Netflix’s $72B WB acquisition confounds the future of movie theaters, streaming
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"Regulatory scrutiny?"
I'm just one of the people of the land. The common clay of the new West.
I think that means: "How much will the bribe be?"
I'm just one of the people of the land. The common clay of the new West.
I think that means: "How much will the bribe be?"
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Great. Now our streaming service fees will rise to the absurd level of theatre pricing.
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RickRoyLeonPrisZhoraRacha
Ars Scholae Palatinae
Netflix’s co-CEO Ted Sarandos has historically seen minimal value in theaters as a distribution method. In April, he said that making movies “for movie theaters, for the communal experience” is “an outmoded idea.”
Don't believe CEO speak. Its counter to their actual plans. Netflix will eventually bid on defunct movie chains as prices of streaming show that movie releases are still based on production values and control of the theaterical release, then the streaming and eventual medium (if bluray is still viable and profitable).
Because a monopoly in movies will have studios, production, and distribution (not just streaming) control.
Don't believe CEO speak. Its counter to their actual plans. Netflix will eventually bid on defunct movie chains as prices of streaming show that movie releases are still based on production values and control of the theaterical release, then the streaming and eventual medium (if bluray is still viable and profitable).
Because a monopoly in movies will have studios, production, and distribution (not just streaming) control.
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Remember years ago when the guy running HBO said their goal was to become Netflix faster than Netflix became HBO? Well now they literally are Netflix.
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This one might actually face some scrutiny. Paramount will oppose this merger and is run by the son of Larry Ellison (Oracle) who is supposedly chummy with Trump. Maybe a few words from papa in the right ears will help.
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Sure they are.
"Do you operate any DEI policies?"
"Nope."
"Cool, cool. Go ahead and make the deal."
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The United States of America seems pretty set on reaping the major efficiency gains to be had from winnowing every industry down to one company.
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That is a lot of money to basically unwind the Warner Brothers - Discovery merger of a few years ago.
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Oh they will but it will only take a gold trinket or two and some buying of Trump related crypto to get it to be accepted.
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Inherently and by default I am against consolidation in any industry, and particularly against it when it comes to the custodians of the media we consume; having only a few people in charge of deciding what content we consume or are even given the opportunity to engage with can never be a good thing. So as much as I like Netflix, I don't really like this development.
With that said, the alternatives looked to be worse – Larry Ellison getting WB would be galling, and CNN becoming a MAGA mouthpiece (which is still a possibility tbf, for all we know CNN is unbundled before Netflix is allowed to complete the acquisition) is ghastly. So I guess this is the best of the worst possible scenarios. But us having to make our peace with only getting the worst possible scenarios to choose from is pretty shit in and of itself.
P.S.: every company that has acquired WB in the last half-century has been dragged down with them kicking and screaming, no matter how on top of the world they were at the time of the proposed acquisition. I am legitimately surprised Netflix wanted to take on the baggage of WB and their debts.
With that said, the alternatives looked to be worse – Larry Ellison getting WB would be galling, and CNN becoming a MAGA mouthpiece (which is still a possibility tbf, for all we know CNN is unbundled before Netflix is allowed to complete the acquisition) is ghastly. So I guess this is the best of the worst possible scenarios. But us having to make our peace with only getting the worst possible scenarios to choose from is pretty shit in and of itself.
P.S.: every company that has acquired WB in the last half-century has been dragged down with them kicking and screaming, no matter how on top of the world they were at the time of the proposed acquisition. I am legitimately surprised Netflix wanted to take on the baggage of WB and their debts.
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CNN about to become state media a la CBS News as a condition of the merger. And Last Week Tonight might just shutdown entirely because I seriously doubt Oliver stays if he's muzzled. And yet somehow this is still better than the Ellisons gaining control.
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What an absolute win American corporate deregulation has become!
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I wonder what this will mean for DC. Probably another hard reboot. It's been a few months since the last one so we're already long overdue
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Meh. Change happens but as an old timer I'll always miss the HBO that I grew up with and their intros to movie.
For me personally though this doesn't really change much. I cut the cord years ago and don't pay for cable because of the price. I do have a Netflix account but didn't have a HBO Max or other WB streaming service. If my Netflix raises to the point where I don't feel its worth it I'll cancel just as I did with cable.
For me personally though this doesn't really change much. I cut the cord years ago and don't pay for cable because of the price. I do have a Netflix account but didn't have a HBO Max or other WB streaming service. If my Netflix raises to the point where I don't feel its worth it I'll cancel just as I did with cable.
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CNN has already announced it's gonna be state news. CNN is going to be integrating a news gambling site into its coverage. Now, guess who's got a big piece of the gambling company.
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Hopefully Zaslav gets de-contented like all of the shows he yanked. Sadly he'd still get his golden parachute and head off to ruin other companies.
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I HATE going to the movies. In practically every theater there's screaming or crying kids and parents who won't control them, People with their cell phones lighting up the room, people who would rather talk than watch the movie, and other annoyances. Its just not worth paying a premium for that.
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Def time to take out the old black flag from retirement, a lot of us started on Napster, Kazaa, Morpheous etc before moving on to torrents and streaming so it's time for us old timers to get the boat up and running. Raise the skull and ...
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It was the other way around. Ted Sarandos said this about Netflix becoming HBO before the opposite happens.
Then again, I don't know what exactly the muggles that took Westworld off HBO so they can make more money selling it per episode, then renamed it to max and whatnot, expected to happen - other than what is happening.
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I look forwards to series after series about the various DC superheroes, each season only 4-6 episodes long and each getting cancelled before their stories' conclusion.
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I hope everyone that complained about "too many streaming services" or yearned for the "good old days of having everything on Netflix" enjoys paying $30+ a month for their subscription. This one's for you, kid.
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This needs to be blocked 8 ways to Sunday. Anti competitive in basically every way
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Hey maybe this means we will get Monolith back.
grins awkwardly while laugh-track plays
grins awkwardly while laugh-track plays
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Under Lina Khan the FCC was actually starting to do some real regulation, of course that got shut down as soon as Trump came into office
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CNN is not part of this merger. It's being spun off into a different company prior to the acquisition.
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