5 ms·

Netflix Lands the Coen Brothers’ Western TV Series

177 points by janober 9y ago

what_ever 9y ago
<removed>
- learc83 9y ago
  From the guidelines: "Please don't submit comments complaining that a submission is inappropriate for the site. If you think a story is spam or off-topic, flag it by clicking on its 'flag' link. If you think a comment is egregious, click on its timestamp to go to its page, then click 'flag' at the top. (Not all users see flag links; there's a small karma threshold.)"
  - what_ever 9y ago
    Thanks.
11thEarlOfMar 9y ago
I'll say what others are likely thinking... The Coen brothers hold a special place in my heart. So, so glad to see them headed to Netflix!
- timdellinger 9y ago
  I'm basically going to see anything that they make... they're earned that from me. Part of me wishes that I could just get a $250 "lifetime subscription" to everything they do... they get the money up front. It's not clear to me how they would go about using the money in the current system... maybe they could negotiate for a greater share of the proceeds if they bring financing money to the table; maybe that would make it easier for financiers to say yes. (yup, i said proceeds, not profits, since i'm aware of hollywood accounting). maybe something through patreon might work for this.
- savanaly 9y ago
  Agreed. I'd happily trade the whole disney catalog for a new coen brother movie any day of the week.
- Aron 9y ago
  I look forward to new great firsts like this one. 15+ years ago TV and Movies were major status differences. Actors/Directors wouldn't besmirch themselves working on tv. It's been interesting seeing this flipflop. Netflix could be the first one to reach budgets that double, triple or more Game of Thrones or parallel on a per-minute basis Avatar and so on but in lengthier form. I had always imagined them bringing their A-game to a Star Wars TV series (maybe copping FireFly elements), and despite the Disney news which is overblown, I still think this could happen.
aresant 9y ago
Netflix is such an interesting business. They have far and away the broadest streaming distribution (75% of it!) in the USA (1) which is a market that already 53% saturated. And the bull case guys point to international subscription growth - which is still in its infancy - as the reason to hold Netflix forever. (2) They have much lower infrastructure costs then the previous cable providers without having to build the pipes. But they also don't benefit from the built in government / monopoly protections that came with that investment in the distribution platform. So in terms of long game how do they protect themselves? Own the content. Disney pulling their rug out earlier this week underscores how fucked Netflix is as just a distributor. So if, in the end, distribution becomes the new "dumb pipes" at what point do the content providers pull the judo flip and control the distribution and the margin? Disney again, case in point. So do we underwrite Netflix's future - aka their current 227 PE! - in their ability to execute on the content side? (1) https://techcrunch.com/2017/04/10/netflix-reaches-75-of-u-s-streaming-service-viewers-but-youtube-is-catching-up/ https://techcrunch.com/2017/04/10/netflix-reaches-75-of-u-s-... (2) https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/08/buy-netflix-because-its-international-subs-will-nearly-double-piper.html https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/08/buy-netflix-because-its-inte...
- 11thEarlOfMar 9y ago
  Yes. They've evolved and executed repeatedly in the 20 years since they started. DVDs by mail->Streaming Online->Original Content->Global Market. One misstep was to try to separate the legacy DVD business as a stand alone brand and charge separately for streaming. That failed pretty spectacularly, so they quickly bailed on the idea[0], said their mea culpas and went on to triple revenues over the 5 years since. We can expect Netflix to grow into the Earth's TV station, hyperbole and all... [0] http://business.time.com/2011/09/19/netflix-admits-it-messed-up-will-split-dvd-and-streaming-into-two-businesses/ http://business.time.com/2011/09/19/netflix-admits-it-messed...
  - ethbro 9y ago
    I think Netflix looks like a less pie-in-sky, but still incredibly innovative and responsive, Amazon. You're not paying for their current business, you're paying for their ability to execute now and in the future.
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
askvictor 9y ago
The fragmentation of the streaming market keeps me from using it; I'd happily pay $x per episode/movie (and do on Google play where the content is there). But I'm not going to subscribe to a streaming service just for one series that I want. I'm curious about the concept of brand loyalty to content producers (Disney being the example here) - do people really think "I'd like to see a Disney movie tonight" or do they just want to see a particular movie or genre? I'm sure there's some brand loyalty for Hugh quality (HBO) or specific interest, but am curious how far this goes.
- danudey 9y ago
  > do people really think "I'd like to see a Disney movie tonight" or do they just want to see a particular movie or genre? I don't think it's so much "Let's go see what's on the Disney tonight", and more a question of requirements. I have a son, who is going to turn 3. There's a decent chance that, within a few years, we're going to need on-demand access to Disney content, even if that means paying like $10/mo that we weren't paying before. If he gets hooked on e.g. Frozen and insists on watching it 10 times a day when we're stuck inside due to weather, then that ten bucks is going to pay for itself pretty quickly. On the other hand, the other example I think of is the new Ducktales. Before this news, I was wondering: will it be on iTunes? Netflix? Streaming online through some other service? Will I have to torrent it if I want to see it in Canada without paying for a $80/mo cable package and a DVR (fuck you HBO)? Now, if Disney is launching their own streaming service, there's a good chance that this simplifies the answers. If this streaming service launches in Canada in the first place, then there's a decent chance I can see new episodes there, and if so, there's a decent chance that I can see them day-of, or possibly real-time. The idea of a streaming service where my kid can sit down when it's time for his favourite cartoon to be on and actually watch it, rather than having to wait for daddy to torrent it for him, is fantastic, and I'll pay $10/mo for that.
  - nebabyte 9y ago
    > If he gets hooked on e.g. Frozen and insists on watching it 10 times a day when we're stuck inside due to weather, then that ten bucks is going to pay for itself pretty quickly. Or y'know, just shell out $10 for the dvd which you can probably sell for the same price once he outgrows it
maxxxxx 9y ago
It's nice to be in a position of power. For unknown directors it would be "Coen Brothers land Netflix series" not "Netflix lands Cone Brothers serirs".

177 points by janober 9y ago

what_ever 9y ago

learc83 9y ago
From the guidelines: "Please don't submit comments complaining that a submission is inappropriate for the site. If you think a story is spam or off-topic, flag it by clicking on its 'flag' link. If you think a comment is egregious, click on its timestamp to go to its page, then click 'flag' at the top. (Not all users see flag links; there's a small karma threshold.)"
- what_ever 9y ago
  Thanks.

11thEarlOfMar 9y ago

I'll say what others are likely thinking... The Coen brothers hold a special place in my heart. So, so glad to see them headed to Netflix!

timdellinger 9y ago
I'm basically going to see anything that they make... they're earned that from me. Part of me wishes that I could just get a $250 "lifetime subscription" to everything they do... they get the money up front. It's not clear to me how they would go about using the money in the current system... maybe they could negotiate for a greater share of the proceeds if they bring financing money to the table; maybe that would make it easier for financiers to say yes. (yup, i said proceeds, not profits, since i'm aware of hollywood accounting). maybe something through patreon might work for this.
savanaly 9y ago
Agreed. I'd happily trade the whole disney catalog for a new coen brother movie any day of the week.
Aron 9y ago
I look forward to new great firsts like this one. 15+ years ago TV and Movies were major status differences. Actors/Directors wouldn't besmirch themselves working on tv. It's been interesting seeing this flipflop. Netflix could be the first one to reach budgets that double, triple or more Game of Thrones or parallel on a per-minute basis Avatar and so on but in lengthier form. I had always imagined them bringing their A-game to a Star Wars TV series (maybe copping FireFly elements), and despite the Disney news which is overblown, I still think this could happen.

aresant 9y ago

Netflix is such an interesting business. They have far and away the broadest streaming distribution (75% of it!) in the USA (1) which is a market that already 53% saturated. And the bull case guys point to international subscription growth - which is still in its infancy - as the reason to hold Netflix forever. (2) They have much lower infrastructure costs then the previous cable providers without having to build the pipes. But they also don't benefit from the built in government / monopoly protections that came with that investment in the distribution platform. So in terms of long game how do they protect themselves? Own the content. Disney pulling their rug out earlier this week underscores how fucked Netflix is as just a distributor. So if, in the end, distribution becomes the new "dumb pipes" at what point do the content providers pull the judo flip and control the distribution and the margin? Disney again, case in point. So do we underwrite Netflix's future - aka their current 227 PE! - in their ability to execute on the content side? (1) https://techcrunch.com/2017/04/10/netflix-reaches-75-of-u-s-streaming-service-viewers-but-youtube-is-catching-up/ https://techcrunch.com/2017/04/10/netflix-reaches-75-of-u-s-... (2) https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/08/buy-netflix-because-its-international-subs-will-nearly-double-piper.html https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/08/buy-netflix-because-its-inte...

11thEarlOfMar 9y ago
Yes. They've evolved and executed repeatedly in the 20 years since they started. DVDs by mail->Streaming Online->Original Content->Global Market. One misstep was to try to separate the legacy DVD business as a stand alone brand and charge separately for streaming. That failed pretty spectacularly, so they quickly bailed on the idea[0], said their mea culpas and went on to triple revenues over the 5 years since. We can expect Netflix to grow into the Earth's TV station, hyperbole and all... [0] http://business.time.com/2011/09/19/netflix-admits-it-messed-up-will-split-dvd-and-streaming-into-two-businesses/ http://business.time.com/2011/09/19/netflix-admits-it-messed...
- ethbro 9y ago
  I think Netflix looks like a less pie-in-sky, but still incredibly innovative and responsive, Amazon. You're not paying for their current business, you're paying for their ability to execute now and in the future.

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

askvictor 9y ago

The fragmentation of the streaming market keeps me from using it; I'd happily pay $x per episode/movie (and do on Google play where the content is there). But I'm not going to subscribe to a streaming service just for one series that I want. I'm curious about the concept of brand loyalty to content producers (Disney being the example here) - do people really think "I'd like to see a Disney movie tonight" or do they just want to see a particular movie or genre? I'm sure there's some brand loyalty for Hugh quality (HBO) or specific interest, but am curious how far this goes.

danudey 9y ago
> do people really think "I'd like to see a Disney movie tonight" or do they just want to see a particular movie or genre? I don't think it's so much "Let's go see what's on the Disney tonight", and more a question of requirements. I have a son, who is going to turn 3. There's a decent chance that, within a few years, we're going to need on-demand access to Disney content, even if that means paying like $10/mo that we weren't paying before. If he gets hooked on e.g. Frozen and insists on watching it 10 times a day when we're stuck inside due to weather, then that ten bucks is going to pay for itself pretty quickly. On the other hand, the other example I think of is the new Ducktales. Before this news, I was wondering: will it be on iTunes? Netflix? Streaming online through some other service? Will I have to torrent it if I want to see it in Canada without paying for a $80/mo cable package and a DVR (fuck you HBO)? Now, if Disney is launching their own streaming service, there's a good chance that this simplifies the answers. If this streaming service launches in Canada in the first place, then there's a decent chance I can see new episodes there, and if so, there's a decent chance that I can see them day-of, or possibly real-time. The idea of a streaming service where my kid can sit down when it's time for his favourite cartoon to be on and actually watch it, rather than having to wait for daddy to torrent it for him, is fantastic, and I'll pay $10/mo for that.
- nebabyte 9y ago
  > If he gets hooked on e.g. Frozen and insists on watching it 10 times a day when we're stuck inside due to weather, then that ten bucks is going to pay for itself pretty quickly. Or y'know, just shell out $10 for the dvd which you can probably sell for the same price once he outgrows it

maxxxxx 9y ago

It's nice to be in a position of power. For unknown directors it would be "Coen Brothers land Netflix series" not "Netflix lands Cone Brothers serirs".