Anyone else feels like G5 is lacking in presence?

[Steve Piranha 29,424]

I don’t know, it’s been almost 2 years since G5 was aired, but I don’t feel like Hasbro is exploiting it enough. Feels like G5 is barely around, with only 3 specials, 8 episodes, and now even the short TYT not having a new episode weekly isn’t doing it any favors. I’m worried G5 isn’t lasting much longer at this rate. Hell, there’s hardly any toys around my local WM and Targets even 

[They call me Loyalty 1,948]

The magic is the problem. But I would have to sit and watch G5 for once. Which means I also have to finish with season 8 and 9 from FiM. Despite the fact that I tend to leave things unfinished on purpose. Imagine a painting left partially incomplete. Now a single image turns into multitudes, because there will be as many "paintings" as there are people imagining the finished work.

I practically do that with almost everything. Because I am an incomplete creation myself. And find a unique kind of bliss in this realization, or lack thereof. That is the reason people look into my eyes and can still see "the child". A blessing, a curse. It does not matter. The point is that the new generation is missing that spontaneous "magic" from G4, that is so common among certain children. That is the reason I am not interested to begin with. That is the reason I don't need to watch it in order to know I am not gonna like it. And it is not because I have predisposed myself to do so. But simply because the new generation is a lesser work when compared to FiM. And the public has mirrored my initial reaction, it seems. So, instead of an empty canvas left to wonder. We have one that tries to take the merits from another work. And in doing so, it has come face to face with its own self-imposed limitations. Do you understand?

Regardless, I hope I am proven wrong. It is my intention to watch the movie as soon as possible. And see whether this presentiment is a matter of fact or not.

Edited March 8, 2023 by They call me Loyalty

[Megas 27,626]

Definitely feels light in comparison. Gaps between specials is too far, only having 5-minute mini-sodes bi-weekly to cover it just isn't enough

[Misty Shadow 7,867]

Yes, I think that presence-wise, it's in a rut. The lack of presence to me is honestly far more concerning to me than the excess of negativity. While the overabundance of negativity can get frustrating, the terrible promotion for G5 has definitely hurt the series far more than any ill-founded negative comments from biased Youtube essays. Apathy for a series kills it far better than hate in a world where the market decides everything, and right now, the sluggish pace of the releasing of G5 content has been encouraging apathy. More than anything, the series needs better marketing. 

[Guest]

Yeah this series needs more content to make an impact. The bite sized episodes aren't enough to keep a long lasting impression on the characters for us to be really engaged. We need longer episodes/specials, MYM does a better job than TYT in this regard, but since I'm assuming the production for those specials cost a lot more- than they won't want to produce too many of those.

 

At the two Walmarts near me(I live near a lot of stores and malls), I have always seen a lot of G5 toys on clearance. Walmart has a clearance section for toys and they would put a ton of them on those racks, but I saw that the toys are not that great of a quality in my honest opinion.

[Steve Piranha 29,424]

50 minutes ago, StarlightNyars said:

 

 

At the two Walmarts near me(I live near a lot of stores and malls), I have always seen a lot of G5 toys on clearance. Walmart has a clearance section for toys and they would put a ton of them on those racks, but I saw that the toys are not that great of a quality in my honest opinion.

Yeah, even if I loved the Mane 5 as much as I do with the Mane 6 or any G4 horses in general, no merch I find cute enough to buy has been released (they are hardly on display anyway ) I hope we get the already announced Funkos 

[The Nth Doctor 662]

The least they could do is air Tell Your Tale bi-weekly, then put an episode of Make Your Mark every other week - yes, it's only two episodes each per month, but it's still twice as much pony content per month as well

What on earth is with the delay with MYM? What kind of contract did they have with Netflix? You'd think with this much of a gap, they'd be able to polish every episode up to movie-quality no problem, but NOPE, Winter Wishday was barely a step up from Make Your Mark and chapter 2

[Toastypk 923]

What is definitely lacking is a presence between the fans and show runners. Lots of that going on in G4, but seemingly nothing here aside from like one or two interviews with a director of the ANG movie.

Would love to see something like this build more!

[Jon the VGNerd 885]

Truth to be told, G5 hasn't gained much traction than with G4. Their plot seems average and it doesn't explore much of the Mane 5. While it is indeed a continuation from G4, it doesn't have the same hype-train feel than with FiM, which shone through the years. Yes, the characters are likable, but the overall plot and hype felt incredibly lacking. Yes, the G5 movie went well, but for the series itself? Yeah, the biggest problem is that it lacks the same formula G4 had, and the fanbase presence isn't there. While there are new ones that enjoy it, they're incredibly niche as the older, veteran fanbase had left and moved on. I wanted to like it, but the charm that G4 had was nonexistent in MYM, along with its animated spin-off (it was quirky, but otherwise lackluster overall), and the inadequate marketing contributes this.

Furthermore, Netflix has been in hot water because of their gradual decline in subscriber numbers because of their poor practices by both increasing their subscription prices along with cracking down password sharers. That alone furthers diminishes G5's already-lackluster presence. Hasbro should've went for better alternatives of rstreaming services, maybe provide their own as well like Hasbro+ with modest subscription prices. Netflix has since turned from one of the streaming giants, into a greedy, selfish company that cares more about money by ridding more better and popular content into a far more cringy one that their own consumers will continue to turn away from unless Hasbro starts coming up with a better plan.

[Steve Piranha 29,424]

On 2023-03-09 at 9:00 AM, The Nth Doctor said:

The least they could do is air Tell Your Tale bi-weekly, then put an episode of Make Your Mark every other week - yes, it's only two episodes each per month, but it's still twice as much pony content per month as well

What on earth is with the delay with MYM? What kind of contract did they have with Netflix? You'd think with this much of a gap, they'd be able to polish every episode up to movie-quality no problem, but NOPE, Winter Wishday was barely a step up from Make Your Mark and chapter 2

Yeah, we started with a special close to a year after the movie, then about half a year, a third of a season, six more months, another special. Seriously, the marketing of G5 is ass. I seriously think it’ll be a miracle if it  last 3 years 

[Landi 600]

Yeah, I'd definitely agree that G5 has been very lacking in content. All there has been is the movie, two specials, and the eight episodes. I guess there is also TYT, but that series episodes are so short and fast paced that I stopped watching it a while ago. It also really doesn't help that there have been such big gaps between content. My overall interest in G5 has been declining, and unless there is some major adjustment in the generation's release schedule, I don't see that changing. I don't want to flat out say that G5 is dead, but at the rate it's going right now, I'm not sure how much longer this generation can last. 

[Splashee 28,564]

I do want to know what is going through the minds of the G5 staff. I want to know how much the show was hindered by making the show 3D animated. I want to know if the epidemic year(s) made us have to wait extra long, or if we still had to wait this long for G5 content.

In 2025, which I would call "future" compared to 2019 when FIM ended, we haven't gotten much at all. How much will we get in the future of 2030?

[Misty Shadow 7,867]

On 2023-03-10 at 8:07 AM, Steve Piranha said:

Yeah, we started with a special close to a year after the movie, then about half a year, a third of a season, six more months, another special. Seriously, the marketing of G5 is ass. I seriously think it’ll be a miracle if it  last 3 years 

My theory as to what has been going on is that MYM has been more expensive to produce than Hasbro expected, which has led to big problems combined with their own financial losses they've had to compensate for by selling eOne and Boulder Media in a time where the economy is total garbage. 

[Steve Piranha 29,424]

5 minutes ago, CloudMistDragon said:

My theory as to what has been going on is that MYM has been more expensive to produce than Hasbro expected, which has led to big problems combined with their own financial losses they've had to compensate for by selling eOne and Boulder Media in a time where the economy is total garbage. 

Never mind Netflix’s current status 

[Misty Shadow 7,867]

On 2023-03-08 at 5:07 AM, CloudMistDragon said:

Yes, I think that presence-wise, it's in a rut. The lack of presence to me is honestly far more concerning to me than the excess of negativity. While the overabundance of negativity can get frustrating, the terrible promotion for G5 has definitely hurt the series far more than any ill-founded negative comments from biased Youtube essays. Apathy for a series kills it far better than hate in a world where the market decides everything, and right now, the sluggish pace of the releasing of G5 content has been encouraging apathy. More than anything, the series needs better marketing. 

I have been pondering these statements very recently and wondering...was I wrong? It is natural to infer that the G5 slump we often perceive with the shows would be reflected on the market. However, I wanted to weigh my opinion against some kind of actual data and the best thing I was able to find was what's coming straight from the horse's mouth (no pun intended). In this case, Hasbro's mouth. I'm sure everyone knows the story of Hasbro's disappointing most recent quarterly financial report, coming short of expectations in their final quarter of 2022. However, in that report, they do list My Little Pony as a growing property. 

https://investor.hasbro.com/static-files/fa560a30-f007-4a7f-ada5-40bbfd72098a

"Growth properties include: Franchise Brands MY LITTLE PONY, PEPPA PIG and PLAY-DOH; Hasbro Products for Marvel and Star Wars; POWER RANGERS"

It would surprise some people on here to learn that My Little Pony's revenue was actually in decline back in 2019 despite the fact that everyone was talking about Friendship is Magic then thanks to that being the year of the show's final season. 

https://investor.hasbro.com/static-files/f1218968-2bf5-45e2-bf2b-64c55090760f

"Throughout nearly ten-years of storytelling, MY LITTLE PONY grew into a global lifestyle franchise with billions in retail sales. The series finale of Friendship is Magic aired earlier this month. While revenue has declined as this story line comes to an end, we see the potential to once again reimagine the brand and are investing in content and innovation. In partnership with Paramount, we are developing a MY LITTLE PONY animated feature for 2021." 

Compare this financial report to the one that would come three years later, Hasbro's second most recent quarterly financial report. Despite the fact that this was a time when G5 negativity was growing, it was also a time when G5 revenue was growing. 

https://investor.hasbro.com/static-files/ac0c92e4-1712-4bc9-8a9a-18a335ad3a56

"Key growth Franchises PEPPA PIG and PLAY-DOH were up – growing revenue and point of sale. MY LITTLE PONY consumer products revenue and POS grew a year after the movie debuted. Hasbro Products for Marvel and Star Wars positively contributed to revenue and POS in the quarter."

So despite the G5 shows having lackluster marketing, it is not a reflection of the franchise's performance on the market. 

[Steve Piranha 29,424]

On 2023-03-13 at 6:29 AM, CloudMistDragon said:

I have been pondering these statements very recently and wondering...was I wrong? It is natural to infer that the G5 slump we often perceive with the shows would be reflected on the market. However, I wanted to weigh my opinion against some kind of actual data and the best thing I was able to find was what's coming straight from the horse's mouth (no pun intended). In this case, Hasbro's mouth. I'm sure everyone knows the story of Hasbro's disappointing most recent quarterly financial report, coming short of expectations in their final quarter of 2022. However, in that report, they do list My Little Pony as a growing property. 

https://investor.hasbro.com/static-files/fa560a30-f007-4a7f-ada5-40bbfd72098a

"Growth properties include: Franchise Brands MY LITTLE PONY, PEPPA PIG and PLAY-DOH; Hasbro Products for Marvel and Star Wars; POWER RANGERS"

It would surprise some people on here to learn that My Little Pony's revenue was actually in decline back in 2019 despite the fact that everyone was talking about Friendship is Magic then thanks to that being the year of the show's final season. 

https://investor.hasbro.com/static-files/f1218968-2bf5-45e2-bf2b-64c55090760f

"Throughout nearly ten-years of storytelling, MY LITTLE PONY grew into a global lifestyle franchise with billions in retail sales. The series finale of Friendship is Magic aired earlier this month. While revenue has declined as this story line comes to an end, we see the potential to once again reimagine the brand and are investing in content and innovation. In partnership with Paramount, we are developing a MY LITTLE PONY animated feature for 2021." 

Compare this financial report to the one that would come three years later, Hasbro's second most recent quarterly financial report. Despite the fact that this was a time when G5 negativity was growing, it was also a time when G5 revenue was growing. 

https://investor.hasbro.com/static-files/ac0c92e4-1712-4bc9-8a9a-18a335ad3a56

"Key growth Franchises PEPPA PIG and PLAY-DOH were up – growing revenue and point of sale. MY LITTLE PONY consumer products revenue and POS grew a year after the movie debuted. Hasbro Products for Marvel and Star Wars positively contributed to revenue and POS in the quarter."

So despite the G5 shows having lackluster marketing, it is not a reflection of the franchise's performance on the market. 

That reassuring to know. One of the main reasons I posted this thread, aside from the perceived lack of marketing, were the lack of merchandise I’ve noticed in my local stores. I wasn’t sure if it was because they were selling a lot, or not, but the lack of marketing made me lean on the latter.

 

then again, FIM is the first fandom I’ve been so deep inside, and there was a lot of marketing and communication from the producers of FIM, so I guessed that was the standard 

[Rock-O-Jello 218]

A couple of points here (keep in mind, it's just my opinion):

1. I don't think streamovision is the right place to put your TV show. Most of them (except for HBO Max, Tubi, and Paramount+) are run by greedy companies who care more about money than they do telling interesting stories, like @Jon the VGNerd said.
2. I think a big reason for the lack of hype/marketing is because of the cold reception. Friendship is Magic had a large fanbase back in the day, and Hasbro rolled with it.

[Misty Shadow 7,867]

What I would give to know what in the world is going on behind the scenes... 

https://www.equestriadaily.com/2023/03/my-little-pony-make-your-mark-chapter-4.html

So right now, everything points toward MYM getting more content in early June. This is based off of evidence that came from a prominent leaker. At first, I was hesitant to trust the info, knowing how leaks can turn out to be wrong, but my tune changed when I saw this leaker turn out to be right about the upcoming Tell Your Tale Easter episode after an early Spanish release of the episode was uploaded.  

Unreal...