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Netflix to Buy Warner Bros. Discovery in Major Streaming Deal
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Does this mean I'll get a price hike on HBO?
Currently I pay $4/month and I was promised that it'l stay like this forever, if I join now.
This is much bigger and more impactful than a merger of streaming services.
This is a significant outcome.
It will be interesting to see, if the deal gets regulatory approval, how this impacts the linear and streaming sectors in Europe. Several, including the BBC, could be hit quite hard in the coming years. It might also accelerate the shack-out in the linear sector and speed up the consolidation/rationalisation/transition of services here.
It will be interesting to see, if the deal gets regulatory approval, how this impacts the linear and streaming sectors in Europe. Several, including the BBC, could be hit quite hard in the coming years. It might also accelerate the shack-out in the linear sector and speed up the consolidation/rationalisation/transition of services here.
Monopolies are bad. With that said, better Netflix than Ellison.
I don't think it is possible to have a monopoly on good content.
Considering how streaming services by and large are not profitable, it may not be a bad thing to consolidate them. Weren't you all just complaining of subscription fatigue a while back?
Agreed. Mark my words they will be shocked a few years from now that Netflix has a monopoly. Just like Meta. You all approved meta to purchase those companies!!! Then you act all surprised?
This deal may go down in flames since Paramount is having a hissy fit that they lost to Netflix and it's already been reported that Ellison spoke to Trump to try to block it. This is apparently the new norm. Politics is taking everything over and Trump will do anything for a buck.
I'm very surprised that Comcast didn't buy it. With all the WB properties in their theme parks, it made a lot of sense (especially with the Harry Potter franchise). I wonder how this is going to affect their licensing deals.
Per NYT, "If the deal falls through because of a failure to get the necessary approvals, Netflix would pay a $5.8 billion break fee to Warner Bros. Discovery. If the agreement was broken by a delay or change of heart by Warner Bros. Discovery, it would owe Netflix $2.8 billion."
My friends that still work there like this, even if this means their jobs are lost, as they'll probably lose them anyway under the current status-quo situation. My only disappointment is that the people who destroyed Warner Bros and HBO and put the company in this predicament will be making quite the golden parachute on this deal.
I hope they’ll be able to “borrow” Max’s Apple Vision Pro app, and introduce their content on that directly.
If you currently subscribe to both Netflix and Max, then you likely won't see an increase. You'll see about the same price.
Rather than focus on hypothetical downsides, there is some potential upside: Netflix would gain control of major Warner-owned franchises, including the DC Universe, the Wizarding World (licensing rights), Middle-earth film rights, Adult Swim, and many others. It will also own rights to film series such as The Matrix, Dune, and Mad Max. Based on the way Netflix has handled other licensed content, they are unlikely to *&$%-up these properties in the way Disney has with Marvel and Star Wars, where the franchises were altered to align with Disney's brand identity.
After this acquisition, the major services will be:
- Netflix with a vast WBD catalog + its own originals + DC + HBO archives.
- Disney+ with 100 years of Disney animation + Pixar + Marvel + Lucasfilm + Fox archives.
- Amazon with MGM + Prime originals + massive third-party licensing.
- Paramount+ with Paramount, Showtime, CBS, Nickelodeon, etc.
Where does this leave Apple TV with no legacy catalog, limited licensing, and almost all original content? It will look like a small boutique with little to offer. Perhaps that's good since Apple has shown itself too willing to bend a knee to political pressure.
Probably better to have Netflix take this than to have Paramount take it, but we should be very wary of the current degree of media consolidation. With fewer players, there is less incentive to compete on quality and less incentive to create shows that aren't heavily targeted toward the mainstream. From a pricing standpoint, this will have a short-term benefit for those currently paying for both subscriptions, but that's only in the short term as price competition will be reduced overall.
Good summary. At least Apple is producing interesting content and taking chances.