Netflix won.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/compani ... db618&ei=8
Netflix wins WB bid war!
Re: Netflix wins WB bid war!
So far…lots of hurdles, including Larry Ellison complaining his bid didn’t get looked at to his buddy Chump…
Another sad day for Hollywood’s legacy.
Another sad day for Hollywood’s legacy.
Re: Netflix wins WB bid war!
Netflix won, we lost.
It's not a final thing, though, as Ben stated. The government may yet intervene on monopoly grounds.
Even if this goes through, it's hard to say exactly what will happen. But I am not optimistic. All of these mergers are bad for the consumer, and they always result in job losses. And having a streamer in charge of a theatrical studio, with a competing streaming service, and home video divisions, all makes me very nervous.
It's not a final thing, though, as Ben stated. The government may yet intervene on monopoly grounds.
Even if this goes through, it's hard to say exactly what will happen. But I am not optimistic. All of these mergers are bad for the consumer, and they always result in job losses. And having a streamer in charge of a theatrical studio, with a competing streaming service, and home video divisions, all makes me very nervous.
Re: Netflix wins WB bid war!
The next Archive sale, I’m picking up a good chunk of the more interesting curios that remain on my list. We don’t know if these titles will now just go OOP and then be chained behind a WB Classics tile on 'Flix forevermore…
One thing: everyone agrees that 'Flix has become the new "premium" DTV content provider, but the days of huge budgets are over and whereas it’s good that smaller and mid-range projects are getting a chance, it’s also clear that audiences are waking up to the fact that 'Flix has a LOT of stuff, but a LOT of it is filler and crap.
Buying WB gives it access to a LOT of VERY premium quality content, both from WB and the Turner title studios RKO and MGM specifically, which they are going to start to want to protect and not give away without subs. That’s their model. Sadly, it’s not going to be long before those budgets will come down and, IF they don’t stick with at least a limited theatrical model, for which they have infrastructure already in place, then WB just becomes a label on a tile, and meaningless.
They’ve just bought it for the "content" (ugh) and will serve it up in the way that has made them successful. Sadly, the audience doesn’t lose, because that’s what they "want", but someone has to pay, so unless they carry on with theatrical and/or home video, those subs will have to go up and up and up.
It really is a sad time for the movies in the traditional sense.
One thing: everyone agrees that 'Flix has become the new "premium" DTV content provider, but the days of huge budgets are over and whereas it’s good that smaller and mid-range projects are getting a chance, it’s also clear that audiences are waking up to the fact that 'Flix has a LOT of stuff, but a LOT of it is filler and crap.
Buying WB gives it access to a LOT of VERY premium quality content, both from WB and the Turner title studios RKO and MGM specifically, which they are going to start to want to protect and not give away without subs. That’s their model. Sadly, it’s not going to be long before those budgets will come down and, IF they don’t stick with at least a limited theatrical model, for which they have infrastructure already in place, then WB just becomes a label on a tile, and meaningless.
They’ve just bought it for the "content" (ugh) and will serve it up in the way that has made them successful. Sadly, the audience doesn’t lose, because that’s what they "want", but someone has to pay, so unless they carry on with theatrical and/or home video, those subs will have to go up and up and up.
It really is a sad time for the movies in the traditional sense.
Re: Netflix wins WB bid war!
This is getting so weird. 2025 in a nutshell:
https://deadline.com/2025/12/paramount- ... 236642045/
https://deadline.com/2025/12/paramount- ... 236642045/
"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift--that is why it's called the present."