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Netflix to Acquire Warner Bros

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Re: Netflix to Acquire Warner Bros

#351

Post by philistine »

alistairSH wrote: post #312
ComputerGuru wrote: post #296

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They might make less money with one super subscription than two separate ones.

Yeah, I can easily see something like 2 separate at $20/month vs 1 super at $35/month (make-believe figures). Assuming all WB and Netflix customers move to the super platform, that's a loss for Netflix (assuming the super platform doesn't significantly reduce their costs). And the $35 might be more than some set of current Netflix subscribers want to pay, so they drop the service, so an even bigger potential loss. Ce…

We're reinventing cable!

Re: Netflix to Acquire Warner Bros

#352

Post by Jenk »

n4r9 wrote: post #226
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…

Lots of good lesser-known stuff on Netflix if you wade through the crap: * The Devil's Plan * Alice in Borderlands * Extraordinary Attorney Woo * Brassic * Back to Life * Intelligence * Black Doves * Top Boy * Mo * The Breakthrough * Borgen * Love Death & Robots * Scavenger's Reign As well as well-known stuff like Stranger Things and Squid Game as a sibling comment mentioned. [Edit: replies point out some of these ar…

They licensed Brassic, it was filmed for Sky One, not Netflix.

Re: Netflix to Acquire Warner Bros

#353

Post by andsoitis »

sumtechguy wrote: post #103
srameshc wrote: post #39

I never imagined that a service that ships DVD via mail would one day buy Warner Brothers. It is amazing how innovation and focus can change the game. Someday a new startup will piggy bank on Netflix and probably buy it later.

Considering WB was once the champion of that format too. Guess that is end of DVD now. Netflix has no interest in that format.

> Guess that is end of DVD now. Netflix has no interest in that format

and neither do consumers. video over the internet is the future that Netflix saw 20 years ago, when others didn't, except YouTube.

Re: Netflix to Acquire Warner Bros

#354

Post by philistine »

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…

On the pure technical side of their streaming services, Netflix refuses to play ball with platform owners to integrate with services. Netflix on Apple TV has zero conceit for the platform. WB on the other hand is very typical of other streaming services. I wonder what will win out?

Re: Netflix to Acquire Warner Bros

#355

Post by toomanyrichies »

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…

If it turns out that Netflix is more interested in Warner Brothers' IP than in things like CNN, they'll just sell those less-interesting pieces off.

Quite possibly (and quite unfortunately) to the Ellisons.

Re: Netflix to Acquire Warner Bros

#357

Post by jmyeet »

Whether or not this deal gets regulatory approval depends entirely on whether or not Reed Hastings sufficiently kisses the ring when it comes to Donald Trump.

I'm personally against this. We've had too much consolidation. It's subscribers who will pay for this with hiked subscription fees.

Any pretense of government regulation is basically gone. Everything is for sale. What determines outcomes is corruption and loyalty. This is really no different to the Russian oligarchs under Putin. The SEC, FTC and DOJ are a joke, just tools to punish ideological foes and people who don't pay up.

All these companies are a consequence will become more ideologically conservative and that's a real problem for media companies because conservatives can't produce good content. Good content challenges the status quo and asks questions, two things conservatives simply don't tolerate. This will do nothing good for HBO.

Re: Netflix to Acquire Warner Bros

#359

Post by dspillett »

wiseowise wrote: post #168
udev4096 wrote: post #18

Couldn't care less, sailing the high sea is peaceful!

You'll care when there will be no physical media and you're left with compressed shit shown down your throat.

> You'll care when there will be no physical media

Physical media is on the way out for the most part, where it isn't already gone, and Netflix & co are the reason, not piracy.

> and you're left with compressed shit shown down your throat.

WRT “compressed shit”: the quality of ahem copies is often no worse than you'd get from an official streamed source. For those that have 4K-capable eyes it is often better as it JustWorks™ without quality dipping out due to bandwidth issues at the streamer, your ISP, or somewhere between, or for local playback needing a long fight to convince your Sony TV to accept that Sony media player connected via a Sony brand cable is legit.

I actually pay for a couple of streaming services (though Prime largely begrudgingly as it got rolled into the delivery service I use), but still get media from ahem other sources because the playback UX is often preferable.

Or if by “compressed shit” you are referring to the intellectual quality of the content not the technical merits of the medium, if it all turns to mush I'll just watch even less than I already do the same way I practically never game these days (though that is due to both content quality and technical matters). I've got other hobbies competing for my attention, I can just live without TV if TV quality falls further.

Re: Netflix to Acquire Warner Bros

#360

Post by Mindwipe »

Arainach wrote: post #259
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…

Far better for consumers to be able to binge Game of Thrones/Silicon Valley/whatever and cancel HBO Max than to have to pay twice as much for a subscription to both libraries to get either.

Which is why it won't happen, what would the revenue benefit of that be?

In the medium term you'll get a D+/Hulu-esque split with maybe a discounted bundle of Netflix and HBO Max together - the evidence is pretty strong that bundles reduce churn.

If they ever do go to one library, it'll be because Netflix feel they are able to push prices to the same level as both services combined.

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