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Netflix to Buy WB

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FL_Ag1998
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In reply to Rigs • 6:32p, 12/8/25
AG
I understand that you and I went down a deep theoretical rabbit hole, I just

1) don't want to see theatrical movie-going go the way of the dodo bird, and I think a quick move to streaming for most movies would eventually cause that. And,

2) netflix has a long way to go to prove that they can consistently make quality entertainment, and that goes for movies or shows.
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TCTTS
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6:43p, 12/8/25
AG
A really great, balanced, both-sides convo about all of this on today's episode of The Big Picture…


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Rigs
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In reply to FL_Ag1998 • 6:48p, 12/8/25
Quote:
2) netflix has a long way to go to prove that they can consistently make quality entertainment, and that goes for movies or shows.
I mean, that's what they're largely buying.

It's the people who know how to make this stuff, and saying "we think we can distribute what you're doing better than Discovery can."

The money isn't really in the studio lots, streaming infrastructure, or really the IP.
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YouBet
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In reply to cajunaggie08 • 7:23p, 12/8/25
AG
cajunaggie08 said:
Whats funny is CNN is hardly even left leaning compared to MSNOW yet CNN is always the whipping boy by right-winged pundits as some crazy liberal network.


Disagree. They are both far left leaning networks so they are typically made fun of equally, but you are right that MSNOW is more far left than CNN and is off the rails crazy. CNN at least has a token conservative on one of their shows that puts them just to the left of MSNOW.
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One Eyed Reveille
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10:51p, 12/8/25
AG
Which takeover results in the last two seasons of Game of Thrones being redone?
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Saxsoon
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In reply to FL_Ag1998 • 6:37a, 12/9/25
AG
FL_Ag1998 said:
I understand that you and I went down a deep theoretical rabbit hole, I just

1) don't want to see theatrical movie-going go the way of the dodo bird, and I think a quick move to streaming for most movies would eventually cause that. And,

2) netflix has a long way to go to prove that they can consistently make quality entertainment, and that goes for movies or shows.

We have seen some great series out of them but that is because they literally throw **** at the wall hoping a pearl pops out. I can't think of great movies coming out Netflix outside of the one art house film they lead to slaughter at the Oscars every year.
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Sea Speed
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8:05a, 12/9/25
AG
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cajunaggie08
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In reply to Saxsoon • 9:58a, 12/9/25
AG
Saxsoon said:
FL_Ag1998 said:
I understand that you and I went down a deep theoretical rabbit hole, I just

1) don't want to see theatrical movie-going go the way of the dodo bird, and I think a quick move to streaming for most movies would eventually cause that. And,

2) netflix has a long way to go to prove that they can consistently make quality entertainment, and that goes for movies or shows.

We have seen some great series out of them but that is because they literally throw **** at the wall hoping a pearl pops out. I can't think of great movies coming out Netflix outside of the one art house film they lead to slaughter at the Oscars every year.

They also buy the rights to tons of foreign films and miniseries with the hope of one of them being a smash hit.

Also, with the crazy success of Kpop Demon Hunters, they did wind up putting the movie in theaters. Now that was a Sony production so if anything Sony are the ones that lost out but Sony has a deal with Netflix that gives Netflix first rights to certain Sony content. But I would think it shows Netflix is about making money. They aren't going to abandon theaters when there is money to be made there. I don't see Netflix keeping the next Batman film on streaming only. But I don't think theaters are struggling due to a lack of content. Its more due to the lack of it being the better film watching experience for most films. We have so much entertainment at our fingertips via social media, video games, and almost the entire history of film at tv available on-demand that spamming movies for theatrical runs doesn't seem like a financially viable strategy for the studios. Sony has found a niche making movies for a combo of Netflix and theaters and I don't see why a Netflix owned WB couldnt do the same.
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zap
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In reply to TCTTS • 10:23a, 12/9/25
AG
TCTTS said:
A really great, balanced, both-sides convo about all of this on today's episode of The Big Picture…



Thanks for the video link.

For anyone who is not interested in the whole video, the merger discussion is only the first 55 minutes. The presenters have a bias (we all do.) You have to wade through the first minutes of rhetoric. (Orwellian, Trump will kill the deal, Can't trust executives, Corporations suck, Far Right)

Key highlights for me:

  • Jobs will be lost, in both the studios and theaters
  • Netflix is killing movies
  • Potential for a Netflix theme park (a bit tongue in cheek, but amusing)
  • Globalization changed the movie business
  • Unrelenting corporate growth is unsustainable

Video Bookmarks:
16:00 Theatrical impact
29:00 How Netflix got here
42:00 HBO content impact
50:00 Physical media impact
53:00 Brass tacks, will the merger happen. Closing remarks
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YouBet
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10:31a, 12/9/25
AG
I go to the theater about once per year so I'm less concerned with that (maybe wrongly). I'm more concerned with Netflix's meddling in HBO's culture and quality which is the premier TV series content creator on the planet along with Apple now.

One of the negative outcome in M&A's is almost always the destruction of the purchased entity's culture and what made them great in the first place. It doesn't matter how hands off the purchaser says they are going to be. Things change because someone high up starts meddling however innocent they think it might be. I've been through an M&A myself and there a a gazillion business cases on the topic anyone can read about it as well.

I have a friend who is a producer in the middle of all of this and that's his worry as well because he's lived it already with previous mergers in this space.
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TCTTS
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In reply to zap • 10:31a, 12/9/25
AG
They of course have a left-leaning bias politically (they're liberal podcasters living in Hollywood), but to be clear, when I said "balanced," I meant in terms of acknowledging the negatives and positives of both sides of the deal, which I thought they did very well. Regardless, thanks for timestamps/rundown.
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zap
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In reply to TCTTS • 11:32a, 12/9/25
AG
It was a good, informative discussion. I wish we were not in such a politicized environment, but that is myopic. Part of my intro/disclaimer was meant as a trigger warning. I was trying to communicate "don't dismiss them all together due to a few buzzwords."
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Rigs
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In reply to YouBet • 11:34a, 12/9/25
HBO has had 3 owners in the past 10 years, and has generally remained unchanged.

It's just not something you touch.

The Max piece, however…
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cajunaggie08
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In reply to Rigs • 1:18p, 12/9/25
AG
Rigs said:
HBO has had 3 owners in the past 10 years, and has generally remained unchanged.

It's just not something you touch.

The Max piece, however…

The Max part was never "HBO." WB decided to call their app HBO MAX because they thought it had the biggest chance to get people to sign up as they figured no one would sign up for an app called WarnerMedia Max.
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TCTTS
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1:21p, 12/9/25
AG
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YouBet
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In reply to cajunaggie08 • 1:25p, 12/9/25
AG
cajunaggie08 said:
Rigs said:
HBO has had 3 owners in the past 10 years, and has generally remained unchanged.

It's just not something you touch.

The Max piece, however…

The Max part was never "HBO." WB decided to call their app HBO MAX because they thought it had the biggest chance to get people to sign up as they figured no one would sign up for an app called WarnerMedia Max.


One of the dumbest marketing decisions ever. Actually, the CMO at the time specifically stated that they went with MAX because he said they had more equity in the MAX name than the HBO name. Anyone actually saying that out loud has no business being a CMO. We discussed on here at the time when his comments came out. It's still one of the most incredulous things I've ever read in the Marketing world. It's Bud Light level decision making but without the backdrop of national politics behind it.

I got the opportunity to ask guy I know who works there about this pretty recently and he just rolled his eyes and agreed with me. Said everyone inside the organization was equally baffled by the decision. It's utterly ludicrous.
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cajunaggie08
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In reply to YouBet • 1:33p, 12/9/25
AG
YouBet said:
cajunaggie08 said:
Rigs said:
HBO has had 3 owners in the past 10 years, and has generally remained unchanged.

It's just not something you touch.

The Max piece, however…

The Max part was never "HBO." WB decided to call their app HBO MAX because they thought it had the biggest chance to get people to sign up as they figured no one would sign up for an app called WarnerMedia Max.


One of the dumbest marketing decisions ever. Actually, the CMO at the time specifically stated that they went with MAX because he said they had more equity in the MAX name than the HBO name. Anyone actually saying that out loud has no business being a CMO. We discussed on here at the time when his comments came out. It's still one of the most incredulous things I've ever read in the Marketing world. It's Bud Light level decision making but without the backdrop of national politics behind it.

I got the opportunity to ask guy I know who works there about this pretty recently and he just rolled his eyes and agreed with me. Said everyone inside the organization was equally baffled by the decision. It's utterly ludicrous.

It was a terrible decision. I do kind of see the logic of wanting to remove the HBO name from the app in a post-Discovery merger world when half of what is on the app homepage is 90 day 700-lbs sister fianc reality crap.
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Rigs
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1:49p, 12/9/25
Look-Netflix isn't going to touch HBO. They've already tried it, and shown they can't do it better. It's not an asset you buy and mess with when you've already tried to beat the model and essentially lost.

They will tell WB you can't spend $80M to make Sinners anymore. Which was only profitable because it legged out. They will tell WB that 90+% of the time, legging out doesn't happen and we lose money. And they're right, or WB wouldn't be for sale (again).
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FL_Ag1998
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In reply to Rigs • 2:02p, 12/9/25
AG
Rigs said:
Look-Netflix isn't going to touch HBO. They've already tried it, and shown they can't do it better. It's not an asset you buy and mess with when you've already tried to beat the model and essentially lost.

They will tell WB you can't spend $80M to make Sinners anymore. Which was only profitable because it legged out. They will tell WB that 90+% of the time, legging out doesn't happen and we lose money. And they're right, or WB wouldn't be for sale (again).


I'm sorry, but unless you work high up in Netflix and you're involved with the inner workings of this deal, you simply can't speak in absolutes like you are. You really have no idea what netflix will or won't do. And FYI, every company lies. Netflix can say whatever they want right now, but then as soon as the deal goes through, they can slowly backtrack and do exactly what they said they wouldn't. Companies always change once they're bought out. Always.

And it's a shame that you take such a cold bottom-line accounting approach to entertainment, where its ok to sacrifice such new interesting fare like Sinners and instead just pump out the movie/TV equivalent of Big Macs because the forecasted margin on those are safe.
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Rigs
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In reply to FL_Ag1998 • 2:13p, 12/9/25
Again. Netflix already tried to out-HBO HBO. It didn't work. 2 different models. I'm quite certain that Casey and Francesca aren't taking notes from Netflix. They'll just go do their thing somewhere else.

Also, again, Sinners should have been made for $40M. And almost every movie isn't making money in the theatre after 14 days that wouldn't be more monetized elsewhere.
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javajaws
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2:33p, 12/9/25
AG
I could easily see Netflix keeping HBO separate but have them specialize in recently released content and big budget series/movies while Netflix fills in with the serial content, documentaries, older stuff, seasonal direct to streaming releases, etc. Everything would eventually make it to Netflix streaming, but after a longer period of time - 6-12 months.
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Rigs
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In reply to FL_Ag1998 • 2:35p, 12/9/25
Sinners, btw, is a great example of where Netflix *would* work here.

Bc they are used to saying "no backend, but we'll pay out the nose on the front-end for talent."

That has been Netflix's leading strategy along the way.

That's exactly what Mike and Pam at WB did this year. That strategy had most prognosticating they would very well get fired.

Being a tastemaker in film and monetization are two quite different things.
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TCTTS
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6:59p, 12/9/25
AG
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johnnyblaze36
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In reply to cajunaggie08 • 7:44p, 12/9/25
AG
cajunaggie08 said:
Whats funny is CNN is hardly even left leaning compared to MSNOW yet CNN is always the whipping boy by right-winged pundits as some crazy liberal network.

CNN puts up pictures of black people and calls them white right to their miniscule number of viewers. They're 100X more insane than msnow.
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superunknown
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In reply to TCTTS • 7:50p, 12/9/25
AG
I haven't seen much comparison of the bids that take into account that Paramount wants all of WBD and Netflix only wants WB, which is interesting to me because the linear side (D) is still cash flow generating. Maybe Netflix doesn't care about the cash flow but some of the figures I saw showed the linear networks of D combined are around $10-12 billion annually. Netflix doesnt have any use for them for sure, but I assume someone will?
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TCTTS
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In reply to superunknown • 7:54p, 12/9/25
AG
If you're curious, another new episode of The Town last night gets into exactly that. I'm not well-versed enough to summarize it here, but it's a relatively quick listen (half-an-hour)…

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superunknown
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In reply to TCTTS • 8:03p, 12/9/25
AG
Awesome, listening now.

Paramount's obviously got plans for the D but Netflix doesn't...in a typical merger situation, there would likely be some regulatory issues but with the camaraderie between Kushner/Ellison and the Trump admin, i dont think it would be an issue. Clearly the administration has decided they're ultimately going to decide who gets what.
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Kaiser von Wilhelm
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In reply to Rigs • 8:08p, 12/9/25
Rigs said:
Again. Netflix already tried to out-HBO HBO. It didn't work. 2 different models. I'm quite certain that Casey and Francesca aren't taking notes from Netflix. They'll just go do their thing somewhere else.

Also, again, Sinners should have been made for $40M. And almost every movie isn't making money in the theatre after 14 days that wouldn't be more monetized elsewhere.


This comment reminds me of all the Californians who move to Idaho and then claim that they won't want to change things. That they moved here because it is much better than California, that Idaho is a much better product and they love how things work so well here and that they appreciate all the ways that Idaho is so much safer and cleaner and stable than all the efforts they made back in California to compete and create a better product. But clearly it just didn't work back where they lived before, so they won't ever ever ever never try to change it to what clearly didn't work before. Pinky promise. They appreciate the new successful place and that it's a better place to live, so why screw it up by wanting to create more of the same?

Then once they're here they say that things were so much better back "home" and that they will be making efforts to change things here so that they can make it better, that the locals just don't understand how much better things can be.

Basically it's the same way that people here hate Californians and their very clear efforts to make a good place more like what they had before, even though it turned the product to ***** Netflix clearly knows what users of their new product likes, but they can do it better. Initially they're buying a good product for what they've done before, but then they slowly change the product into what they always wanted netflix to be, but just couldn't make happen before somehow.

So basically, what netflix says is utter bull**** and all the people on here who honestly believe that netflix won't change things to better fit their current failed model are in denial of reality.

And yes, Netflix is garbage with a garbage product and there's 0% chance they won't screw up a good thing if they're allowed to be in charge.
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Kaiser von Wilhelm
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In reply to johnnyblaze36 • 8:10p, 12/9/25
johnnyblaze36 said:
cajunaggie08 said:
Whats funny is CNN is hardly even left leaning compared to MSNOW yet CNN is always the whipping boy by right-winged pundits as some crazy liberal network.

CNN puts up pictures of black people and calls them white right to their miniscule number of viewers. They're 100X more insane than msnow.


This is like comparing notre dame to Texas. Pick either one, they're both entitled scum who don't understand why people don't like them. Or more likely, they just deny it and attack anyone who dares not worship them as superior.
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Rigs
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8:16p, 12/9/25
Again- HBO has been owned by 3 different companies in less than a decade. And changed zero.

The 4th one's mission isn't going to be to change that.

The other pieces- somewhat.

Let's keep in mind here. WBTV is currently run by Channing Dungey. She came there from…Netflix. And she's done nothing to change what Casey and Francesca are doing.

People will look for boogeymen anywhere.
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superunknown
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In reply to superunknown • 8:27p, 12/9/25
AG
superunknown said:
Awesome, listening now.

Paramount's obviously got plans for the D but Netflix doesn't...in a typical merger situation, there would likely be some regulatory issues but with the camaraderie between Kushner/Ellison and the Trump admin, i dont think it would be an issue. Clearly the administration has decided they're ultimately going to decide who gets what.


23 minutes in and they're talking John Malone is in on this? Leave the Saudi and Qatar funds and Kushner, et al out of this....knowing John Malone is invovled...man I had no idea he had such pull over WBD.
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Zombie Jon Snow
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In reply to Sea Speed • 10:45a, 12/10/25
AG
Sea Speed said:
MW03 said:
Big purchase, especially since WB controls HBO. I wonder what this looks like for streaming services going forward.


They will definitely rename HBOmax again.


NetMax

MaxFlix

HBONet

HBONETMAXFLIX

the possibilities are endless
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YouBet
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In reply to Zombie Jon Snow • 11:03a, 12/10/25
AG
Zombie Jon Snow said:
Sea Speed said:
MW03 said:
Big purchase, especially since WB controls HBO. I wonder what this looks like for streaming services going forward.


They will definitely rename HBOmax again.


NetMax

MaxFlix

HBONet

HBONETMAXFLIX

the possibilities are endless


And then the only way you can watch the HBO catalog pre-Netflix ownership is to sign up for a 1, 2, or 3 disc mail plan.
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Saxsoon
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In reply to Zombie Jon Snow • 11:06a, 12/10/25
AG
Zombie Jon Snow said:
Sea Speed said:
MW03 said:
Big purchase, especially since WB controls HBO. I wonder what this looks like for streaming services going forward.


They will definitely rename HBOmax again.


NetMax

MaxFlix

HBONet

HBONETMAXFLIX

the possibilities are endless


**** it name it Skinemax On Demand +
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TCTTS
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1:34p, 12/10/25
AG
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