July 2024 media picks and news
Here’s a look at what media of interest is coming out in July 2024.
DVDs/Blu-rays
A list of major releases is available here.
The Boy and the Heron (DVD, Blu-ray, 4K), July 9
Doctor Who: Tom Baker – Complete Season Four (Blu-ray), July 9
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (4K), July 16
Brokeback Mountain (Blu-ray), July 16
Scooby-Doo and the Witch’s Ghost / Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders double feature (Blu-ray), July 30
Disney+
A full list is available here.
Bluey Minisodes, July 3
Descendants: The Rise of Red, July 12
Hulu
A full list is available here.
Celebrity Family Feud (Season 10 premiere), July 10
Lucky 13 (series premiere), July 19
Wayne Brady: The Family Remix (series premiere), July 25
Netflix
A full list is available here.
Star Trek: Prodigy (Season 2), July 1
Sports
MLB All Star Game, July 16 (Fox)
2024 Summer Olympics, July 24 to August 11 (NBC and its sister cable channels, Peacock)
My thoughts
All of the Original Series and Next Generation “Star Trek” films are finally back on the supposed “home of all things Trek,” Paramount+. (They'd left for Max, of all services, back in January.) Too bad Paramount’s been on a cost-cutting spree in recent days, having purged years of “Daily Show” videos and MTV News articles. In my case, it’s moot---I opted to buy the Original Series-era films on a Blu-ray set.
Hulu this month sees a number of game show premieres, including a new one, “Lucky 13” (hosted by Shaquille O’Neal and Gina Rodriguez). There’s also a new show tangentially related to game shows: Wayne Brady, the host of “Let’s Make a Deal,” sees a reality show about his family debut in July.
Physical media (still) for sale; RIP Redbox?
I thought I should try listing DVDs/Blu-rays of interest, as long as physical media is still being sold (albeit mainly online). Some of the films are seeing re-releases to Blu-ray, such as “Brokeback Mountain.” The first “SpongeBob” movie is seeing its first release to 4K. Meanwhile, “Scooby-Doo and the Witch’s Ghost” and “Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders” is seeing its first Blu-ray release via Warner Archive.
That said, while DVDs and Blu-rays are still for sale, renting such is now much more difficult. As I was finishing up this post, news broke that the owner of Redbox has filed for bankruptcy (unpaid bills aplenty, lots of debt, etc.). It would explain why the Redbox kiosk at the supermarket near my house has had a “no longer in service” sign up for the past several weeks, despite the kiosk still working.
If this really is the end of Redbox, they’ve held out longer than expected. Still, if you’re looking to borrow DVDs and Blu-rays, the best (and likely only) option at this point is your local public library, where you can borrow discs for free.
Sports stuff
This year’s Summer Olympics take place from late July to mid-August in Paris. One concern that’s been raised is climate change leading to more intense heat waves in Europe, and how that’ll affect athletic events like the Olympics.
Stateside, the Olympics will be aired as usual on NBC and its sister cable channels, such as USA. All events will also stream live on Peacock, which (“conveniently”) is raising its prices just before the start of the games. The new prices: $8/month with ads, $14/month without ads; the price hike’s effective July 18 for new customers and August 17 for current customers. For those in the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, you can see where to watch/stream the Olympics here.