Every Monday morning at 7:10 am, I am a guest contributor on CHOM 97.7 FM radio broadcasting out of Montreal (home base). It’s not a long segment – about 5 to 10 minutes every week – about everything that is happening in the world of technology and digital media. The good folks at CHOM 97.7 FM are posting these segments weekly to SoundCloud, if you’re interested in hearing more of me blathering away. I’m really excited about this opportunity, because this is the radio station that I grew up on listening to, and it really is a fun treat to be invited to the Mornings Rock with Terry and Heather B. morning show. The segment is called, CTRL ALT Delete with Mitch Joel.
This week we discussed:
We keep thinking that Netflix (and models like it) are the ways in which TV and film companies will make money. Famed comedian, Louis CK, isn’t quite feeling it… yet. The comedian created his own web series called, Horace and Pete, starring himself (Horace) and Steve Buscemi (Pete) as co-owners of a Brooklyn Bar. The first episode cost $5 to watch; the second $2; and the remaining eight $3 each for a total of $31 for the full season. How did it do? C.K. told Howard Stern that he spent $2 million of his own money to make those first four episodes, but they didn’t make nearly enough to bankroll the rest of the season. CK had to take out a line of credit, putting himself millions of dollars in the hole. Nobody said this new media business was easy or a slam dunk.
The creator of Napster (and the first president of Facebook) is at it again. This time, Sean Parker wants to disrupt the movie theatre business. His product is called The Screening Room, and here’s the pitch: you buy a $150 box, and then you can pay $50 for a movie and watch it – in the comfort of your own home – the same date it is released in the theatres. Many movie executives are getting behind it. Many are terrified by it. What do you think?