October 2023 media picks and news
Here’s a look at what media of interest is coming out in October 2023.
Graphic novels/manga
Moriarty the Patriot, vol. 13, on sale Oct. 3 (Viz)
Disney+
A full list is available here.
Haunted Mansion (2023 film), Oct. 4
Disney classic shorts (all Oct. 6):
Camping Out
Chips Ahoy
Fiddling Around
Inferior Decorator
Old MacDonald Duck
When the Cat’s Away
Wynken, Blynken and Nod
Werewolf by Night in Color, Oct. 20
LEGO Marvel Avengers: Code Red, Oct. 27
Sports
NHL hockey season opening, starting Oct. 10 (various channels)
NBA basketball season opening, starting Oct. 24 (various channels)
The writers' strike is over
Some good news to kick off the month: the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike is as of this week over. The studios and union came to an agreement early this week, ending a strike that's been ongoing since May. The Screen Actors Guild still (as of this writing) have to reach an agreement with the studios for their strike. However, so far, the outcome is seen as a win for the writers.
Coming soon: Amazon Prime Video with ads (yay?)
In the name of Amazon generating more revenue (presumably on top of the $514 billion Amazon earned as of 2022), the Seattle based tech giant has announced it’s planning to start running ads on Amazon Prime Video by default. The only way out is paying an extra $3 a month on top of the cost of Prime (normally $9/mo. for Prime Video only, $15/mo. for all of Prime).
While I know Prime Video has some popular shows (“The Boys,” “Thursday Night Football”), they don’t seem quite at the same level as Netflix. Prime Video also has been seen for years as a nice add-on to what I assume most customers really get Prime for, faster shipping. Thus, I wonder how much of an uptake this will get from customers, even if Amazon would really prefer users watch the ads, which are lucrative---see its free ad-based streaming service, Freevee. (Like Paramount+ and its free ad-supported sibling Pluto TV.)
Yet another reboot
As part of the endless parade of reboots/revivals of everything we already watched on TV 20 years ago, a “Fraiser” reboot is debuting on Paramount+ in October. The revival is set in Boston (home of its parent show, “Cheers”), and seems to revolve around Fraiser moving back to be closer to his estranged, apparently-working-class son. Meanwhile, the original “Fraiser” series is coming to Amazon Prime Video in October, along with a few classic 90s/00s-era Black sitcoms (“Half & Half” and “One on One”).
Sports stuff
It’s October, so it’s the only month of the year in which all four major American sports (baseball, football, basketball, and hockey) are fully active at the same time. World Series playoffs are underway; football is in full swing; and basketball and hockey kick off their regular seasons.
Max to add sports tier (for an extra $10/month)
Max will be streaming NHL hockey games (and other sports) from TNT as part of adding a live sports tier. The service will be free until February 29, 2024; after that, it'll cost $10/month as an add-on to the regular Max service, which starts at $10 for the ad-based tier. This might be useful for those that just want TNT/TBS sports coverage and don’t need ESPN, such as only during March Madness (which airs on CBS plus TNT/TBS).
Still, since this will cost at least $20 a month, fans wanting ongoing hockey coverage might want to spring for Sling TV (at $40/month) and get all three major cable sports channels (ESPN, TNT, and TBS). Another option is keeping this Max-with-sports service and adding ESPN+ (at $10/month or $100/year) for its out-of-market NHL games and handful of national ESPN/ESPN+ broadcasts, bringing the total to $30/month.
Either way, it’s all a reminder that watching sports on TV often isn’t cheap, if not an outright ripoff/cash grab. Especially if you want local baseball, basketball, or hockey team coverage.
"Amazon Prime Video Streaming (40845733273)" by Ajay Suresh from New York, NY, USA is licensed under CC BY 2.0. (Flickr / cropped from original)