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Warner Bros Begins Exclusive Deal Talks With Netflix
https://archive.md/osWoT https://archive.md/osWoT
- ChrisArchitect 11mo agoDec 5th? They're a bit behind on this one. Without any concrete source. There's been talk as far back as Monday that Warner is 'warming' to Netflix, so... Earlier on a different site with an actual named source; and mention of the stock fallout from the hint. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46141031 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46141031
- cheschire 11mo agoRemember back in the day when The Atlantic would write an in depth analysis 4 weeks after something happened and it was still considered news?
- ChrisArchitect 11mo agohttps://archive.ph/2E2Fk https://archive.ph/2E2Fk
- yalogin 11mo agoWow if Netflix buys hbo there isn’t really anything more left in the market to compete with them. On the plus side users don’t have to worry about paying for multiple services.
- mikeweiss 11mo agoHa! I like how you don't say consumers will pay less... Just less companies asking for money.
- d3Xt3r 11mo agoExcept there's still Paramount, Disney and Hulu, and even if you get them all, there's no guarantee you can stream what you want to watch due to some bullshit regional distribution rights restrictions, which makes no sense in the digital era...
- Simulacra 11mo agoWhich may lead to greater piracy
- echelon 11mo agoHBO is destination television - it's the taste that Netflix lacks and so desperately needs. WB and HBO together have the franchises that Netflix has been trying to build. DC, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings (film + game rights - tv rights), West World, The Matrix, Mad Max, King Kong, all of Cartoon Network and Adult Swim. What does Paramount or Hulu have? It's a lot of fluff on the same or even lower caliber than Netflix. Amazon gives some good stuff away for "free". Apple has good shows, too. Disney? Meh - they've got Andor and that's really it. If whomever buys HBO also also buys A24, it's over. That's all I need.
- pirates 11mo agoParamount/NBC/Peacock/Fox/ESPN have live sports, which are the only thing left worth paying for, everything else can be skipped or pirated.
- dylan604 11mo agoESPN comes with your Disney+ which also gives you Hulu Peacock says they have sports, but then doesn't actually show all of the matches and instead tries to prop up USA and Telemundo numbers. Many times I have to watch a match in a language I'm not fluent even though I'm paying for Peacock specifically as they have the rights. Can't watch USA as I cut the cord years ago, so I'm left with hoping I can find the right spot for my OTA antenna to be able to tune in.
- lotsofpulp 11mo agoIf anything, the gambling ads interspersed with sports can be skipped or pirated.
- throw-away_42 11mo agoWestworld... the show you can't watch on HBO anymore. Taste? Like what they just did to one of the best shows ever, Mad Men? HBO today (Or Max, or HBO Max, or whatever their branding of the day is) is not the HBO it was before David Zaslav got his hands on it.
- etempleton 11mo agoIt will be Netflix and Disney as the prominent players with Apple and Amazon representing the high end prestige TV and lowest common denominator content, respectively.
- parineum 11mo agoI find Apple to be different lowest common denominator with high production value. I don't think the shows are really any better.
- hxhbbx7 11mo agoAll this deal making drama, thats been going in media for a while now hides the fact that Content Supply has vastly overshot Demand to levels that make no sense in any other industry. Cost of tools/production/distribution have all massively dropped over the last 2 decades. Needs a more sustainable story or oscillations and chaos are going to keep increasing.
- echelon 11mo ago> Content Supply has vastly overshot Demand Content has never overshot demand. I would drown myself in content if it were good and abundant. It's not. It's lackluster and middling. Content is scarce because it is expensive to produce. The wrong people get put in charge of projects (or tastes/reception is hard to gauge, and experiences hard to engineer). We wind up with a lot of expensive garbage. There is a dearth of sci fi and fantasy. A few dozen titles get created, and half of it is garbage. I have money to pay to watch something every night. It just doesn't exist and isn't good. I'd pay to watch original content. Original ideas don't get funded because it's "too risky". Which is a consequence of the big budgets, massive personnel and time investments, etc. I see a film every other year or so where I'm not questioning the character arcs, the pacing. Where I'm fully enveloped and transfixed. That doesn't happen frequently enough. Where every note is perfect. It's rare and fleeting, and that's sad. We're in the Precambrian times. Great content is nigh non-existent. There's a whole lot of "acceptable" and "good enough". But rarely anything sublime that steals away your brain for the rest of the day, forcing you to ruminate. I want to live in a world where content fits my preferences like a glove and is constantly surprising and delighting me. Unlimited intellectual stimulation and adventure. I know that pinnacle can be reached eventually, just not with our current limitations. This scarcity trough.
- b112 11mo agoI agree with the glove fit bit, while at the same time thinking that we're at the next level of siloed bubbles. All aspects of your world, tailored to how you already think, including TV series/movies/etc. No new ideas. (Not saying this is your intent, and yes I do indeed watch what I like. I am not immune to the very thing I worry about)
- shubhamjain 11mo agoCould there be a worse news regarding where content production is headed? Netflix production is trash and all they care is about metrics like viewers who have watched at least x% of certain content. Cuz if they have, and they accumulate y minutes of viewing, they are unlikely to cancel. This is to the point that they are exclusively making dumbed-down content that can be good background noise while viewers scroll through Instagram feeds. They have little taste, or any motivation to bring good stories out. HBO might not be perfect, but at least its development process still begins with the story and the enthusiasm of the showrunner.
- apsurd 11mo agoI agree so much with this. And I immediately think about how I have an ongoing Netflix subscription and I have it because after having cancelled due to the complete shit trash they produce, my dad asked me about how to see the Tyson vs Jake Paul fight and it was then that I knew I was cooked. I am a subscriber and my dad didn't like the fight but is happy to have been part of the experience of seeing it. I want to in-principle not pay money into this trash. But "humanity" seems to like to want to witness this trash. And I and my extended family are included! oh dear
- parineum 11mo agoIt's so annoying that you totally _have_ to subscribe to this trash product because society is literally forcing you. I know you definitely don't like it but you feel like you have to watch it or you're wasting the money they forced you to spend. Keep up the good fight and I hope you make it out safe.
- walterbell 11mo ago> totally _have_ to subscribe to this trash product For cultural context, it's enough to subscribe for one month, once or twice per year, to catch up on a few movies or episodes of popular series. If a series is good enough for longer viewing and subscription, then the product has earned its keep.
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- alsetmusic 11mo agoCouldn't do worse than Zaslav…
- kacesensitive 11mo agoOnly if they change the name several times only to revert back to the original
- chistev 11mo agoHBO should be the one to buy Netflix
- dylan604 11mo agoThat's like saying Ford should by Yugo. Why? They are small and insignificant and might not be around very long as they are making things people don't like.
- chistev 11mo agoHBO is making things people don't like?
- K3UL 11mo agoThis is definitely the worst timeline
- silisili 11mo agoI'm rather curious why they even want HBO. Yes HBO has had far, far more quality programs over the years, but it's not like Netflix hasn't had ample time and infinite money to do the same if they wanted to. Would be a sad day. I typically equate HBO content with focused quality, and Netflix content as the opposite.
- andsoitis 11mo agoDeep IP catalog. DC, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter,….
- mortsnort 11mo agoNetflix paid $500M for the rights to Seinfeld for 5 years to give you an idea of what people are using Netflix for. Why make new content when you can sell old content?
- flanked-evergl 11mo agoNetflix is making new content though. I would prefer they stop, but they are doing it.
- mrweasel 11mo ago> it's not like Netflix hasn't had ample time and infinite money to do the same if they wanted to. Yet they've failed, I think it's a culture problem. Buy HBO and hopefully carry over the culture and skills to Netflix that way is pretty much they only hope. Netflix created a few good series, but it's also clear that they don't have the writing talent to produce the volume they want. Netflix can produce absolutely beautify shows, but they're not well written. They also can't buy content, because a large number of the license holders have their own streaming platform. Buying HBO could get them access to the content they need, if the contracts and licensing carry over.
- stingraycharles 11mo agoWasn’t there something going on with an internal battle between two content leads, one focused on “lots of content” and the other on higher quality, more risky bets (that lead to Squid Games, Ozark, Stranger Things, etc), and the one doing the higher quality content ended up losing. I am convinced they’re hyper focused on the wrong metrics, and don’t take long term retention into consideration.
- cess11 11mo agoI'd wager that it would accelerate rather than decelerate the growing insignificance of US entertainment. Good for Bollywood, chinese and russian cinema, and so on. For me personally, I have trouble imagining that HBO would ever again be involved in something on par with The Wire, Sopranos or True Blood, and it's not exactly hard to keep them around on a hard drive somewhere.
- deleted 11mo ago[deleted]
- wilg 11mo agoIt's interesting that despite their being a huge crop of talented, rich, and famous Hollywood actors, writers, producers, and directors, they can't figure out how to make movies and TV and distribute them without going through all these enormous conglomerates that they seem to truly despise. Just start a studio and put out quality content exactly the way you want it and see if you can do better! It's literally never been easier! If the chucklefucks who run these streaming services can figure it out, some smart filmmakers should be able to put together a workable business plan while Clooney and Pitt rizz up some investors.
- OhioMan2943 11mo agoIt's a symptom of a culture in crisis- how can you make popular tv shows if there isn't even a popular consensus for what reality is right now
- OhioMan2943 11mo agoBait and switch... every time... the business world never changes
- OhioMan2943 11mo agoThis is worse than Burger King buying Michelin and Nobu
- andrewstuart 11mo agoHBO the only definitively quality TV producer headed for enshittification.
- AstroNutt 11mo agoYuck!! My ex forced me into getting a Netflix subscription because she was dying to watch Stranger Things. It wasn't half bad for the simple reason I grew up in the 80's. The only thing I binge watched was Black Mirror, Sense 8 and a few documentaries. Since I was forced to get a subscription, thankfully I never gave those bastards my CC info. I just created an account and went to Target or Walmart and bought a couple of $30 gift cards and put the code in. When my account ran dry, that was it. The only thing I pay for now is YouTube premium. That's about all the content I consume online. I figured I'd help support my favorite creators rather than using an ad blocker. Edit: I payed for Disney+ for one month because she wasn't current on Star Wars movies. That was my first red flag with her.
- _puk 11mo agoYou're against Netflix on principle, or? All I read here is, I bought some gift cards, binge watched a couple of decent series, and then moved on.
- AstroNutt 11mo agoSorry... It's mainly just the whole subscription model from everyone. The things I want to watch are spread out over too many services. Netflix is the worst one because they can't seem to put anything out worth watching.
- mykowebhn 11mo agoIf someone didn't know their Star Wars, I'd run the other way too
- omnimus 11mo ago[flagged]
- doublerabbit 11mo agoI've not seen any of the Star Wars franchise. Its never interested me.
- jusonchan81 11mo agoI doubt this will clear the government/regulatory approvals as it seems clearly monopolistic. But these days anything can happen and I might end up being surprised. Netflix stock seems stable in-spite of this news.
- bluehatbrit 11mo agoGreat for shareholders, terrible for consumers. This is what we get when we allow rampant consolidation and throw out the idea of regulated competition.
- mrweasel 11mo agoIt's not like there's really any competition anyway. Prices are going up, I can't switch from Netflix to HBO, because the content is available across platforms. If Netflix just moves the HBO content to Netflix then that's one subscription less for a lot of people, so even if Netflix subscription goes up, many will still save money.
- lotsofpulp 11mo agoThere is more competition than ever. That is why these legacy companies are being bought and sold. Amazon/Apple/Comcast/Disney/Netflix/Oracle are all in the business of selling video, plus they are competing for attention with Youtube/Tiktok/Reddit/HN/etc. There is also Sony and Lionsgate and A24 not selling direct to customers.
- brindy 11mo agoThe thinking in the comments here seems very US-centric (as usual). Until recently watching HBO in the UK and Europe was not easy unless you’re prepared to watch it on Sky (in the uk anyway) so there’s money on the table for Netflix here in the form of eating some of Sky’s share. (HBO Max is coming to EU in Jan and UK sometime next year finally) Secondarily adding HBO gives Netflix the opportunity to upgrade its production rather than downgrade HBO. Having access to HBO/WB catalog on Netflix is going to add a lot of value imo. I welcome this.
- black3r 11mo ago> HBO Max is coming to EU in Jan and UK sometime next year finally This is a very misleading sentence. HBO Max has been available in 14/27 EU countries since 2022, and by now it's available in 22/27 EU countries, 4 of the remaining ones are covered by Sky, with which they signed an exclusive distribution agreement valid until 2025 back in 2019 - even before HBO Max was launched in the USA.
- brindy 11mo agoThanks for the correction - wasn’t my intent to mislead
- AbbeFaria 11mo agoSad news. HBO has a veritable treasure trove of TV shows like The Sopranos, The Wire, Six Feet Under, Silicon Valley etc. Even their more recent ones like White Lotus, How to With John Wilson are leagues above Netflix. Only HBO can bet on artists’ vision like that. I cancelled my Netflix subscription 7 years ago, 99% of their content is algorithmic drivel. Mindhunter, Dahmer, House of Cards were something I liked but nothing beyond that. I knew they were trash once I saw the sheer number of spinoffs they have just on Pablo Escobar. They had had one decent run of Narcos but then they just tried to extract every drop of juice out of that one persona. Most of Netflix dramas are just the equivalent of abhorrent and ugly graffiti. Their shows are Exhibit A in what happens if you give into algorithmic drivel and have no human touch to curate them. HBO has some timeless TV classics that I keep rewatching every year even though I have watched them multiple times. Netflix can’t produce TV dramas like that, ain’t in their blood. Completely different DNAs. Netflix does deserve all the plaudits wrt to their streaming experience though.
- drumhead 11mo agoIt's the best deal for both companies. Netflix gets the WB back catalogue and studios to provide high quality content and potentially premium streaming services with HBO. WB gets stable cashflows and a place where their content is needed and their production expertise will help improve the current product. I can easily see a new premium Netflix+ channel with that includes HBO bundled with it. A win for both companies, Netflix with IP and WB with stability.
- jimmydoe 11mo agohate Netflix for its content process, hate Oracle for its owner. first time ever, I'm rooting for Comcast. lol
- steveBK123 11mo agoThe final slopification of TV content.
- silon42 11mo agoStar Trek "predicted" death of TV around 2040... looks like we are ahead of schedule.
- favflam 11mo agoI am pretty confident Lina Khan and many like her will end up back in government and this mergers are going to be reversed.
- xrd 11mo agoI went to a concert last night and wore a T-shirt I made that said "Fuck Warner Bros." The band was j*Davey. Warner Bros signed them over fifteen years ago and then shoved them into a box. The show last night, fortunately for me, was only about 300 people, but it should have been 10,000. Prince was a fan. They birthed an entire category of LA artists like Thursday Thundercat, Syd, Flying Lotus (those artists say that in their Instagram). They loved my T-shirt when we met after the show. I got really emotional when I saw them again for the first time in twenty years. They are just amazing, and it is so shocking they couldn't make it work in the industry. But Spotify seems even worse. It feels like the parasites are even worse now, and they turn around and invest in military startups. What's the alternative? This band sold out of merch last night, is that enough for them to survive, or dare I dream, thrive in the world of today? If you are in LA, go see them next week on the 12th. They are releasing a new album and if the world makes sense their next show will be 10,000 people.
- lotsofpulp 11mo agoWarner Bros video production business and Warner Music Group have been separate businesses since 2004.
- tanh 11mo agoIf HBO is ringfenced and funded then fine. Otherwise we're fucked.
- jkmcf 11mo agoLots of complaints about Netflix, but for the money, combined with Prime, I only miss affordable NHL, which is split between too many providers. I agree that I wish Netflix had less lowbrow content, but they target a wide audience, and let's be honest, most people willing watch crap. And seriously: go for a walk, read a book, play a game, or work on a hobby? TV shouldn't be your life, and it's long been one of the big societal problems.