Vision: Netflix seals strategic partnership with prolific producer Mo Abudu to develop content from Nigeria

Mosunmola "Mo" Abudu

CC™ Media Scoop - Breaking Netflix Press Release 

Netflix is reaffirming its commitment to original African content, signing a multi-title deal with prolific Nigerian producer Mo Abudu. 

Through the partnership, Abudu — via her production company EbonyLife — will create two series and multiple films for the streamer. Among them will be the adaptations of Lola Shoneyin's bestselling debut novel The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives and 1986 Nobel Prize laureate Wole Soyinka's 1975 play Death and the King's Horseman. One of the films is expected to land on Netflix later this year.

"Mo is at the forefront of creative storytelling in African television. Her passion for creating high-quality, riveting multi-genre films and TV shows that capture the imagination while showcasing the diversity and richness of Nigerian culture is evident in her impressive body of work,” said Dorothy Ghettuba, Netflix’s lead for original series in Africa. "We’re thrilled about this first-of-its-kind partnership in Africa that will bring some of Nigeria — and Africa’s most iconic storytelling to screen. We look forward to supporting Mo as she brings all these diverse Nigerian stories to the world."

Said Abudu: "As a Nigerian storyteller, my biggest motivator has always been to tell authentic and untold stories that resonate with every person, regardless of where they’re from in the world while showcasing our culture, heritage and creativity."

"We believe that more people deserve to see their lives reflected on screen and for that to happen, we need to make sure there’s a wide variety of content that caters to our members’ diverse tastes," said Ben Amadasun, Netflix director of licensing and co-productions for Africa. "Our members around the world have been enjoying some of the licensed titles from EbonyLife like The Wedding Party, Chief Daddy, Castle & Castle and Fifty. I’m excited to continue our licensing partnership with the addition of Netflix branded films titles that will grow the variety of quality Nigerian stories on our service."

Added Abudu: "This unprecedented partnership is testament to the Netflix’s investment in African storytelling and we at EbonyLife are grateful and excited about the opportunity to work together with the Netflix teams led by Dorothy and Ben to deliver a slate of unique and riveting stories from Nigeria over the next few years for Netflix audiences around the world."

The deal comes just months after Netflix partnered with John Boyega's UpperRoom Productions for a slate of three features, two from Nigeria and one from Egypt. 

Black lives matter; All lives matter

CC™ Breaking Bread - E.O. Eke 

The horrific suffocation of George Floyd, by the knee of Officer Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis, has not only shocked and enraged the world it has once again brought the surface the degree of hatred, prejudice and wickedness inspired by race that still exist in the hearts of some human beings.

George Floyd is the latest addition to a gallery of victims of US police brutality, against black peoples: Eric Garner, Walter Scott, Tamir Rice, Philando Castile and Freddie Gray, are examples of black men who have been murdered by American police.

In spite of outrage like the one we are witnessing today, black people continue to suffer prejudiced treatment in the hands of some white people and institutions in many white dominated countries.

The killing of Mr Floyd by a group of white American police men is a heinous and despicable crime which offends humanity.

I would like to say that it is not only blacks in America that are suffering the kind of injustice that led to the death of George Floyd . In Nigeria, police brutality of the type that claimed the life of George Floyd is routine and currently there is a Fulani knee on the neck of Nigerians.

On 7 and 8 June, 2005, six young Nigerians, 5 men and one woman of Igbo extraction, Ekene Isaac Mgbe, Ifeanyin Ozor, Chinedu Meniru, Paulinus Ogbonna and Anthony and Augustina Arebu were murdered in cold blood by members of Nigerian police led by Deputy Commissioner of Police Danjuma Ibrahim. Mr Danjuma is still wearing the uniform of the Nigerian police.

In July 16 2019, Mr Chinedu Obi, aka ‘Zinquest’ an Igbo was arrested by the Nigerian Police for being covered in tattoos, wearing a gold chain and in possession of an expensive I-phone.The police shot him and then watched him bleed to death. These are just two examples from many.

These crimes against humanity continue to take place because the Fulani caliphate hijacked Nigeria, through a rouge constitution after the civil war.

What else can I say, when the game keeper is the poacher? What hope has the sheep, when the Shepard is a wolf? What future has Nigeria, when the Nigerian government is on the side of Fulani terrorists?

In Nigeria it is one rule for Fulanis and another for others. Fulani terrorists masquerading as cattle rearers carry AK 47 openly in Nigeria, but the police arrests others with legal gun licence because they are from other ethnic groups. The Buhari government has pursued a policy of disarming ordinary Nigerians, while aiding Fulani terrorists to arm.

Fulani terrorists are free to operate from their bases in forests, where they are supplied with Nigerian military helicopters and the world looks on.

White police officers kills one black man, thirty cities in America erupt in violence, but Fulani terrorists wipe out villages after villages in Nigeria, and the Nigerian government, press and the world keep silent. Yes, it is right to protest against evils of the type claimed the life of George Floyd, but evil has no colour. Evil is pervasive.

I am forced to as; does black life matter, only when white People kill blacks? Does black life matter when black youth kill black youth in London? Does black matter when police from Islamic north Nigeria kill Christians southerners because of who they are? Who cares about the hundreds being killed daily in Nigeria by Fulani terrorists? Are they not black lives?

What can I say. Nigerians cry on. Maybe, one day, Nigerians will wake up from magical thinking and realise that people create their own heaven or hell and no people can progress, unless they take control and commit to change, evil will win.

I suppose Black people should also fight against tribalism, toxic ethnic nationalism, corruption, religious intolerance and terrorism. This is the way to demonstrate that indeed, Black livers matter.

The white knee on the neck of black George Floyd black neck made it impossible for him to breathe and he died while the other police men and many others stood by.

In a time like this, it is easy to forget who is a racist. A racist is not only a white police Officer with his knee on the neck of a black man.

It is any human being who restricts his goodness, justice and love to people of his race, religion, nationality and or ethnicity.

It is a person, who narrowly defines his goodness and finds good reasons to exclude others from it.

Whenever a human being finds good reason to do to others, what he or she would not want others to do him, members of his family and or ethnic and religious group, that individual is a racist, who has a suffocating knee on the neck of his victim.

A racist is a person who opposes a relationship because of tribal or ethnic and or religious differences.

A racist is a person who refuses to employ another on the basis of ethnicity, gender or religion.

A racist is a human being who discriminates on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, disability and sexual orientation.

A racist is a prejudiced human being eaten up by hatred of those, who are different.

How does a man with a knee on his neck get up? While his knee was on my neck you passed by.

While his knee was on my neck, you looked away. While his knee was on my neck, you called me a criminal and a "nigger." While his knee was on my neck, what did you do? Indeed, all lives matter.

All lives matter. The colour of evil is not white. There are evil black and white peoples.

Every week in London, a black youth kills another black youth. White people spearheaded the abolition of slavery and many black peoples were involved in the slave trade. They sold blacks to whites as slaves. I have experienced evil from both whites and blacks. Evil has no colour.

It is important not to judge a race by the actions of a few people from the race. In the final analysis we are all belong to the human race and are individuals who are responsible for our actions.

If we are prepared to ascribe the evil of one individual to his race, we should also be ready to ascribe the goodness of another individual to his race.

We need to see people as individuals before the colour of their skin. We need to dig deeper. All lives matter do matter.

Freedom only comes when men reject the status quo and take control.

People overcome tyranny when they rise up to oppose evil and wrong, whenever they see it, no matter who is the victim.

It is time to demonstrate that Nigerian lives matter. It is time to end Fulani terrorism and police and, military brutality in Nigeria.

All lives matter. No one should have his knee on the neck of anther human being. End racism and ethnic nationalism, and terrorism. Embrace equality under the law and justice as fairness for all. All lives matter.

The extra $600 Americans get in weekly unemployment benefits ends next month — here’s what lawmakers are proposing to replace it

CC™ Business - Elisabeth Buchwald MW

Americans who have been laid off from their jobs because of the coronavirus pandemic have been able to collect an additional $600 a week in unemployment benefits on top of what they get from their state. 

The supplemental $600 Americans receive has been controversial, especially given that two-thirds of laid-off workers receive more money from their unemployment benefits than they did from their jobs. 

As lawmakers consider a new round of stimulus funding, there are three proposals on the table on how to replace the extra $600, two of which would allow unemployed Americans to receive additional funds on top of state unemployment benefits.

Last month, the Democratic-run House passed the $3 trillion HEROS Act, which would, among other things, extend the extra $600 federal unemployment benefit to January 2021.

The Congressional Budget Office found that if these benefits were extended through January 2021, an estimated five of every six recipients would receive more in benefits than they would from working those six months.

“If the benefit of $600 per week was extended, fewer than one in thirty recipients would receive benefits — generally the maximum amount in their state — that were less than 50% of their potential earnings,” the CBO report states.

Some have argued those generous benefits will keep people from seeking new jobs. But extending the $600 unemployment benefit would mean that Americans would have more money to spend in stores, and that could ultimately lead to lower unemployment, Heidi Shierholz, an economist at the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning think-tank based in Washington, D.C., said.

“It’s not true that there’s a pool of jobs out there that people would fill if they weren’t receiving unemployment benefits,” she said.

READ MORE

Miyetti Allah: Benefactors of terrorist Fulani herdsmen say Nigeria belongs to them and are ready to float vigilante across the nation to assert their claim

CC™ Breaking News 

Expected outrage has greeted the statement credited to National President of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, Alhaji Bello Abdullahi Bodejo, that the Fulani own Nigeria and will continue to rule the country.

Bodejo was also quoted to have said that herdsmen do not need any permission to enter any community as they are the owners of land anywhere across the nation, and that the Fulani would float a 100,000-man vigilante to be deployed across the country.

The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN; Southern/Middle Belt Leaders Forum, SMBLF; Ohanaeze youths; the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB; First Republic politician, Chief Mbazulike Amaechi; and Second Republic lawmaker, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, were among those who flayed the comments, they're capable of imploding the country.

The angry reactions came as Bodejo made a U-turn and said that he never claimed that Nigeria belonged to the Fulani. The Christian Association of Nigeria in the Northern states and Abuja warned that the statement was divisive and capable of tearing the nation apart.

Vice-Chairman of CAN, 19 Northern States and FCT, Rev John Joseph Hayab, said in a statement in Kaduna, yesterday, said Nigeria does not belong to any ethnic group, section or religion but to all Nigerians.

He said the newspaper story credited to the National President of one of the groups of Miyetti Allah who was quoted to have said that 'Nigeria belongs to Fulani and would rule forever' confirmed and identified those who do not wish Nigeria to live in peace and unity.

"Our stance is that no well-meaning individual should use the name of an association or platform like Miyetti Allah to make such serious, divisive statements as these.

"The truth is that Nigeria does not belong to any ethnic group, section or religion but to every one of us. Making such false claims as that of Miyetti Allah's President only create tension and fuels crisis," he said.

CAN therefore, called on the Federal Government through the D-G, DSS and Inspector-General of Police to have a session with the ethnic superiority champion to "school him on the diversity of Nigeria and the need for restraint from such reckless statements."

He continued: "All well-meaning members of the Miyetti Allah group need to urgently disassociate themselves from the provocative statement linked to the group as proof that the speaker is not playing a script.

"Without a doubt, there are members of Miyetti Allah who love this country genuinely, craving to see the country grow in peace and develop in every sphere, reckon that the statement credited to the group's President is not a popular view, as such, needs to be publicly opposed.

"Nigeria's problems are numerous; from insecurity to bad economy and now, the COVID-19 pandemic. CAN, therefore, does not want to add to the barrage of problems the country face by letting unscrupulous people make grave and ungodly utterances that have dangerous security implications.

"Nigerians will wait and see what the Federal Government through its security agencies will do about this inflammatory statement unless we have separate laws for different groups of people in this country."

Reacting to the claim by Bodejo, elder statesman and sole surviving member of the Zikist Movement, Chief Mbazulike Amaechi, said he had been warning Nigerians that the aim of the present administration was to achieve what Sarduana of Sokoto, Alhaji Ahmadu Bello, leader of Northern People's Congress, NPC, said in the Parrot Magazine of October 12, 1960, less than 12 days after Nigeria's independence.

According to Mbazulike Amaechi, the late Sir Ahmadu Bello had shortly after independence said that Nigeria is an estate of their great-grandfather, Othman Dan Fodio, that they must ruthlessly prevent change of power.

"In my book: 'A political History of Modern Nigeria', on page 90, I quoted Sarduana of Sokoto, Alhaji Ahmadu Bello's comments in Parrot Magazine of October 12,1960, twelve days after independence, where he said that 'the new nation called Nigeria should be an estate from our great grand-father, Othman Dan Fodio, we must ruthlessly prevent a change of power.

"We must use the minorities of the North as willing tools and the South as conquered territories and never allow them to have control of their future. Our great-grandfather conquered up to Ilorin but we have now accomplished the task which he did not complete. I will dip the Q'uran at the sea."

Mbazulike, who was the First Republic Aviation Minister, said the Fulani believed they owned Nigeria and that other sections of the country were their property.

He continued: "Today, the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore is telling Nigerians the same thing and you want to disagree with them; that is what this government is all about. I have been telling Nigerians that the purpose of this government is to Islamize Nigeria and empower the Fulani but nobody is listening to me.

"Sarduana of Sokoto said it in Parrot Newspaper of October 12, 1960, twelve days after independence, that they own Nigeria and all other sections of the country is their property and they will continue to rule the country and the Miyetti Allah is telling you today and you still want to doubt them. I said it that this is where the country is going now."

Speaking further, the elder statesman said that "nobody should blame them because they are matching their words with action and Nigerians do not care, nobody wants to listen to me, so Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore is right in their thinking."

In a response to the building national outrage in response to his inflammatory comments, Bodejo again doubled down on his assertion stating that in the face of the formation of Amotekun, that the Fulbe will pursue their business anywhere in Nigeria and will also form their vigilante groups if necessary to ward off any threat against our people and against the incessant cattle rustlings.

The Fulbe, Bodejo said, 'have the ability and capacity to defend themselves in Nigeria and indeed anywhere.

Nigeria's President, Muhammadu Buhari, himself a Fulbe (Fulani) has again characteriscally kept silent, as he has always done, on matters relating to the highly charged issue of the atrocities of the terrorist Fulani herdsmen and their benefactors.

Nation News

Swab producing company to discard a whole day's production as Trump again refuses to wear a mask at facility

CC™ Weekend Highlight 

U.S. President Donald Trump traveled to Maine Friday to tour a facility that makes medical swabs used for coronavirus testing, but the swabs made during his visit will ultimately be thrown in the trash, the company said.

Puritan's marketing manager for the company told USA Today that the factory was in "limited" operation during the president's tour and "swabs produced during that time will be discarded."

It's unclear how many testing swabs will be thrown out, and why, though the move follows reports of test shortages during the Covid-19 crisis as states begin to reopen and need to expand their testing capacity, according to several media outlets in the U.S.

Workers in white lab coats, hair nets and plastic booties worked at machines making swabs while the president walked through the room. Trump, who did not wear a mask for the visit, stopped at one point to talk with some of the workers.

"When you have more tests, you have more cases. I say to my people: Every time we test, you find cases because we do more testing," he said during his Friday visit, adding "So if we have more cases — if we wanted to do testing in China or in India, or other places, I promise you, there'd be more cases. But we're doing a great job with the testing. And you’re doing a fantastic job in getting out the swabs."

While China's Wuhan - the hardest-hit city by the coronavirus and where the first known cases were reported last December - tested nearly 10 million people in an unprecedented 19-day campaign to check the entire city, which identified just 300 positive cases, all of which had no symptoms.

Trump has insisted that "anyone" in the U.S. is able to get tested, while his administration has recently accelerated production of tests as labs process as many as 400,000 tests a day. However, technicians and health officials have expressed concerns about a lack of nationwide consistent strategies and inconsistent results from a patchwork response to the pandemic.

China Plus

These are the streaming services worth your money in 2020

CC™ MarketNews - By Mike Murphy 

‘Space Force,’ ‘Homecoming’ and ‘Ramy’ are among the most promising new streaming series in May....

It’s no secret that we’re all streaming a lot more than usual, as we seek distractions amid weeks of coronavirus-related stay-at-home orders.

So with lockdowns for much of the country unlikely to ease significantly anytime soon, it’s a good thing the rest of this year will bring another strong crop of streaming titles.

But with more than 25 million Americans now out of work, and millions more dealing with pay cuts or facing job uncertainty, having multiple streaming services can seem like a luxury. So it may be time to re-evaluate which services are really worth your money.

As we have previously mentioned, consumers can take full advantage of cord-cutting by capitalizing on the ability to add and drop streaming services each month, and all it takes is good planning and timing. Remember, a billing cycle starts when you sign up, not necessarily at the beginning of each month.

Consumers can also take advantage of deals for free streaming trials, as Disney and Apple in particular focus on building subscriber bases rather than growing revenue (for the time being, at least). You’re never going to get a better deal than free, and the offers won’t last forever.

Free possibilities aside, when it’s time to decide where your subscription dollars should go, What’s Worth Streaming will be here to help. We will rate each major streaming service every month as a “play,” “pause” or “stop,” similar to investment analysts’ ratings of buy, hold and sell, and pick the best content that will help you make your monthly decisions.

Here’s a look at what’s coming to the various streaming services for the rest of 2020, and what’s really worth the monthly subscription fee.

Netflix ($8.99 or $12.99 a month)

Netflix Inc. NFLX, -1.09% is rolling out the big names in May, with a new sitcom starring Steve Carell and a pair of new drama series from TV hitmaker Ryan Murphy and Oscar-winning director Damien Chazelle. Carell’s “Space Force” (May 29) sounds the most promising, though there’s no trailer yet. He’ll play a decorated general who dreams of running the Air Force, but instead gets put in charge of creating the new Space Force — which President Donald Trump has launched in real life — and getting American boots back on the moon ASAP. There’s a lot of potential for a “Veep”-type workplace comedy, and the other names attached to the show — Lisa Kudrow as the wife of Carell’s character, as well as John Malkovich, Noah Emmerich, Ben Schwartz and Fred Willard — are highly promising. Another good sign: It’s co-created by Greg Daniels (“The Office,” “Parks and Recreation,” “King of the Hill”), who knows a thing or two about how to make a great sitcom. With all the talent behind this, it should be a must-see.

On the drama side, Murphy’s limited series “Hollywood” (May 1) will focus on a group of aspiring actors and filmmakers trying to make it big in the 1940s movie biz. Murphy-series regulars Darren Criss (“Glee,” “The Assassination of Gianni Versace”), Dylan McDermott (“American Horror Story’) and Broadway icon Patti LuPone star in a glitzy, technicolor extravaganza, featuring an alternate history of Hollywood as told by outsiders to the traditional system. Like all things Ryan Murphy, it looks slickly stylized and over-the-top, and again like all things Ryan Murphy, it’ll be right up some people’s alley and not at all for others. Your reaction to the trailer should answer that question pretty quick.

A trio of European dramas will also bear noting: “The Eddy,” from “La La Land” director Chazelle, Season 3 of the Nordic noir “Bordertown” and the crime thriller “White Lines.” Set in modern-day Paris, “The Eddy” (May 8) stars André Holland (“Moonlight”) as the owner of a jazz club who gets caught up with criminals in an effort to save his struggling business. As a bonus, the club’s house band is made up of real Parisian jazz musicians, and a soundtrack album will accompany the series’ launch. A little farther north, “Bordertown” (May 11) returns for a third season, as a gifted but troubled police detective tangles with worse crimes than he ever imagined he’d encounter in a sleepy Finnish city near the border with Russia. While technically well done and beautifully shot (the Finnish scenery is gorgeous), the intense violence and unrelenting bleakness will scare away some viewers. There’s also “White Lines” (May 15), a British mystery set in Ibiza from the creator of “Money Heist.” A woman (Laura Haddock) comes to the resort island to investigate her DJ brother’s disappearance -— raves, drugs and murder ensue. This could be a fun, binge-worthy thrill ride.

Among movies, there’s the streaming debut of Adam Sandler’s critically acclaimed, tense crime drama “Uncut Gems” (May 25), and “The Lovebirds” (May 22) an action-packed rom-com starring Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae as a couple who get caught up in a murder mystery. It was supposed to be released in theaters in April, but switched to a Netflix release due to the pandemic. Nanjiani and Rae are hugely likable actors and the movie looks like a fine enough romp.

Also:Here’s everything coming to Netflix in May 2020 — and what’s leaving

Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini return for Season 2 of the dark comedy“Dead to Me” (May 8), Ellie Kemper is back for an “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”interactive special (May 12), and there are also a few high-profile standup comedy specials, from Jerry Seinfeld (May 5), Patton Oswalt (May 19) and Hannah Gasdsby (May 26) — whose last special, the stunning and eye-opening “Nanette” in 2018, was perhaps the must-see show of that year.

Play, pause or stop? Play. Netflix is still the clear No. 1 in the streaming wars, and May will only bring more binge-worthy content to its incredibly deep library.

Amazon Prime Video ($12.99 a month)

Greg Daniels is a busy guy, and as his “Space Force” debuts on Netflix, he’ll also have a new sitcom launching on Amazon.com Inc.’s AMZN, -7.59% Prime Video. That would be “Upload” (May 1), a sci-fi comedy that looks like a blend of “The Good Place”and the “San Junipero” episode of “Black Mirror,” taking place in a future where consciousness is uploaded to a digital afterlife, and a newly uploaded (aka dead) guy has to adapt to his new “life” while helping solve a mystery back down on Earth. Early reviews are middling, but it may be worth a view.

See:Here’s everything coming to Amazon Prime Video in May 2020

Amazon’s most promising May show is the return of “Homecoming” (May 22), which in its second season swaps out its star (Janelle Monae replaces Julia Roberts) and its director (Kyle Patrick Alvaraz takes over from Sam Esmail). The loss of Esmail, who gave Season 1 a stylish, Hitchcockian look, is concerning, but the trailer at least looks intriguing. Monae’s character wakes up on a boat in the middle of a lake, and has to unravel who she is and what happened to her, with the shady Geist Group and its secretive pharmaceuticals at the center of the mystery once again. The first season of “Homecoming” may have been Amazon’s single best series to date, and if Season 2 can even approach that, viewers should be very pleased.

There’s also a crop of movies, including the Elton John biopic “Rocketman” (May 22); the fun indie sci-fi thriller“The Vast of Night” (May 29), which has won acclaim at various film festivals; Kristen Stewart in “Seberg” (May 15), a biopic thriller about the FBI’s surveillance of French new-wave actress Jean Seberg; and nearly 40 independent films and shorts that would have played at this year’s SXSW Film Festival. Amazon is hosting a mini SXSW in the wake of that film fest’s cancellation due to the coronavirus, with selections streaming for free (no Prime Video paywall) from April 27 to May 6.

Play, pause or stop? Play. “Homecoming” alone could be worth the price, and there’s juuust enough other promising new stuff to make Prime Video worth your while in May.

Hulu ($5.99 a month or $11.99 with no ads)

The true value in Hulu is its vast library and extensive lineup of new shows (usually airing the day after broadcast), so consider the few original series on tap for May a bonus.

Ramy Youssef won a Golden Globe award for his portrayal of an Egyptian-American slacker in the unique coming-of-age comedy “Ramy,” and the semi-autobiographical series returns for a second season on May 29, with Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali in a new guest role. It’s a hilarious and empathetic story about a young Muslim-American balancing his faith with his typically American lifestyle. “Ramy” is one of Hulu’s very best series, and worth checking out.

More: Here’s everything coming to Hulu in May 2020, and what’s leaving

Weirdness abounds in Hulu’s other two big May debuts, the animated “Solar Opposites” and the historical comedy “The Great.” Justin Roiland and Mike McMahon, part of the creative team behind the spectacularly strange animated hit “Rick and Morty,” are the brains behind “Solar Opposites” (May 8), a sitcom about an alien family forced to take refuge on a galactic backwater planet called Earth. Originally created for Fox, Hulu has already green-lit two seasons. Even weirder is “The Great” (May 15), which mashes up a historical costume drama about the rise of Catherine the Great with satirical comedy. Elle Fanning stars as Catherine, with Nicholas Hoult as her husband, the emperor Peter III of Russia. The super-quirky tone and willingness to veer from actual history seem to put it along the lines of Apple TV+’s “Dickinson.” One positive sign — “The Great’s” showrunner is Oscar-nominated writer Tony McNamara, who penned another quirky historical comedy that turned out quite well: 2018’s “The Favourite.”

Play, pause or stop? Play. Even though there’s nothing essential until “Ramy” at the end of the month, Hulu’s overall lineup makes it the best value in streaming.

HBO Max ($14.99 a month)

Time to welcome HBO Max to the streaming wars. The long-anticipated service from AT&T Inc.’s T, -1.87% WarnerMedia launches May 27, offering HBO content as well as Warner Bros. movies and TV series from Warner cable networks such as TBS, TNT and Cartoon Network. The service originally planned to have 31 original series launch this year, but that may be in jeopardy due to the coronavirus-related shutdown of TV productions. At launch, its originals lineup with be sparse and unimpressive — “Love Life,” a romantic-comedy anthology starring Anna Kendrick, is the most prominent, along with the controversial Russell Simmons documentary “On the Record”; “Legendary,”a voguing competition series; the kids competition show “Craftopia”; and new offerings from Looney Tunes and Sesame Street’s Elmo. And of course, the much-ballyhooed “Friends” reunion, which was meant to debut with the service, has been postponed.

What HBO Max will have, besides HBO’s vast and excellent library (“The Sopranos,” “The Wire,” “Game of Thrones,” “Veep,” “Watchmen,” etc.), is every season of “Friends,” “The Big Bang Theory” and “South Park,” among others.

Play, pause or stop? Stop. For one reason only: Since this column focuses on month-to-month subscriptions, and since it launches so late in the month, ignore HBO Max for May and just start a subscription in June. Yes, it’s the most expensive streaming service, but it will be worth the price for the HBO content alone. Literally, since HBO Now is the same price — all the Warner content is just icing on the cake.

CBS All Access ($5.99 a month or $9.99 with no ads)

ViacomCBS Inc.’s VIAC, -4.63% CBS All Access is still offering a 30-day free trial if you sign up before May 10, and its best show — “The Good Fight” — is in the middle of its current season. So there’s a case to be made to start an account and binge the season during the free trial (only eight of the 10 episodes were completed before the pandemic shut down production) and then cancel your account. You just need to time it right. Because aside from that, there’s nothing of note coming in May, and very little reason to pay for a subscription.

Play, pause or stop? Stop. Still not enough content to justify the cost.

Apple TV+ ($4.99 a month)

Apple’s AAPL, -1.61% TV+ is still looking for its first true hit show. Don’t expect that to change in May.

The service will have two new offerings: “Trying” (May 1), a British comedy about a couple who want to start a family but can’t conceive, and “Central Park” (May 29), an animated musical comedy from the co-creator of “Bob’s Burgers.” “Central Park” seems the better bet, as anyone who’s ever enjoyed one of “Bob’s Burgers” musical numbers can attest to. The voice casting is solid (Josh Gad, Leslie Odom Jr., Kristen Bell, among others) and if it has even a fraction of the heart and humor of “Bob’s Burgers,” it’ll be a welcome addition.

Play, pause or stop? Stop. Not enough quality offerings to justify the price. Still, if you’ve bought a new iPhone and have a free trial, it’s worth a look.

Disney+ ($6.99 a month)

Six months in and “The Mandalorian” has still been the only big hit for Walt Disney Co.’s DIS, -2.45% streaming service, so to fill the void between Seasons 1 and 2 (still scheduled to debut this winter), Disney+ is launching “Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian” (May 4, new episodes every Friday after that), an eight-episode behind-the-scenes docu-series about how the show was made. Does anyone really need that? Not really. Will “Star Wars” fans still watch it? Oh yeah.

May 4 is, of course, Star Wars Day (May the Fourth be with you), and Disney+ is fully capitalizing, also releasing the final instalment of the latest trilogy, “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” as well as the series finale of the animated “Star Wars: Clone Wars.”

There should be a big development for “Simpsons” nerds too. Disney has said that all early seasons of “The Simpsons” will finally be available in their original screen-aspect ratio by the end of May, at 4:3 instead of 16:9 — up until now, old episodes have been cropped to fit widescreen TVs, cutting out some visual jokes. Will most people notice? Probably not. But for the hard-core fans, this is a big improvement.

Tristan Cooper

✔@TristanACooper

All the classic Simpsons episodes on Disney+ are in cropped widescreen format -- this means you miss out on tons of great visual jokes, like how Duff, Duff Lite and Duff Dry all come from the same tube.

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There’s not a lot besides that. Another behind-the-scenes docu-series, “Prop Culture” launches May 1, and there are a handful of additions to Disney’s movie library, such as “The Fantastic Mr. Fox” (May 22) and “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” (May 15), but nothing else of note.

Play, pause or stop? Pause. If you have kids who watch Disney shows and movies endlessly on repeat, then sure, it’s worth it. But if you’re not a kid or a “Star Wars” superfan, there’s not a lot of variety there.

Quibi ($4.99 a month or $7.99 a month with no ads)

Quibi launched less than a month ago, and it’s already changing its basic viewing model. Instead of being available only on mobile devices, as originally intended, the service in May will allow some users to cast its videos from their phones to their TVs. That’s likely because with stay-at-home orders, people are not on the go as much and don’t really have a need for 10-minute-or-less video hits when they have hours upon hours to kill.

And while most Quibi content isn’t quite ready for prime time, May will bring the debut of perhaps its most high-profile show, the “Reno 911” revival. The hilarious “Cops” spoof had a cult following for years on Comedy Central, and the original cast is back for a new season May 4.

Still, as a video service, Quibi is more akin to YouTube or TikTok than a true Netflix competitor, and its cost (even with a free trial period) far exceeds its quality.

Play, pause or stop? Stop. You can better spend your money elsewhere.

Peacock (Free for Comcast subscribers only, for now)

Peacock launched for free for some Comcast Corp. CMCSA, -1.72% cable subscribers in April, but won’t be available to the general public until July. It’s got a solid library of NBCUniversal shows, such as “30 Rock,” “Parks and Recreation” and “Law & Order,” but apparently the original series will be on hold until the July launch. We’ll revisit in a couple of months.

Source: MarketWatch

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