In an earlier post, I commented on the overlap between the BET Networks and MTV's urban music channels: MTV2 and MTV Jams. I also forgot to talk about BET's low-budget presentation: what with its lack of original series, the poor promotion of upcoming events, and asinine graphics which cuts out the ending to a show and can even take up 1/3 of the screen! But now that I have, let's get back on topic. Viacom networks are all in the middle of a transition, a metamorphosis of sorts, the most recognizable being Spike and TV Land's re-brands. Now, if any other network is in need of a makeover right now, it's BET.
Ever since 106 & Park came to an end, the only thing keeping people from changing channels was BET's scripted series and special events like the BET Awards. They come for those shows, but once they're finished, they head back to greener pastures, since they've already watched Life twenty times and can watch The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, without commercials or irritating bugs, on Netflix.
Meanwhile, MTV2 is scoring record ratings.. on its own channel because, up until now, nobody watched their channel, not even for Bellator. Thanks to the popularity of Wild n' Out and Guy Code, they've begun producing better, sensible, more notable shows. A lot better than most of the crap MTV makes. Unfortunately, said shows are never around for more than 10 episodes; meaning all MTV2 really has to offer is reruns of MTV shows already airing on the main network, syndicated sitcoms that you've already seen on another channel, and really crappy movies. It's pointless to remind you, but isn't this supposed to be the MTV network that's actually about music?
Here's my solution: a merger. I purpose we shut down MTV2 (and MTV Jams) and let BET be the hip-hop network; like how CMT is the country network, and VH1 is the "adult" music network. Since virtually every show on MTV2 not named Guy Code & Wild n' Out hasn't lasted more than a season, and most of BET's new programming are just cheap reality shows, I believe we should incorporate MTV2's programming into BET's lineup. Hell, with their reboot of Punk'd, they've already starting taking MTV shows as their own anyway. MTV2 and BET both target the same age range, the demographics are different, but you'd wouldn't know that since they both air the same damn sitcoms.
At this point, the only reason why MTV2 (and BET Hip-Hop) exists is to drive profits for Viacom, to the point where if just one of their networks aren't on cable or satellite, none of them are. I still wonder what kind of strategy that is; if the provider doesn't want to carry their channel, it's probably because it's a piece of shit...or because said provider was DirecTV. It's as if everything, everything, from the cancellation of TRL to the launch of NickMom, was for no other reason but to cut costs and drive ratings. That's fine, but what's the point if it ends up damaging established brands and turns away viewers, since the network they used to love has become a shadow of its former self? Now that the cord cutting revolution has begun, Viacom is desperate to milk as many cows as they can before they, and other companies, are reduced to the same level playing field.
Of course, just shutting down worthless channels isn't a sound business strategy, not if they can still be revamped. MTV2 could still shift back towards actual music programming, and leave non-music programming to MTV1. Of course that's about as likely as Oxygen making a reality show that isn't a trashy piece of shit (Too soon?). Instead of milking dust, what I'm proposing will give those chumps at Viacom a fresh new cow to process. After all, what's the point of keeping around channels if you're not going to put in the effort to make them stand out; if all you're going to do is stick with a few exclusive shows and fill the rest of the schedule with rehashed shit? At least NBC was able to figure that shit out!
...Oh dear lord, Viacom really is the American Bell Media: twice the money, double the stupidity. Prey for BET, folks. Prey.
Friday, 28 August 2015
Thursday, 27 August 2015
Fall 2015: The Full Package
CTV
http://www.ctv.ca/TheCTVInsider/Articles/News/More-Better-CTV%E2%80%99s-2015-2016-Schedule-Revealed.aspx
Global
http://www.shawmedia.ca/Media/PressReleaseDetail.aspx?pressReleaseId=6442462338
http://www.ctv.ca/TheCTVInsider/Articles/News/More-Better-CTV%E2%80%99s-2015-2016-Schedule-Revealed.aspx
Global picked the wrong season to dump Sleepy Hollow, they could have benefited from that show's crossover with Bones later this season. Not to mention, who watches CTV Two? If I had any problems with CTV's lineup this year, its that it's owned by Bell Media.
My Picks for CTV and CTV Two this season are Blood & Oil, The Goldbergs, Gotham, Lucifer, the Arrowverse (Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow), Sleepy Hollow, and Best Night Ever.
Global
http://www.shawmedia.ca/Media/PressReleaseDetail.aspx?pressReleaseId=6442462338
When Shaw Media said CTV "showed them the way", they weren't kidding; just look at that schedule. From CBS, co-owners of The CW, and the people who brought you the Arrowverse comes Supergirl. Hopefully this show won't get screwed like Constantine was last year. Thanks, NBC. Meanwhile, on that same network, Heroes is making a comeback in the form of Heroes: Reborn. Thank you, NBC! It's gonna be a homecoming on both sides of the border, since Global also aired the original series back in the day. Hmm? Do you notice anything else different about this lineup?
My picks for Global are Supergirl, Heroes, The Blacklist and Elementary (aka the best things to happen to crime dramas, ever).
City
City has a whole lotta FOX to give this year. From returning series like The Last Man on Earth, The Mindy Project & Bob's Burgers, to newcomers like Scream Queens and the Grinder. Also, Bordertown. They also got The Muppets, Rush Hour, Empire (which will move from Omni 2) and CBC's Mr. D. Speaking of Canadian shows, Sunnyside is back this fall (Yay!) and so is Hockey Night in Canada. Overall, a huge improvement from last year's barebone offerings.
My picks for City this year are Scream Queens, The Grinder, The Muppets, Rush Hour, Sunnyside, and Empire.
CBC
I don't really watch CBC all that much since Republic of Doyle ended, so please excuse me if I cut to the chase. My picks this year are Young Drunk Punk, courtesy of City; Murdoch Mysteries, also courtesy of City, by legacy; Still Standing, Jekyll and Hyde, 22 Minutes, and the Rick Mercer Report.
CHCH
After going who knows where (M3?), Supernatual is back where it belongs, and it joins fellow CW series The Originals. I'm a little disappointed that they didn't pick up more series from the CW, because they're definitely not the broadcast equivalent to MTV anymore. Also new this fall are Rosewood and Nashville, which might have aired on a previous network, but I don't really care all that much to look into it.
CHCH is truly an alternative for those who are two low-brow for CBC, yet don't find anything on the other networks all that appealing. That being said, I have to ask. Seriously, more reruns? Surely they could have aired a movie on Friday instead, since it's nothing but reruns. In fact, since movies saved this station, they should be airing more of those instead! However, CHCH is owned by a small company, a company that's launching a Canadian Bloomberg channel this year, so it's probably for the best to play it safe for now.
My picks for CHCH are Supernatural, Rosewood, and Canada's own The Pinkertons!
There you have it folks, set your PVRs!
Wednesday, 26 August 2015
Oxygen Media: Why Does It Still Exist?
When Style Network was replaced with Esquire Network, I questioned why NBCUniversial didn't shut down Oxygen as well. Unlike E! (which focuses on pop culture and entertainment) and Bravo (which focuses on fashion and...pop culture?), Oxygen is more of a general-interest channel. That means they can air programming that its siblings can't, like Olympic coverage.
However, because of it's lack of exclusive programming, Oxygen is almost nothing but syndicated TV series and shows recycled from it's siblings; the only exclusive show they have out their entire acquired slate are reruns of America's Next Top Model. However, its original shows aren't much help either: while Snapped has been syndicated to other crappy networks like LMN and REELZ, every other reality show they've ever produced has been overshadowed by their flagship series, The Bad Girls Club, a show so horrible it makes The Real Housewives look tame.
As I said in an earlier post, I don't base my opinions on ratings and demographic charts, I based my opinions on simply watching television. When I watch a TV channel, first and foremost, I expect to see shows I haven't already seen on another cable network. When you compare Oxygen to Lifetime, not only does the latter have more original content than acquired, said original content is a lot more notable, and watchable, then anything on the former.
Oxygen is almost worthless as a cable network, far more so than WE TV. The only people who find value in its existence is NBCUniversal, which makes it bittersweet to know that they are still trying to turn dust into diamonds with this channel. Even down south, people would rather watch Hulu than anything on TV these days. So NBC better work hard to bring Oxygen up to the same standard that E! and Bravo are held to in their portfolio. They should have did something different with this channel; target a different demo, find different programming, anything but the same old shit we've seen everywhere else.
Then again, maybe you'd be better off watching WE.
However, because of it's lack of exclusive programming, Oxygen is almost nothing but syndicated TV series and shows recycled from it's siblings; the only exclusive show they have out their entire acquired slate are reruns of America's Next Top Model. However, its original shows aren't much help either: while Snapped has been syndicated to other crappy networks like LMN and REELZ, every other reality show they've ever produced has been overshadowed by their flagship series, The Bad Girls Club, a show so horrible it makes The Real Housewives look tame.
As I said in an earlier post, I don't base my opinions on ratings and demographic charts, I based my opinions on simply watching television. When I watch a TV channel, first and foremost, I expect to see shows I haven't already seen on another cable network. When you compare Oxygen to Lifetime, not only does the latter have more original content than acquired, said original content is a lot more notable, and watchable, then anything on the former.
Oxygen is almost worthless as a cable network, far more so than WE TV. The only people who find value in its existence is NBCUniversal, which makes it bittersweet to know that they are still trying to turn dust into diamonds with this channel. Even down south, people would rather watch Hulu than anything on TV these days. So NBC better work hard to bring Oxygen up to the same standard that E! and Bravo are held to in their portfolio. They should have did something different with this channel; target a different demo, find different programming, anything but the same old shit we've seen everywhere else.
Then again, maybe you'd be better off watching WE.
Tuesday, 25 August 2015
Why Do Moviegoers Always Pull This Shit?!
You know, there is something really wrong with the world if Hitman: Agent 47, a movie that we all knew was gonna suck, still made more money than something like Amercian Ultra. Sure, the critical dissonance over the Need for Speed movie gave the slight hope that non-Japanese movie adaptions of video games were finally getting better, but be realistic. Need for Speed had no plot to adapt; the positive reviews from that film just means the plot that they thew together was either good enough, or not terrible enough, for people to say "Well, at least it was better than King of Fighters."
No, I don't think "original ideas are over", I think there are far too many rich kids out there who spend a lot of money on shit, or just haven't learned their lesson yet. For example, how did the Resident Evil and Transformers film franchises get so many sequels, when they didn't even deserve one? The answer: movie goers kept throwing money at them, when they should have been throwing stones. If you didn't like the first movie, why the fuck would you pay money to see the sequel?
At least Twilight has the excuse of being an adaption by an equally crappy book loved by fans worldwide, but these other movies have no excuse. These sequels and reboots should have been produced on mockbuster budgets and sold in bargin bins. If they were truly terrible films, they should not be making that much green. There are really only two logical explanations: either there are millions of idiots with too much money on their hands, and just as much free time, to do with it; or, there is actually a market and audience for these so-called adaptions, a safe-heaven for those who love guilty pleasures, and those who couldn't create a decent movie to save their life. Or, in Michael Bay's case, a decent adaption, speaking of critical dissonance...
In all seriousness, people, the only films that should have this much luck are the films by Friedberg and Seltzer, their films are cheap enough that they can keep making more despite critical mauling. There is something wrong really wrong with the world if Hitman: Agent 47 made more money than something like Amercian Ultra, and guess what? It's you. Stop spending money on crap!
...And yes, stones, not popcorn; don't waste food.
No, I don't think "original ideas are over", I think there are far too many rich kids out there who spend a lot of money on shit, or just haven't learned their lesson yet. For example, how did the Resident Evil and Transformers film franchises get so many sequels, when they didn't even deserve one? The answer: movie goers kept throwing money at them, when they should have been throwing stones. If you didn't like the first movie, why the fuck would you pay money to see the sequel?
At least Twilight has the excuse of being an adaption by an equally crappy book loved by fans worldwide, but these other movies have no excuse. These sequels and reboots should have been produced on mockbuster budgets and sold in bargin bins. If they were truly terrible films, they should not be making that much green. There are really only two logical explanations: either there are millions of idiots with too much money on their hands, and just as much free time, to do with it; or, there is actually a market and audience for these so-called adaptions, a safe-heaven for those who love guilty pleasures, and those who couldn't create a decent movie to save their life. Or, in Michael Bay's case, a decent adaption, speaking of critical dissonance...
In all seriousness, people, the only films that should have this much luck are the films by Friedberg and Seltzer, their films are cheap enough that they can keep making more despite critical mauling. There is something wrong really wrong with the world if Hitman: Agent 47 made more money than something like Amercian Ultra, and guess what? It's you. Stop spending money on crap!
...And yes, stones, not popcorn; don't waste food.
Monday, 24 August 2015
The Big Comeback (And Others)!
When I heard from SmashingTheNew that Young Justice, the greatest superhero hero show since Batman: TAS, was making a comeback, I though he was on something. Then, I actually did some research and found out that, almost two years since its cancellation, the campaign to #RenewYoungJustice is still going strong. That hashtag was actually trending this past weekend! Sadly, what STN thought was a renewal, planned for December of this year, turned out to be a hoax. Seriously, first Bloody Roar, then Crash Banidcoot (for the umpteenth time), and now this! Am I just doomed to hear nothing false hopes for franchises deserving of a revival?
Apparently not, because something else was making headlines this month: SWAT-Kats! There are no words to describe this show, other than it being criminally short-lived. SWAT-Kats, and everything else on Boomerang at the time, gave me new respect for the classics. Big shock, there was a Kickstarter campaign for a sequel series - "SWAT Kats: Revolution" (yeah, it's generic, but just roll with it, will you?) - which reached $141,500. That means, at the very least, we'll get a teaser.
Now, I won't be greedy, if I can't have a third season of Young Justice, I'll take SWAT-Kats. After all, we got reboots and comebacks up the butt. Ben 10 and The Powerpuff Girls are getting reboots, ReBoot is getting a reboot (That joke will never get old), a new Mega Man series is in the works and, on the east side, Speed Racer is coming back. Yes, the iconic series, originally known as Mach GoGoGo, is finally being released uncut.
So now we just have to sit and wait for actual substance from these announcements to appear. As Square-Enix taught me, announcing something is very different from actually doing something. ...Then again, I tend to do that a lot myself.
Apparently not, because something else was making headlines this month: SWAT-Kats! There are no words to describe this show, other than it being criminally short-lived. SWAT-Kats, and everything else on Boomerang at the time, gave me new respect for the classics. Big shock, there was a Kickstarter campaign for a sequel series - "SWAT Kats: Revolution" (yeah, it's generic, but just roll with it, will you?) - which reached $141,500. That means, at the very least, we'll get a teaser.
Now, I won't be greedy, if I can't have a third season of Young Justice, I'll take SWAT-Kats. After all, we got reboots and comebacks up the butt. Ben 10 and The Powerpuff Girls are getting reboots, ReBoot is getting a reboot (That joke will never get old), a new Mega Man series is in the works and, on the east side, Speed Racer is coming back. Yes, the iconic series, originally known as Mach GoGoGo, is finally being released uncut.
So now we just have to sit and wait for actual substance from these announcements to appear. As Square-Enix taught me, announcing something is very different from actually doing something. ...Then again, I tend to do that a lot myself.
Wednesday, 19 August 2015
Black Entertainment Television - Do They Really Got Me?
In the months since the end of 106 & Park, I feel BET has gone downhill in the programming department. In the wake of The Game's final season, leaving Real Husbands of Hollywood and Being Mary Jane as the only scripted series, it looks like the network is going back to making forgettable reality shows. I'll admit, Nellyville had just the right amount of comedy and drama to keep me watching, at least when nothing better was on, but I just can't see it as anything else but filler. For the record, I don't hate reality shows, nor do I think of them as guilty pleasures. It's just that the sheer amount of cookie-cutting crap on TV these days makes me grateful that they brought back Punk'd.
I think the biggest problem with BET is that it relies too much on DVD movies and syndicated sitcoms, but especially the movies; don't get me started on the amount of times I've seen "Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins" and "Life" being played. Even worse, after Centric's rebrand, damn near all of BET's syndicated shows moved to that network; the ones that didn't are played rather frequently on MTV and MTV2.
You'd think BET would be able to balance it out with their original programming, but when an original show does air, it's almost always from the current season, not the past seasons. This is especially jarring when The Game sits at over 140 episodes, yet BET doesn't even find time to air The CW-produced seasons anymore. Granted, BET doesn't order a lot of episodes, and quality will always triumph over quantity, but it would be nice to see something different for a change.
Instead, viewers are stuck with the same movies over and over again, unless you live in Canada, in which case, you're stuck with the same music videos over and over again. Yeah, did I mention that certain programs on BET are, excuse the pun, blacked out due to programming rights? Even shows from a sibling network, especially if it's available in Canada (Spike), will be blocked. When such programming airs, Canadian viewers are treated to reruns of BET Now and The Pull-Up: old music video blocks. Not old as in the 90s, old as in "contemporary songs from only a few years ago". Needless to say, it gets repetitive after a while. Thank god for FEVA TV!
I'd like to believe that all of these problems are a result of Viacom spreading themselves too thin. If BET still aired gospel and hip-hop videos, rather than just shunt them off to spin-off channels that no one will watch (nor will cable providers want to pick up), they wouldn't have to air the same damn movies over and over again. They already have MTV Jams anyway, and it would be a cheap, yet refreshing, change of pace in a world without 106 & Park and Bobby Jones Gospel. Besides, with Vevo TV Flow and other internet-based services, I can get my fix without a cable subscription.
Furthermore, if MTV2 is only good for reruns and crappy movies (No seriously, the movies they air CRAP!), instead of shows related to hip-hop and rock music, then it should have been shut down long after Sucker Free got cancelled. With their crappy ratings, MTV1 can benefit from the gender-balanced audience MTV2's programming brings. It's not like any original show on MTV2 not named Wild 'n Out or Guy Code will make it past 26 episodes anyway, not even the reboot of Celebrity Deathmatch is safe.
Ultimately, in their current state, targeting a younger demo will not change BET's fortunes; it just makes the competition look better. I don't believe the network is in any trouble because, right now, change is happening all across Viacom's networks. That being said, I do believe it's time for a change at BET. They say they got me, but I got better networks to watch.
I think the biggest problem with BET is that it relies too much on DVD movies and syndicated sitcoms, but especially the movies; don't get me started on the amount of times I've seen "Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins" and "Life" being played. Even worse, after Centric's rebrand, damn near all of BET's syndicated shows moved to that network; the ones that didn't are played rather frequently on MTV and MTV2.
You'd think BET would be able to balance it out with their original programming, but when an original show does air, it's almost always from the current season, not the past seasons. This is especially jarring when The Game sits at over 140 episodes, yet BET doesn't even find time to air The CW-produced seasons anymore. Granted, BET doesn't order a lot of episodes, and quality will always triumph over quantity, but it would be nice to see something different for a change.
Instead, viewers are stuck with the same movies over and over again, unless you live in Canada, in which case, you're stuck with the same music videos over and over again. Yeah, did I mention that certain programs on BET are, excuse the pun, blacked out due to programming rights? Even shows from a sibling network, especially if it's available in Canada (Spike), will be blocked. When such programming airs, Canadian viewers are treated to reruns of BET Now and The Pull-Up: old music video blocks. Not old as in the 90s, old as in "contemporary songs from only a few years ago". Needless to say, it gets repetitive after a while. Thank god for FEVA TV!
I'd like to believe that all of these problems are a result of Viacom spreading themselves too thin. If BET still aired gospel and hip-hop videos, rather than just shunt them off to spin-off channels that no one will watch (nor will cable providers want to pick up), they wouldn't have to air the same damn movies over and over again. They already have MTV Jams anyway, and it would be a cheap, yet refreshing, change of pace in a world without 106 & Park and Bobby Jones Gospel. Besides, with Vevo TV Flow and other internet-based services, I can get my fix without a cable subscription.
Furthermore, if MTV2 is only good for reruns and crappy movies (No seriously, the movies they air CRAP!), instead of shows related to hip-hop and rock music, then it should have been shut down long after Sucker Free got cancelled. With their crappy ratings, MTV1 can benefit from the gender-balanced audience MTV2's programming brings. It's not like any original show on MTV2 not named Wild 'n Out or Guy Code will make it past 26 episodes anyway, not even the reboot of Celebrity Deathmatch is safe.
Ultimately, in their current state, targeting a younger demo will not change BET's fortunes; it just makes the competition look better. I don't believe the network is in any trouble because, right now, change is happening all across Viacom's networks. That being said, I do believe it's time for a change at BET. They say they got me, but I got better networks to watch.
Sunday, 16 August 2015
Summer is Almost Over... (August 2015 Update)
I've been having second thoughts about Aile x Opal lately, especially since I've started making SSB4 machinima. At the suggestion of someone at GorillaGong, I was going to use voice actors for the series but, surprise, barely anyone auditioned. So screw it, from now on, I'll stick to what I know: bad voice acting and subtitles.
I haven't gotten started on the next episode yet, because I was already working on Reycralibur, episode thirteen. Really, I just don't have any ideas for future episodes, at least not ones that were going to be used for Reycralibur. Aile x Opal was supposed to be a reboot but, since I've decided to continue Reycralibur, there's really no point. So, I'm shelving that series for now. I might come back to it in the future but, for right now, I really just want to finish Reycralibur.
Besides, I've already started a new series: SmashVine! I'm very lucky no one tried this before, making a six-second Smash machinima every week. I can use this to practice my craft in 64, Brawl, and Wii U, and still have content for my web channels. Hell, since Smash 4 is popular, I might actually get some viewers for a change. Right now, though, I'm working on the next Shoopa Smash installment. As you can guess from the teaser, it's a Crusade machinima, and the timing couldn't be more perfect: there's a new version on the way!
So there you have it: Reycralibur thirteen is on the way, Shoopa Smash is coming, and I have a new series you can watch RIGHT NOW! But hey, "machinima sucks" and I should just "do more TV stuff", right? ...Wrong, Moron. I'll do whatever I want, whenever I want to do it, and if you don't like it, you can kiss my furry, blue, ass.
*sigh* Sometimes, I love freedom of speech...
I haven't gotten started on the next episode yet, because I was already working on Reycralibur, episode thirteen. Really, I just don't have any ideas for future episodes, at least not ones that were going to be used for Reycralibur. Aile x Opal was supposed to be a reboot but, since I've decided to continue Reycralibur, there's really no point. So, I'm shelving that series for now. I might come back to it in the future but, for right now, I really just want to finish Reycralibur.
Besides, I've already started a new series: SmashVine! I'm very lucky no one tried this before, making a six-second Smash machinima every week. I can use this to practice my craft in 64, Brawl, and Wii U, and still have content for my web channels. Hell, since Smash 4 is popular, I might actually get some viewers for a change. Right now, though, I'm working on the next Shoopa Smash installment. As you can guess from the teaser, it's a Crusade machinima, and the timing couldn't be more perfect: there's a new version on the way!
So there you have it: Reycralibur thirteen is on the way, Shoopa Smash is coming, and I have a new series you can watch RIGHT NOW! But hey, "machinima sucks" and I should just "do more TV stuff", right? ...Wrong, Moron. I'll do whatever I want, whenever I want to do it, and if you don't like it, you can kiss my furry, blue, ass.
*sigh* Sometimes, I love freedom of speech...
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