Arise, [Clarkson on] Top Gear!
#81
Boost Pope
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I guess I still think of Netflix in the context of the days when DVDs by mail was the only thing they did and the torrent scene didn't really exist. In my mind, they're still just the company that managed to undercut Blockbuster and out them out of business, even though I realize that they've long since become a content creator.
I've just never watched any of their shows- don't have a clue what the production values are like. When I think of "internet companies that make TV shows," I think more along the lines of Atom Films in the late 90s.
#85
2 Props,3 Dildos,& 1 Cat
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Acting talent has been high caliber as well, whether it's the very-well-knowns or the who-the-****-izzes. They could use some better writing for some stuff, but I think that's going to happen anywhere.
All they really need is a better stack of Sci Fi shows. Right now they just have some Wachowski "soft" scifi thing that doesn't interest me.
Speaking of which, Anyone watch Killjoys? How is it?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killjoys_(TV_series)
#86
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I do have some recent experience with Netflix, as my sister down in Florida has the service through her DVD player. My opinion is that while, back in the DVD era, Netflix was the one place that had pretty much every movie title and TV show imaginable, their current playlist is astoundingly inadequate, offering a very small selection with no apparent logic as to what titles are available and / or when they are added to / taken out of the rotation.
In other words, Netflix seems to have re-engineered itself around the model of "I'm bored, I think I'll browse through the Netflix playlist to see if anything appeals to me." This is basically the exact same paradigm as cable TV, and not one that's especially appealing to me. In fact, pretty much every single time I've had a desire to watch some specific film, I've found that it's not available on Netflix; a problem rectified by two minutes spend perusing the torrent engines followed by a 15-20 minute download.
#87
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Beyond the obvious (Top Gear, Battlestar Galactia, Firefly, My Little Pony, etc), my TV viewing habits tend to skew towards extremely serious drama; mostly HBO / Showtime stuff. I just finished watching The Newsroom, am currently on season 3 of Homeland, greatly enjoyed series like OZ, The Wire, Deadwood, and so on...
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<p>Tell my about brony life. Is it for the irony? Is the show actually good? I've never been able to bring myself to watch, and always thought brony life was one giant troll.</p><p> </p><p>[size="1"]or am I being trolled right now[/size]</p>
#94
As for the Netflix business model, it's not a good way to watch specific movies. It's great if you are more flexible on what you want to watch, and it's much better than cable TV because you don't have to worry about what time stuff is on (plus you can binge-watch old episodes).
There's also Amazon Prime streaming. The free content set is smaller than Netflix, but they have stuff that Netflix doesn't. Amazon Prime also lets you pay to watch specific things, either as a purchase or a rental model for a few bucks.
--Ian
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Top Gear's Clarkson, Hammond and May sign Amazon deal
Former BBC stars opt for online giant rather than ITV and Netflix for new motoring show to launch next year
John Plunkett
Thursday 30 July 2015 05.59 EDT
Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May have been signed up by Amazon for a new motoring show to rival the BBC’s Top Gear.
The trio’s new show will be broadcast on Amazon’s on-demand TV service, with the US giant beating off competition from ITV and its online rival, Netflix.
The announcement on Thursday follows months of speculation where Clarkson and his former Top Gear colleagues would go after he was axed by the BBC earlier this year following a fracas with a producer.
He will reunite with his former co-presenters on the new show, along with its former executive producer Andy Wilman.
Clarkson, Hammond, May and Wilman have signed a three-series deal with Amazon. Production on the first series will begin soon and it will launch next year.
The new show does not have a name yet, with the Top Gear brand belonging to the BBC.
Amazon UK announced the deal on Instagram using the hashtag #Drive2Prime.
It will be available exclusively to subscribers to Amazon Prime, which is home to a huge archive of films and TV shows and a growing number of original programmes made by Amazon including the Golden Globe-winning comedy Transparent and Victorian crime drama Ripper Street.
Like Clarkson and his fellow presenters, Ripper Street was picked up by Amazon after it was dropped by the BBC.
New Amazon productions in the pipeline include Woody Allen’s first TV series and Ridley Scott drama The Man in the High Castle.
Top Gear, one of the BBC’s most valuable shows generating about £50m a year for its commercial arm, BBC Worldwide, will return to BBC2 next year with an all-new lineup headed by Radio 2 breakfast DJ, Chris Evans.
In a joke at the expense of the BBC, Clarkson said: “I feel like I’ve climbed out of a biplane and into a spaceship.”
May added: “We have become part of the new age of smart TV. Ironic, isn’t it?”
Hammond said: “Amazon? Oh yes. I have already been there. I got bitten by a bullet ant.”
Jay Marine, vice-president of Amazon Prime Video in Europe, said: “Customers told us they wanted to see the team back on screen, and we are excited to make that happen.
“Millions of Prime members are already enjoying our ground-breaking original shows. We can’t wait to see what Jeremy, Richard, James and the team will create in what is sure to be one of the most globally anticipated shows of 2016.”
He added: “This is a golden age of television, a great time for TV makers and storytellers.
“Our approach is to give programme makers creative freedom to be innovative and make the shows they want to make. This is just the start, you should expect to see more world-leading talent and the biggest shows on Prime Video.”
The final Top Gear featuring Clarkson, Hammond and May was aired on BBC2 last month, watched by more than 5 million viewers.
Ahead of its screening, executive producer Wilman, a school friend of Clarkson who came up with the modern Top Gear format a decade ago, said: “All we know is that we want to stay together and carry on making a car show.
“There is a will for it – the public want it, broadcasters want it – so the stars are aligning in the right way. Once this show’s gone out and we’ve got closure, we’ll crack on.”
Wilman said he was not worried about not being able to take the Top Gear name with them.
“I’m not worried about that,” he said. “It went global because of Richard, James and Jeremy, and grew at a time when channel loyalty, schedules, all those pillars of traditional TV watching, have fallen away ... We are looking for a global platform.”
Top Gear's Clarkson, Hammond and May sign Amazon deal | Media | The Guardian
Former BBC stars opt for online giant rather than ITV and Netflix for new motoring show to launch next year
John Plunkett
Thursday 30 July 2015 05.59 EDT
Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May have been signed up by Amazon for a new motoring show to rival the BBC’s Top Gear.
The trio’s new show will be broadcast on Amazon’s on-demand TV service, with the US giant beating off competition from ITV and its online rival, Netflix.
The announcement on Thursday follows months of speculation where Clarkson and his former Top Gear colleagues would go after he was axed by the BBC earlier this year following a fracas with a producer.
He will reunite with his former co-presenters on the new show, along with its former executive producer Andy Wilman.
Clarkson, Hammond, May and Wilman have signed a three-series deal with Amazon. Production on the first series will begin soon and it will launch next year.
The new show does not have a name yet, with the Top Gear brand belonging to the BBC.
Amazon UK announced the deal on Instagram using the hashtag #Drive2Prime.
It will be available exclusively to subscribers to Amazon Prime, which is home to a huge archive of films and TV shows and a growing number of original programmes made by Amazon including the Golden Globe-winning comedy Transparent and Victorian crime drama Ripper Street.
Like Clarkson and his fellow presenters, Ripper Street was picked up by Amazon after it was dropped by the BBC.
New Amazon productions in the pipeline include Woody Allen’s first TV series and Ridley Scott drama The Man in the High Castle.
Top Gear, one of the BBC’s most valuable shows generating about £50m a year for its commercial arm, BBC Worldwide, will return to BBC2 next year with an all-new lineup headed by Radio 2 breakfast DJ, Chris Evans.
In a joke at the expense of the BBC, Clarkson said: “I feel like I’ve climbed out of a biplane and into a spaceship.”
May added: “We have become part of the new age of smart TV. Ironic, isn’t it?”
Hammond said: “Amazon? Oh yes. I have already been there. I got bitten by a bullet ant.”
Jay Marine, vice-president of Amazon Prime Video in Europe, said: “Customers told us they wanted to see the team back on screen, and we are excited to make that happen.
“Millions of Prime members are already enjoying our ground-breaking original shows. We can’t wait to see what Jeremy, Richard, James and the team will create in what is sure to be one of the most globally anticipated shows of 2016.”
He added: “This is a golden age of television, a great time for TV makers and storytellers.
“Our approach is to give programme makers creative freedom to be innovative and make the shows they want to make. This is just the start, you should expect to see more world-leading talent and the biggest shows on Prime Video.”
The final Top Gear featuring Clarkson, Hammond and May was aired on BBC2 last month, watched by more than 5 million viewers.
Ahead of its screening, executive producer Wilman, a school friend of Clarkson who came up with the modern Top Gear format a decade ago, said: “All we know is that we want to stay together and carry on making a car show.
“There is a will for it – the public want it, broadcasters want it – so the stars are aligning in the right way. Once this show’s gone out and we’ve got closure, we’ll crack on.”
Wilman said he was not worried about not being able to take the Top Gear name with them.
“I’m not worried about that,” he said. “It went global because of Richard, James and Jeremy, and grew at a time when channel loyalty, schedules, all those pillars of traditional TV watching, have fallen away ... We are looking for a global platform.”
Top Gear's Clarkson, Hammond and May sign Amazon deal | Media | The Guardian