NotHardUp1
What? Me? Really?
So, I was browsing my SamsungTV free channels to see if any movie would be on that I had not seen tonight, and was once again disappointed to see the same lineup I've been seeing for days and days on the few channels I actually even include in my channel list.
All that is not newsworthy.
The goal in most of the programming seems to be to drive most viewers away from the free broadcasts into subscribing to streaming channels with premiums. That said, one channel has been particularly obnoxious, so I decided to see if I could find out why.
Filmrise Action on Channel 1463 on SamsungTV, has been airing Streets of Blood now for at least a week, maybe more, back to back to back. Nothing else has been broadcast. When I first saw this on the on-air guide, I thought it was a listing glitch. There are lots of glitches in the computer programming that lists the programs and their summaries.
Nope. It's real. I would occasionally stop on the channel, and sure enough, they're doing it.
My second thought was that Val Kilmer had died. Nope. He's still alive. No news to the contrary.
My third thought was that he was on his deathbed or similar, from his cancer, and that someone decided to play his movie excessively to give him a boost in royalties, as some kind of favor. Not likely, but possible, if he even gets anything from streaming content.
I knew from previous experience that there is no one "there" for any of these free online channels. They're just programming slices that someone sells to advertizers and then programs in some database. But, I figured I'd see if I could find a contact for Filmrise.
And I did.
My email was brief. Stop laughing. It was.
In only two sentences, I identified where I watch Filmrise Action and then asked why it was programming the same movie over and over, exclusively.
Off it went into the ether.
I expected to get some boiler plate response from someone's programmed Inbox, and never have my question answered. But we dream.
WRONG!!!
Less than five minutes after, the CEO of Filmrise responds via his iPhone and signs his name!!! His reply, "Thank you for reaching out - this should not be happening and we will investigate."
A tad cynical, I think, "Is this some after-hours support tech, the equal of a movie projectionist, pulling my leg and signing 'CEO'?"
My quick Google search said otherwise. He really, REALLY is the CEO, and his story is well worth the long read, not only of my thread's OP, but the lengthy article in The Hollywood Reporter about him and his bankruptcy, and subsequent brilliance. He's a real rags to riches guy, the son of Holocaust survivors.
It was this guy:
If you've ever wondered about how free internet TV programming works, then this article will inform you very well indeed:
www.hollywoodreporter.com
The article mentions the bi-coastal bias of media companies and how he's made a fortune ignoring it. Imagine a CEO who has the website email contact set to go to his personal attention. Imagine.
If you're having a slow night, this is a pretty good read. Hope you enjoy it.
All that is not newsworthy.
The goal in most of the programming seems to be to drive most viewers away from the free broadcasts into subscribing to streaming channels with premiums. That said, one channel has been particularly obnoxious, so I decided to see if I could find out why.
Filmrise Action on Channel 1463 on SamsungTV, has been airing Streets of Blood now for at least a week, maybe more, back to back to back. Nothing else has been broadcast. When I first saw this on the on-air guide, I thought it was a listing glitch. There are lots of glitches in the computer programming that lists the programs and their summaries.
Nope. It's real. I would occasionally stop on the channel, and sure enough, they're doing it.
My second thought was that Val Kilmer had died. Nope. He's still alive. No news to the contrary.
My third thought was that he was on his deathbed or similar, from his cancer, and that someone decided to play his movie excessively to give him a boost in royalties, as some kind of favor. Not likely, but possible, if he even gets anything from streaming content.
I knew from previous experience that there is no one "there" for any of these free online channels. They're just programming slices that someone sells to advertizers and then programs in some database. But, I figured I'd see if I could find a contact for Filmrise.
And I did.
My email was brief. Stop laughing. It was.
In only two sentences, I identified where I watch Filmrise Action and then asked why it was programming the same movie over and over, exclusively.
Off it went into the ether.
I expected to get some boiler plate response from someone's programmed Inbox, and never have my question answered. But we dream.
WRONG!!!
Less than five minutes after, the CEO of Filmrise responds via his iPhone and signs his name!!! His reply, "Thank you for reaching out - this should not be happening and we will investigate."
A tad cynical, I think, "Is this some after-hours support tech, the equal of a movie projectionist, pulling my leg and signing 'CEO'?"
My quick Google search said otherwise. He really, REALLY is the CEO, and his story is well worth the long read, not only of my thread's OP, but the lengthy article in The Hollywood Reporter about him and his bankruptcy, and subsequent brilliance. He's a real rags to riches guy, the son of Holocaust survivors.
It was this guy:
If you've ever wondered about how free internet TV programming works, then this article will inform you very well indeed:
How FilmRise Built an Indie, Free Streaming Network From Unearthing Under-the-Radar Titles
By betting big, and early, on the potential of advertising-backed streaming, Danny Fisher has grown the firm from a Brooklyn basement startup into a major digital presence.
The article mentions the bi-coastal bias of media companies and how he's made a fortune ignoring it. Imagine a CEO who has the website email contact set to go to his personal attention. Imagine.
If you're having a slow night, this is a pretty good read. Hope you enjoy it.

