entertainment companies can put something out there, but only their native country can see it. The rest of the world was like: "Wow, what a jackass!"

That last bit also happens to be the reaction from Canadians who aren't satisfied with just watching House of Cards and Bojack Horseman. That last bit is the reaction Canadians had to Netflix's border-hopping crack down. Hungry for the full catalog of titles available in the U.S? Too bad. If you try to use a VPN or unblocking service to cross the border, Netflix will deport your ass faster than you can say Bordertown.

When your streaming service is now available worldwide, the first thing you want to do is make sure your content isn't available worldwide too. That's the message Netflix is sending to Canadians. It's true that Netflix does want to have a worldwide-viewable catalog, hence the shrinking movie lineup (which could also be chalked up to them spending more money on original programming), but actions speak louder than words, and Netflix's actions as of late have said otherwise.

Since Canadians can't rely on unblockers, now they're prepared to just pirate everything Netflix offers the United States that they can't get up north. After all, it's not stealing when you take something for free that you aren't allowed to pay money for in the first place. That's the biggest problem with geographically-restricted subscription services: people who were willing to pay money for something are now "stealing" that very something because the owners, apparently, don't want their money.

Now flip it in reverse! Netflix Canada has given us new episodes of Scandal before the Americans can stream them, exclusive series like From Dusk 'ill Dawn & Shadowhunters, plus exclusive streaming rights to the new Star Wars movie. Surely someone in another part of the world is looking at us with envy. As awesome as these bonuses are (and they are FREAKING SWEET!), it would be even better if we ALL were able to enjoy them. If we could all enjoy From Dusk 'till Dawn and Star Wars, without having to use an unblocker, it would truly feel like Netflix is available worldwide. If we still lived in a world where "if you put something out there on the internet, the whole world could see it", that's would be the reality.

Instead, everyone wants to have their cake and eat it too and, once again, the customer has the short end of the stick. If Netflix truly wants to have a worldwide catalog of shows, then they need to stop making these region-specific deals. The same goes to all businesses: the only way to slow down piracy is to make your goods accessible to the customer. The pirates are winning because they provide a better service. When your business avoids anti-consumer practices, like geo-blocking, piracy becomes an afterthought.

Then we'll all live happily ever after.