Did Yellowjackets get renewed for a third season? Why is Succession ending? What's happening with Hulu? Why are most of the streaming services cancelling so many shows? When is the second season of The Last Of Us set to be released?
If a person who asks these kinds of questions, and more about the companies that make streaming TV, then Downstream is a podcast for you. The show is marketed as:" Julia Alexander and Jason Snell break down the business of binge-watching in the era of the Streaming Wars."
This is a well-produced podcast that is one of those "behind the curtain" podcasts on the entertainment industry. Downstream is akin to podcasts like The Town with Matt Belloni, and The Business with Kim Masters.
What Downstream is NOT is a Hollywood gossip or lifestyle podcast like People Magazine's capable People Every Day show. If you want to know about a rumored backstage brawl at the Grammys or how Mary J. Blige learned to love herself, listen to People Every Day.
Want to know about the Showtime / Paramount plus bundle, Netflix's rumored password sharing crackdown, and disappearing shows on HBO and HBO Max, then add Downstream to your podcast feed.
For sports fans who love to watch their favorite team or events on TV, Downstream covers a lot of streaming sports programming. In a recent episode, the hosts discussed the bankruptcy of regional sports network Bally Sports and wondered about the possibility of some major league baseballs teams going without TV or radio coverage, and the future of regional sports forward going forward.
Downstream began in September 2021 and has reliably produced an episode every two weeks since then. It's now up to episode 40. On March 7's episode titled, "Renancelled" the podcast hit a sweet spot. First, the hosts discussed the recent HBO Max announcement of more Lord of the Rings films, wondering if that's vaporware, or the movies will ever get made. As the hosts say in the episode,"has it all been done, or can you not keep a good Hobbit down?"
Second, Downstream's Sports Corner gave listeners an update on the status of bankrupt regional sports network Bally, and the possible scenario of a MLB team like the Arizona Diamondbacks not having media coverage going forward.
Third, the hosts discuss one of the most annoying trends in streaming, which is "renancelled." That is a term for when a streaming service renews a show but announces that that new season will be its last. For example, Star Trek Discovery was renewed for season five and then cancelled after that season. There is nothing more annoying as a streaming TV viewer to begin watching a show and find out that it has been canceled for the next season.
Like any ear worthy podcasts, Downstream succeeds because of its hosts. Jason Snell writes Six Colors and has written about Apple for more than 25 years. He was the lead editor at Macworld for more than a decade. He also hosts The Incomparable and operates its podcast network.
Julia Alexander is Director of Strategy at Parrot Analytics, where she advises clients on the tectonic shifts in tech, media, and telecom. She also an author for Puck News, a prominent media company that reports on Wall Street, Hollywood, D.C, Silicon Valley, and other current events.
Now, being a solid and engaging co-host team is difficult and sometimes all about the personalities and voices who share the podcast mic. Co-hosts need pacing, the ability to share the mic, and superior active listening skills, otherwise the co-hosts are simply talking at each other, which is annoying for listeners.
Thankfully, Snell and Alexander have completely blended into a co-host team, we could call "Snexander." Both defer to each other's area of media expertise, and each has its own speaking style. Snell is more deliberate, while Alexander's pacing has a need for speed.
If the entertainment business and specifically streaming TV is one of your passions or just an interest, Downstream is a podcast for you. The co-hosts are engaging, the episode topics are thought-provoking and information-dense, and the show tackles several topics in each episode.
If I can ask the co-hosts any question, it would be this: "Why is David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery (HBO Max) such a penny-pinching, content--oblivious jerk?
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