Stargate & dark matter petition

[tomaso88]

Joseph malozzi has recently called on all stargate fans to help within the next 2 weeks to get this petition going so he can give a pitch to mgm.

See here for more details https://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com...nd-scifi-fans/

Gateworld can you please also put this on the gateworld home page.

[Falcon Horus]

If all goes well, in three years down the line, we could not only have new Stargate on the platform, but several new scifi shows as well. Perhaps even a Dark Matter miniseries.

I'm out.

I don't want a platform -- they'll just keep blocking everyone they don't want in, like they are doing now with Origins on Command.

Nope, not tolerating that train of though any more.

[tomaso88]

I'm out.

I don't want a platform -- they'll just keep blocking everyone they don't want in, like they are doing now with Origins on Command.

Nope, not tolerating that train of though any more.

If they do go down that road they could outsource to other streaming services for countries that don't have access as that is what many shows do with Netflix they will stream on their channels streaming service in the USA and for other countries stream it on Netflix. In saying that I totally understand where you're coming from.

[Falcon Horus]

If they do go down that road they could outsource to other streaming services for countries that don't have access as that is what many shows do with Netflix they will stream on their channels streaming service in the USA and for other countries stream it on Netflix. In saying that I totally understand where you're coming from.

Netflix would have to pay for a broadcasting license (if you're thinking about Star Trek Discovery -- Netflix had a part in that, which isn't the same unless they had a part in stargate or dark matter).

Nope, their handling of Stargate Command has made it perfectly clear to that stringing fans along is something they're quite good at, and I'm done with that.

If they can put something solid out, I'll be back but I'm done listening to tails being spun and strings being thrown out there for people to hang onto.

[Ugly Pig]

Forget about the platform for a moment, the idea behind this initiative is to show MGM that there is real demand out there for a REAL new Stargate show. Everyone should participate in this if they want to see Stargate revived properly, at all. Which begs the question, why the hell isn't Gateworld signal boosting this??

[Falcon Horus]

Forget about the platform for a moment, the idea behind this initiative is to show MGM that there is real demand out there for a REAL new Stargate show. Everyone should participate in this if they want to see Stargate revived properly, at all. Which begs the question, why the hell isn't Gateworld signal boosting this??

The platform is what makes or breaks this action, but he posted another blogpost yesterday or today, where he was more clear about what it is about, and believe it or not (I'm not a fan of Mallozzi at all), I felt like he showed the respect for the international community they -- we deserve to have as fans, the recognition, which has been severaly lacking from Stargate Command and MGM.

I'm not gonna cheer an initiative that isn't going meant for me and mine, and only accessible to whomever MGM believes to be good enough for them -- I'm not a slave of your needs. (general you)

However, you're in luck -- Mallozzi did gain my interest and a will to duke it out with the MGM bigwits.

[Ugly Pig]

The platform is what makes or breaks this action, but he posted another blogpost yesterday or today, where he was more clear about what it is about, and believe it or not (I'm not a fan of Mallozzi at all), I felt like he showed the respect for the international community they -- we deserve to have as fans, the recognition, which has been severaly lacking from Stargate Command and MGM.

Don't get me wrong, I'm in the same boat as you - locked out of the "Premium Content" of Stargate Command due to geographical location, and I don't see that changing anytime soon.

But this is a "now or never" situation. This is the time to show MGM that we the fans are still here and that we want something more than just a fan film tier webseries. If we don't convince them now, it's never going to happen, so we need everyone on board. It's that simple.

Our grievances with the distribution method can wait.

[Xaeden]

Falcon,

You seem to be of the opinion that MGM is being elitest and it is for that reason that you are not yet able to access their service. In reality, there are practical issues to consider:

1) Do existing syndication deals prevent them from streaming Stargate content in particular countries?
2) Do they have servers available in particular areas to accommodate people living there?

Right now, the current syndication model causes you to get a lot of content later than other parts of the world. Online distribution platforms will eventually kill this model and allow you much the same access as everyone else, so although it may not seem like it right now, this is the type of thing that you should be supporting as it would give you what you want in the long term. For that to happen, though, platforms need to grow beyond the extreme infancy that MGM's service is currently at. Then the profits might be there to renegotiate or cancel syndication contracts and money might be available to invest in more servers throughout the world. They can hardly expect people in Asian countries, for example, to stream from existing American servers. Not only would it be slower than it should be, but people would be crowding existing servers, limiting the availability of the service.

I'm sorry that you're locked out right now. That's undoubtedly frustrating, but the reason that is happening is solely because MGM is in the building stages for a new system of distribution.

Look at CBS All Access. Same thing; it wasn't available everywhere and now they're expanding internationally: https://techcrunch.com/2017/08/07/cb...ce-for-sports/ Star Trek: Discovery won't be included that because of the deal with Netflix for them to stream it internationally, which allowed CBS to split costs necessary to get the show off the ground and helped CBS profit from international markets prior to their ability to expand there.

Netflix, also, started off small and then expanded internationally: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intern...ion_of_Netflix Now the premieres of their exclusive content happens in the same instant worldwide.

Make no mistake, this is a model that MGM would love to follow. It just can't happen right now while their service is in its infancy for practical reasons.

[Falcon Horus]

But this is a "now or never" situation. This is the time to show MGM that we the fans are still here and that we want something more than just a fan film tier webseries. If we don't convince them now, it's never going to happen, so we need everyone on board. It's that simple.

No, it's far from that simple.

Think like the the company, not like the fan.

That's why Mallozzi has made it perfectly clear he's about reviving the Wright/Cooper universe, not the what MGM is currently passing of as Stargate.

You seem to be of the opinion that MGM is being elitest and it is for that reason that you are not yet able to access their service. In reality, there are practical issues to consider:

MGM is not the elite -- the members who have all-access and don't even share interview content but happily spoil the crap out of Origins. They are the elite.

MGM is just a company, a decade too late jumping on the digital bandwagon. Well, not really a decade, but they are rather late with it nonetheless.

1) Do existing syndication deals prevent them from streaming Stargate content in particular countries?

As far as Belgium is concerned... I doubt it since no stargate for the past 5 or so years, no reruns, nothing.

2) Do they have servers available in particular areas to accommodate people living there?

The servers for Stargate Command are located in Arizona, Phoenix.

Online distribution platforms will eventually kill this model and allow you much the same access as everyone else, so although it may not seem like it right now, this is the type of thing that you should be supporting as it would give you what you want in the long term.

Online platforms will kill themselves if they continue to be one-sided connected to one company like MGM, CBS, Disney, ...
People are already complaining about needing 5 different passes to access different places, when Amazon Prime, Hulu and Netflix offer more content from all of the above and more (even if Disney pulls out all their content -- they'll figure it out soon enough -- although, I imagine they'll drop it on Hulu instead).

I'm sorry that you're locked out right now. That's undoubtedly frustrating...

No, you're not sorry.

You're telling me to stop protesting and support regardless, that's not being sorry... that's begging for those who are frustrated to help you anyway, even if we're not getting anything out of it ourselves.

And no, more Stargate 5 years from now is a price to wait for... by then, I'll be spoiled to kingdom come, much like Gateworld and Stargate Command have spoiled the entire Origins for me -- I already know where they go, and who they meet. Was I trying to avoid the spoilers, yes -- does MGM care, no. Do the all-access members care? Nope, not all. They just tell you stop coming here and there -- but we do have to support their drive to have more stargate.

Look at CBS All Access. Same thing; it wasn't available everywhere and now they're expanding internationally: https://techcrunch.com/2017/08/07/cb...ce-for-sports/ Star Trek: Discovery won't be included that because of the deal with Netflix for them to stream it internationally, which allowed CBS to split costs necessary to get the show off the ground and helped CBS profit from international markets prior to their ability to expand there.

Tiny note from that article:

The expansion will begin with a launch in Canada in the first half of next year, with other markets to follow.

Next year being 2018... so maybe by 2020 it'll have reached the backward lands of Europe.
By then, it'll be too late -- if it ever makes it that far.

[NickEast]

Falcon,

You seem to be of the opinion that MGM is being elitest and it is for that reason that you are not yet able to access their service. In reality, there are practical issues to consider:

1) Do existing syndication deals prevent them from streaming Stargate content in particular countries?
2) Do they have servers available in particular areas to accommodate people living there?

Right now, the current syndication model causes you to get a lot of content later than other parts of the world. Online distribution platforms will eventually kill this model and allow you much the same access as everyone else, so although it may not seem like it right now, this is the type of thing that you should be supporting as it would give you what you want in the long term. For that to happen, though, platforms need to grow beyond the extreme infancy that MGM's service is currently at. Then the profits might be there to renegotiate or cancel syndication contracts and money might be available to invest in more servers throughout the world. They can hardly expect people in Asian countries, for example, to stream from existing American servers. Not only would it be slower than it should be, but people would be crowding existing servers, limiting the availability of the service.

I'm sorry that you're locked out right now. That's undoubtedly frustrating, but the reason that is happening is solely because MGM is in the building stages for a new system of distribution.

Look at CBS All Access. Same thing; it wasn't available everywhere and now they're expanding internationally: https://techcrunch.com/2017/08/07/cb...ce-for-sports/ Star Trek: Discovery won't be included that because of the deal with Netflix for them to stream it internationally, which allowed CBS to split costs necessary to get the show off the ground and helped CBS profit from international markets prior to their ability to expand there.

Netflix, also, started off small and then expanded internationally: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intern...ion_of_Netflix Now the premieres of their exclusive content happens in the same instant worldwide.

Make no mistake, this is a model that MGM would love to follow. It just can't happen right now while their service is in its infancy for practical reasons.

So then tell me, why is All-Access available in Germany and not its neighbors? In fact, I did a little digging and it seems that SG-1 is still being broadcast on the German SyFy, yet nowhere else. If German TV has broadcasting rights, why do they have All-Access and we don't? Actually, I think it's the reverse. All-Access is only available in the countries that still show Stargate on TV. As far as I could see, all 6 countries still show SG on TV (either the local SyFy or another big channel like Sky in UK), while other countries (at least in Europe) who don't show it anymore don't have All-Access.

On top of that, why would any TV station in a country shell out big bucks for a TV show that they don't show? Is that why the TV channel here in NL that showed Stargate over a dozen years ago continues to show reruns of the same damn sitcoms for five years in a row? They're showing The A-Team and started showing Airwolf again, so why won't they show Stargate then?

[Xaeden]

The servers for Stargate Command are located in Arizona, Phoenix.

Can you provide a link to this? It's extremely doubtful that U.K. residents are connecting to the a U.S. server to stream content. There may be some servers there, but I doubt that is their entire operation.

Online platforms will kill themselves if they continue to be one-sided connected to one company like MGM, CBS, Disney, ...
People are already complaining about needing 5 different passes to access different places, when Amazon Prime, Hulu and Netflix offer more content from all of the above and more (even if Disney pulls out all their content -- they'll figure it out soon enough -- although, I imagine they'll drop it on Hulu instead).

Sure. Right now, what these companies are trying to do is win as large of a market share as they can in the hopes that they will either be one of the ones to come out on top or, when the time comes, they will have a large enough platform to be worth selling. That MGM was interested in Dark Matter (a show that they do not produce) suggests that they are smartly trying to lure the smaller production companies who are not capable of launching their own platforms to the table.

In the future, there will either only be a small number of these services or they will find a way to work together to create a package deal as cable does. The annoyance of having to pay for lots different services is a growing pain as these companies try to claim as much of the market share as they can. Expect there to be consolidation and partnerships as profits decrease because of exactly the problem you described (there being too many pay options).

No, you're not sorry.

You're telling me to stop protesting and support regardless, that's not being sorry... that's begging for those who are frustrated to help you anyway, even if we're not getting anything out of it ourselves.

I'm not signing any petition, Falcon, so, no, I am not trying to garner your assistance. I am simply pointing out an objective truth; these platforms start out localized and then expand so, if successful, eventually you will get access. If it does not do well you will be stuck with the same syndication model you are dealing with now.

And no, more Stargate 5 years from now is a price to wait for... by then, I'll be spoiled to kingdom come, much like Gateworld and Stargate Command have spoiled the entire Origins for me -- I already know where they go, and who they meet. Was I trying to avoid the spoilers, yes -- does MGM care, no. Do the all-access members care? Nope, not all. They just tell you stop coming here and there -- but we do have to support their drive to have more stargate.

Forget about Origins. I understand it is a wash for you and was never saying otherwise. My point is simply that future installments (if they end up on this platform and not on a network) will likely be available to you right away if this does well. That doesn't mean you have to support a petition. Again, I don't care if you do or not. It's worth noting, however, that you're railing against a platform because Origins isn't available to you right now when putting out content in limited markets until the platform can grow is the only way this business model works. You're focused on what's immediately at issue (you not being able to watch Origins right away) and ignoring that you stand to not have to deal with this nonsense anymore in the future if this platform grows.

So then tell me, why is All-Access available in Germany and not its neighbors? In fact, I did a little digging and it seems that SG-1 is still being broadcast on the German SyFy, yet nowhere else. If German TV has broadcasting rights, why do they have All-Access and we don't? Actually, I think it's the reverse. All-Access is only available in the countries that still show Stargate on TV. As far as I could see, all 6 countries still show SG on TV (either the local SyFy or another big channel like Sky in UK), while other countries (at least in Europe) who don't show it anymore don't have All-Access.

On top of that, why would any TV station in a country shell out big bucks for a TV show that they don't show? Is that why the TV channel here in NL that showed Stargate over a dozen years ago continues to show reruns of the same damn sitcoms for five years in a row? They're showing The A-Team and started showing Airwolf again, so why won't they show Stargate then?

I cannot tell you that definitively because syndication contracts are not publicly available and I do not know where MGM's servers are located and how many are available. I can only provide you generalizations based on what industry insiders have said about this process in regard to the growth issues for previous streaming services. Deals differ, so one company may have exclusive airing rights in a country and another doesn't.

In the case of German Syfy, that's a wing of the American company and they are free to syndicate all the shows that Syfy bought the syndication rights for. They wouldn't have an exclusive country by country deal with MGM.

In the case of countries that don't currently air the show, again, it's not just about contracts, it also has a lot to do how many servers are in use and where. They apparently have the technical setup to support viewers in Germany and likely made sure that they did because it's one of the larger markets available.

Say you purchase enough servers in Europe to support 100,000 viewers. You are going to find a country that you think you can get 100,000 viewers from and you are going to deny access to neighboring countries who are perfectly capable of steaming without interruption because even a few thousand more will overload the servers and disrupt service to consumers. To support the neighboring countries you need more servers, which means you need to grow your business so that you can invest in them.

[Ugly Pig]

I don't effing believe it. We have the chance to bring back Stargate the way it should be brought back, and what do we do? Squabble over stargatecommand.co some more? STOP IT. This isn't about that.

GET THIS THROUGH YOUR HEADS: There WILL be a new Stargate series. It IS happening. The issue is, MGM haven't decided which way to go with it - a new series following the established Wright/Cooper canon (what we want!) OR, a complete reboot (what most of us fear the most)?

The purpose of this fan campaign is to show MGM that the Stargate TV universe still has a big fanbase, that we're still here waiting for more, that there's no need to chuck out 17 seasons worth of canon in order to make a successful show.

We can worry about the distribution aspects later.

For now, DO YOUR PART.

[ultimateneeb99]

GET THIS THROUGH YOUR HEADS: There WILL be a new Stargate series. It IS happening. The issue is, MGM haven't decided which way to go with it - a new series following the established Wright/Cooper canon (what we want!) OR, a complete reboot (what most of us fear the most)?

I couldn't have said it better myself.

[NickEast]

I don't effing believe it. We have the chance to bring back Stargate the way it should be brought back, and what do we do? Squabble over stargatecommand.co some more? STOP IT. This isn't about that.

GET THIS THROUGH YOUR HEADS: There WILL be a new Stargate series. It IS happening. The issue is, MGM haven't decided which way to go with it - a new series following the established Wright/Cooper canon (what we want!) OR, a complete reboot (what most of us fear the most)?

The purpose of this fan campaign is to show MGM that the Stargate TV universe still has a big fanbase, that we're still here waiting for more, that there's no need to chuck out 17 seasons worth of canon in order to make a successful show.

We can worry about the distribution aspects later.

For now, DO YOUR PART.

The goal is not just to get a new show, the goal is to allow all fans worldwide to be able to see it in the first place. Yes, there WILL be new Stargate, but will it be available worldwide IMMEDIATELY, do we have to WAIT a long time while Americans can enjoy and spoil it for us, or will it NEVER become available for us?

And it's about what MGM intends to do with Stargate Command after All-Access disappears. Will they expand it, including making it available internationally, or keep us locked out?

There is too much uncertainty to be really happy about this. I completely 100% support Stargate Now and participate with it, but there are too many unknowns to be certain that MGM really wants to create more Stargate that we all love, but more importantly, how it becomes available.

[Ugly Pig]

The goal is not just to get a new show, the goal is to allow all fans worldwide to be able to see it in the first place.

NO.
This is not about any of that. Yes, those are issues. And yes, they need to be discussed.

But this is not the time. THIS is not about that. THIS campaign is about the most important aspect to all of this; that being the very survival of the Stargate franchise as we know it. Everything else is secondary to that. We'll get to those things in due time but the LAST thing we need right now is for other issues to cloud the conversation and get in the way of the main goal.