Q: Given the shuttering of CNN+, I’m wondering if you have any info on the state of discovery+? When it started, I couldn’t imagine paying for those reality and DIY shows — even for Chip and Joanna Gaines — as there are so many other similar shows across basic cable. Is there any data on viewership?
— Dan, via email
Rob: Discovery+ has not provided viewership data that I have seen, but they do report subscribers — which in streaming is more important. Just before the merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery, discovery+ and associated Discovery streamers had 24 million global subscribers.
We now know the new company, Warner Bros. Discovery, intends to merge discovery+ with HBO/HBO Max, which has 77 million global subscribers, giving the company more than 100 million subscribers if the merger of those two services happened today. For comparison, Netflix has 222 million global subscribers while Disney+ has 130 million subscribers globally. Completing that combination will take some time because of the technical work that needs to be done to merge the two platforms, but it will eventually happen as media companies look to get their streaming services to scale.
Q: What is CNN going to do with all the talent they hired for CNN+ (Chris Wallace, Kasie Hunt, etc.)?
— Mark, Squirrel Hill
Rob: I immediately wondered about that, too. I think it will vary on a case-by-case basis.
On April 21 after the news of CNN+’s shuttering broke, Hunt tweeted, “Some of you are asking about me. I am proud to be on team CNN. I will be fine. It’s not about me right now.”
Speculation is that Wallace will move to linear CNN.
I’ve seen no word on what becomes of Audie Cornish who left NPR’s “All Things Considered” for a CNN+ job.
Q: Will the early ’80s, short-lived comedy “One of the Boys” starring Mickey Rooney, Scatman Crothers, Nathan Lane and Dana Carvey ever be available on DVD or stream somewhere?
— Peter, via voicemail
Rob: Short-lived, 40-year-old shows without a cult following are highly unlikely to have any sort of afterlife. And if they do, it may be truncated. Streaming service Crackle offers episodes 4-10 (except 9) of “One of the Boys,” but finding them is also tough. A reader pointed this out to me as their presence on Crackle does not come up using apps like Binge Buddy or JustWatch, generally reliable resources for researching where to find shows on streaming.
Often for these sorts of shows, your best bet is to look on YouTube in the event someone uploads episodes (they’re not worth enough to the rights-holders to get them taken down). If they’re not there, that’s when you resort to buying the unofficial DVDs that may be of questionable quality.
Q: Why does “The Nightly Sports Call” on Pittsburgh’s The CW not read viewers’ tweets on the air anymore? The opening to the show still says “Call us or TWEET us.” The hosts will claim that at the start of the show as well and then never read them. Perhaps if they didn’t get into these constant side conversations with the co-hosts, they would find the time.
— Tyler, Green Tree
Rob: KDKA-TV general manager Chris Cotugno did not respond when I sent him Tyler’s question, so I’m left to speculate. My guess is the reason they still ask for tweets is two-fold: to encourage social engagement and to have a backup in the event the show runs short.
Q: Would you let KDKA-TV know that the reason I watch the news on WTAE-TV is that the scrolling ticker on KDKA is too small to read at a distance? Thanks.
— Jim, Jeannette
Rob: Consider KDKA informed.
