Jeffrey Katzenberg
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Another one?  Yes, there is yet another direct-to-consumer streaming service coming our way.  This one is called NewTV and comes from Dreamworks co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman, a former executive for Hewlett Packard, Disney, Dreamworks, Procter & Gamble, and Hasbro.  AT&T and its subsidiary WarnerMedia are investing in this new venture.  NewTV will launch in either late 2019 or early 2020 and will cost subscribers $5 a month for a version with ads or $8 for an ad-free version.  What sets NewTV apart from other services is that it will offer episodes that are, at most, 10 minutes long.  Katzenberg has already lined up ‘Ash Vs. Evil Dead’ creator Sam Raimi to craft new material for this service.

NewTV will off a “range of scripted and unscripted shows, including sitcoms, dramas, reality, and documentaries; it won’t include any live TV.”  As for the short format, Katzenberg pointed out “There are multiple ‘in between’ moments over the course of your day,” which would allow for time to watch shorter clips.  (The way it already works, with Youtube.  Which is free.)

Whitman stated that the advertising on the $5 version would be cinematic in nature and tell larger stories than average TV commercials.  Customers could also opt not to watch them, similar to some ads that play in front of existing online videos.

Some big names have already invested.

“Disney, 21st Century Fox, NBCUniversal, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Viacom, Lionsgate, MGM, ITV and Entertainment One. Tech investors include Chinese internet giant Alibaba Group; strategic investors include VC firm Madrone Capital Partners, which led the round, along with Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase & Co., and John Malone’s Liberty Global.”

NewTV, of course, joins Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon, as well as Apple’s upcoming streaming service, CBS All Access, AMC’s horror-themed Shudder, Crackle, Warner Brothers’ new DC Universe, Disney’s upcoming service, and a bunch more like Playstation Vue, Curiosity Stream,  Fubo TV, Crunchyroll and more.  A Lot more.

Is there room in your life for another streaming service?  What do you think of the 10 minute run times?  Does the price justify that?

Source: Variety