[NEWS] MGM moving 'Stargate Command' to YouTube

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MGM is shutting down the "Stargate Command" website at the end of 2019
and apparently moving to YouTube instead.


From GateWorld.net ...


Stargate Command To Close In December
-------------------------------------
MGM is shuttering its online streaming platform for the Stargate
film and TV franchise, two years after its launch.

The Stargate franchise's official streaming platform "Stargate
Command" is closing up shop at the end of this year, GateWorld
has learned - including the closure of MGM's official Stargate
Web site at StargateCommand.co.

Instead, MGM will refocus its online efforts for the science
fiction franchise in the space with the biggest worldwide
audience: YouTube.

Starting today the studio will begin migrating the Web site's
original video content to the Stargate Command YouTube channel,
MGM representatives told GateWorld. That will eventually include
content previously locked behind the subscription paywall. The
YouTube channel currently has 75,000 subscribers - sure to grow
now that this will be the home of Stargate Command's content.

That starts with a new piece from the archives of Stargate
history (available now), with Stargate SG-1 executive producer
Brad Wright talking about the show's fans during its ninth season
(which filmed in 2005). It also includes the behind-the-scenes
interview series "Dialing Home" and other special features - but
not, of course, the movies or 17 seasons of the three Stargate
television shows.

With the "All-Access Pass" video content now going wide to the
world, the StargateCommand.co Web site will continue to operate
for visitors and subscribers until December 31 (12 p.m. Pacific
Time). The Stargate Command app will also be deprecated and will
no longer provide access to content at that time.

"It's important to us that Stargate content reaches fans
everywhere and we believe YouTube is the right place to help us
achieve that goal," the Stargate Command team says.

The silver lining here is that more Stargate fans around the world
will now have access to Stargate Command's original features. MGM
confirmed to GateWorld that the video content on YouTube "will be
available to a wider global footprint" - though they stopped short
of promising that there will be no regional geo-blocking
whatsoever on any of the content. (Stargate Command's paid
subscription package has been restricted to the U.S., U.K., Canada,
Germany, Australia, and New Zealand.)

MGM says that StargateCommand.co members will receive a letter
today detailing the strategy change, accompanied by an updated FAQ
page on the site. All-Access Pass customers whose subscription does
not expire until 2020 will get a full refund.

Merchandise, meanwhile, has gone on sale with a steep, 50 percent
discount for most items. Reps from MGM could not confirm at this
time whether or not these items might be restocked once they sell
out.

Stargate Command launched in September of 2017 in the wake of the
announcement that MGM was producing Stargate Origins, a 10-part
Web series that would live exclusively on the platform. Origins
premiered in early 2018. An iOS and Android mobile app also gave
subscribers access to the entire catalog of Stargate films and TV
series.

The site was relaunched in May of this year with a new visual
interface, a faction system, and a new back-end infrastructure.

MGM is mum on the reasons for the change in its online strategy for
Stargate. Hosting its video content on YouTube certainly has the
advantage of being more cost-effective than running its own
over-the-top streaming service. And it also provides a more visible
point of access for YouTube's 2 billion monthly users, which
includes 73 percent of all U.S. households.

That certainly includes folks who watched Stargate on TV, but never
visited the shows' official Web site.

The studio is also not commenting on the status of potential new
productions to extend the Stargate franchise in the future. But the
letter to fans does reaffirm MGM's commitment to the franchise:

"Stargate fans truly are the best fans and we're excited
to continue connecting with you on the channels and via
the communities you love. With your continued support,
we plan to grow this timeless franchise in the years
ahead."

We'll keep our ears to the ground and report additional news on the
future of Stargate, and its official online presence, as it breaks.


<https://www.gateworld.net/news/2019/10/stargate-command-closing-december-2019/>