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Netflix to Acquire Warner Bros

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Re: Netflix to Acquire Warner Bros

#511

Post by IncreasePosts »

2muchcoffeeman wrote: post #330
CamouflagedKiwi wrote: post #257

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know. I never really had a sensible option to watch Game of Thrones legally, it's a little late for that now but presumably this would mean it's on Netflix which would be significantly better for me. (I guess useful for House of the Dragon now). I don't think I care much about the upcoming Harry Potter show but if I did want to watch that, I'm not sure what my options would be, and Netflix seems better than m…

Just have one subscription at a time and then pirate the rest of it. They all had their chance. They blew it.

Or...don't pirate and rotate streaming services. Just because a new show drops doesn't mean you need to watch it next week

Re: Netflix to Acquire Warner Bros

#512

Post by jimbokun »

josefresco wrote: post #395
dclowd9901 wrote: post #184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They're starting to up their quality. Frankenstein and Death by Lightning were two standout successes recently. That said, I'm more uncomfortable with the continued consolidation of media ownership and more outsize influence of FAANG tech over media.

> Frankenstein and Death by Lightning were two standout successes recently. IMHO Frankenstein" was pretty terrible. The makeup was awful, the effects were cheap, the monster... wasn't a monster! The entire premise depends on him being a monster, not some sort of misunderstood, sympathetic EMO.

> The entire premise depends on him being a monster, not some sort of misunderstood, sympathetic EMO.

Uh, the "monster" is definitely the most sympathetic character in the original novel.

Re: Netflix to Acquire Warner Bros

#513

Post by jimbokun »

skeeter2020 wrote: post #213
dclowd9901 wrote: post #184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They're starting to up their quality. Frankenstein and Death by Lightning were two standout successes recently. That said, I'm more uncomfortable with the continued consolidation of media ownership and more outsize influence of FAANG tech over media.

Netflix has always had one or three stand-out projects over a year, but is that what we want from studios? It is like the tech model: 1 big success for 10+ duds (the VC show) or another superhero installment (the Google/Meta cash cow movie).

By the definition of "stand out" you can't have very many right?

If all of them "stand out" then none of them do.

Re: Netflix to Acquire Warner Bros

#514

Post by thayne »

nonethewiser wrote: post #315
afavour wrote: post #182

Any consolidation like this seems like a negative for consumers. But at least it wasn’t bought by Larry Ellison, as was considered very likely (assuming this merger gets approved, in the current administration you never know). From a Hacker News perspective, I wonder what this means for engineers working on HBO Max. Netflix says they’re keeping the company separate but surely you’d be looking to move them to Netflix…

> Any consolidation like this seems like a negative for consumers This is a very common narrative to this news. But coming into this news, I think the most common narrative against streaming was essentially "There is not enough consolidation." People were happy when Netflix was the streaming service, but then everyone pulled their content and have their own (Disney, Paramount, etc.)

I want a separation between the streaming platform companies and the content making companies, so that the streaming companies can compete on making a better platform/service and the content companies compete on making better content.

I don't want one company that owns everything, I want several companies that are able to license whatever content they want. And ideally the customer can choose between a subscription that includes everything, and paying for content a la carte, or maybe subscriptions that focus on specific kinds of content (scifi/fantasy, stuff for kids, old movies, international, sports, etc.) regardless of what company made it.

Re: Netflix to Acquire Warner Bros

#515

Post by roboror »

smallerfish wrote: post #449

I'm a fan. Injecting a huge catalog into Netflix is a win for consumers who want just one subscription. And injecting studio talent into Netflix (assuming the merge gives WB creatives influence) can only help. HBO's tech sucks. Apple is (in my experience) hard to get running in the Android ecosystem. Most of the other options are too narrow in catalog, or ad ridden. Consolidating streaming services down to a handful…

It's bad for everyone. Fewer buyers = less content made and lower budgets, fewer voices being heard.

Re: Netflix to Acquire Warner Bros

#516

Post by butlike »

yabatopia wrote: post #250
sethops1 wrote: post #188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Surely the move now would be to rename the app to Netlfix Max

To keep it more in line with other brands: - Netflix Max: basic subscription with ads, no 4K - Netflix Max Ultra: basic subscription with ads, but with 4K - Netflix Pro Max: standard subscription without ads, no 4K - Netflix Pro Max Ultra: standard subscription without ads, with 4K You can add a Mobile VIP package for one extra viewer outside your house, but only for Pro plans.

Netflix Plus (Netflix+) which is a side subscription to all of that which lets you syncopate different playback screens to one account, or some other esoteric value add which muddies the waters

Re: Netflix to Acquire Warner Bros

#517

Post by alt227 »

devrundown wrote: post #468
jandrusk wrote: post #391

This is going to be an off the wall statement given this audience, but WWE signed an exclusive deal with NetFlix for 10 years I think in an effort to counter their main competitor AEW, which signed a deal with HBO Max shortly before that. Now they'll both potentially be on the same platform, which WWE will hate as it will be interesting in having two competitive pro wrestling promotions on the same platform.

I'm pretty sure WWE would have an exclusivity clause that would prevent another pro-wrestling program on Netflix. But who knows!

WWE dont have the clout they used to. I remember when they were the number 1 viewed website on the internet. Nowadays the MMA & UFC is much more valuable.

Re: Netflix to Acquire Warner Bros

#518

Post by bko »

afavour wrote: post #182

Any consolidation like this seems like a negative for consumers. But at least it wasn’t bought by Larry Ellison, as was considered very likely (assuming this merger gets approved, in the current administration you never know). From a Hacker News perspective, I wonder what this means for engineers working on HBO Max. Netflix says they’re keeping the company separate but surely you’d be looking to move them to Netflix…

Why is this a negative for consumers? Doesn't everyone complain how they have to subscribe to 5 different streaming services, and plenty of people have to pay for a service just to enjoy one or two series?

I don't think consolidation is necessarily bad. It makes sense from a cost perspective too. I guess they could just license out the content, but this will probably grow the catalog a lot.

Re: Netflix to Acquire Warner Bros

#519

Post by jader201 »

phartenfeller wrote: post #52

I don't like this. Netflix rarely creates excellent content; instead, it frequently produces mediocre or worse content. Will the same happen for Warner? Are cinemas now second behind streaming? Edit: I agree Netflix has good Originals. But most are from the early days when they favored quality over quantity. It is sad to see that they reversed that. They have much funding power and should give it to great art that re…

> Are cinemas now second behind streaming?

It feels like a race to the bottom. Movie and TV content quality has taken a nose dive in the past decade.

Yes, there are exceptions, but it’s hard to find these days.

Maybe it’s because producing movies/TV is so much easier and cheaper that there is now so much low quality noise, that it makes finding the high quality signal so difficult.

But it seems like you used to be able to go to the theater and you’d have to decide between several great options.

Now, I almost never care to go because it’s only about 2-3 times a year that anything comes out worth seeing.

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