Netflix claims subscribers will get “more content for less” if it buys HBO Max
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I believe the reasoning goes like this: HBO Max costs ~$15 a month; Netflix costs ~$20 a month. That's $40 a month. When it's all just Netflix, Netflix will cost $35 a month - see, savings! - and you'll get access to twice as much content.
Or something like that.
I'm clearing out most of my ongoing streaming subs and just signing up for a month at a time when there's a specific show/s I want to watch. The deep content available a few years ago just isn't as deep anymore, and I've already rummaged through all of it I'm interested in. That is reducing my streaming bill by over 90% a year, with little or no impact on my actual usage.
Or something like that.
I'm clearing out most of my ongoing streaming subs and just signing up for a month at a time when there's a specific show/s I want to watch. The deep content available a few years ago just isn't as deep anymore, and I've already rummaged through all of it I'm interested in. That is reducing my streaming bill by over 90% a year, with little or no impact on my actual usage.
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coconutboy
Ars Praefectus
Megacorp “XYZ company claims consumers will benefit from our acquisition of ABC company” has been BS about 90% of the time for 40+ years now. See Home Depot, the browser wars, Target, Amazon, Nvidia, etc.
If HBO does get absorbed into the Netfuxs Borg, it might take 20 years till we get a decent replacement. The Last of Us indeed.
If HBO does get absorbed into the Netfuxs Borg, it might take 20 years till we get a decent replacement. The Last of Us indeed.
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Easy solution to streaming monopoly: the digital equivalent of the aptly named Paramount Consent Decree, prohibiting distributors from owning content production.
"Easy" being a relative term, of course.
"Easy" being a relative term, of course.
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Gotta love how M&A continues basically unabated. Capitalism doesn't have a solution for this: despite the merging being strictly worse for consumers basically 99% of the time, mergers make the number go up, and with the stock market being society's be-all-end-all, we shouldn't get in the way of something which makes the investor class richer.
Someone plugged Matt Stoller's BIG newsletter on these forums a while ago, now it's my turn. It's a good informative weekly email summing up the latest in American monopoly news. Some of the authors takes are a bit fishy sometimes (he actually advocates for the Renminbi becoming the world's reserve currency and USD stepping back from that role), but in general he highlights interesting news stories and trends.
Someone plugged Matt Stoller's BIG newsletter on these forums a while ago, now it's my turn. It's a good informative weekly email summing up the latest in American monopoly news. Some of the authors takes are a bit fishy sometimes (he actually advocates for the Renminbi becoming the world's reserve currency and USD stepping back from that role), but in general he highlights interesting news stories and trends.
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I remember when AT&T claimed merger would lower prices. We all saw how that went.
https://meincmagazine.com/information...-time-warner-merger-its-raising-them-instead/
https://meincmagazine.com/information...-time-warner-merger-its-raising-them-instead/
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Well instead of prohibiting production.
A better solution is to prohibit vertical monopoly on content distribution.
Meaning after 1 year the content needs to be made available to other distributors and content distribution prices should decrease with it.
They would lose exclusivity rights and consumers gain freedom of choice on where to watch it.
But companies still get paid for the content either way.
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"“We are a one-click cancel, so if the consumer says, ‘That’s too much for what I’m getting,’ they can cancel with one click,” Sarandos said."
Ok, will do. Noted above, neither service, even combined, justifies more than a month's subscription a year in my experience anymore. So I'll happily reduce my cash out lay by 11/12.
Ok, will do. Noted above, neither service, even combined, justifies more than a month's subscription a year in my experience anymore. So I'll happily reduce my cash out lay by 11/12.
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I'm not sure if this merger will make prices worse for consumers. They have already been getting worse for years as separate companies. And they don't exactly compete like normal competition. If I'm buying RAM or dish soap there are a number of competing products I may choose from. For streaming, I think most people are looking for certain shows (or a family of shows). If you want to watch Stranger Things or Game of Thrones or Euphoria, then there isn't a choice, you get the streamer who has it.
I'm not saying this will improve prices. I'm saying the prices will continue to rise and be worse for consumers whether this merger happens or not.
On the other hand, the studios distributing shows and movies to the streaming companies are almost definitely going to see worse deals if HBO and Netflix aren't competing for their product. There are only a few places they can sell their wares and two of the largest are becoming one. When the studios get less money, they will squeeze their staff by cutting jobs or pay (or both).
I'm not saying this will improve prices. I'm saying the prices will continue to rise and be worse for consumers whether this merger happens or not.
On the other hand, the studios distributing shows and movies to the streaming companies are almost definitely going to see worse deals if HBO and Netflix aren't competing for their product. There are only a few places they can sell their wares and two of the largest are becoming one. When the studios get less money, they will squeeze their staff by cutting jobs or pay (or both).
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i cant even remember the last thing i watched on netflix, I get it with my cable TV bundle. Wasn't even interested in the stranger things stuff.
i find that content is spread pretty thinly these days for my specific viewing type, so i can just sign back up for something once a year and then cancel quickly.
i find that content is spread pretty thinly these days for my specific viewing type, so i can just sign back up for something once a year and then cancel quickly.
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The reason Netflix started making their own content is because the studios started to massively increase their licencing rights when they realised people were cancelling their cable for Netflix only.
The studios owned their own channels and got paid obscene affiliate fees by cable companies to distribute them to customers and those customers saw Netflix as a better deal.
The key difference is that a streaming platform like a TV channel is not the equivalent of a theatre chain it's a film reel the internet service provider or cable company is the theatre chain.
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It is kinda crazy that Netflix's mission statement is literally to destroy movie theaters, and no one seems concerned that it is acquiring one of the last major movie studios. Not that I am a major Regal or AMC fan, but I find it f-ing depressing that future installments of Dune will have its plot repeated by characters over and over every 15 minutes.
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More content for less*
*than the total price of subscribing to both individually
*than the total price of subscribing to both individually
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Warner Bros hasn't been a movie studio for decades, it became a part of various media conglomerates since the late 1960's.
The 8 golden age majors and current owners.
Universal - Comcast.
Columbia - Sony.
20th Century Fox - Disney (Disney was not a major till the mid 1990's).
Warner Bros - Netflix maybe.
Paramount - under new ownership but still called Paramount.
MGM - Amazon (lost it's place as a major in the 1980's).
United Artists - Amazon (lost it's place as a major in the 1980's)
RKO - ceased being a major in the 1950's.
Most have had numerour owners before their current ones. General Electric owned Universal and Coca-Cola owned Columbia for example.
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I subscribe to HBO Max, I cancelled Netflix and replaced it with Piracy for the maybe one show a year I watched there. If they decide to jack up the rates with Netflix's shit library, then I'll just pivot to piracy for HBO Max as well. I'll pay, but I have a limit.
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FAANG isn't some nickname of equals just new fast growing tech companies.
Look at the market caps Netflix $340 billion the next smallest Meta (facebook) $1.75 TRILLION with Apple, Alphabet (Google) and Amazon all being 2.5 to 4 TRILLION.
Not exactly the same scale is it.
Netflix 2025 full year revenue $45 billion. Meta $201 billion with $60 billion in Net income! Meta's 4th quarters revenue was $60 billion alone!
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“When pressed further on pricing, the executive argued that the merger doesn’t pose “any concentration risk” and that Netflix is working with the US Department of Justice on potential guardrails against more price hikes.”
Uh huh, we know how they’ll react.
Uh huh, we know how they’ll react.
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Sure, Netflix hasn't kept up with the Joneses, but also they are still a pure play and the rest of the group are in a bunch of other businesses
My point still stands, though. Netflix is still double the market cap of the next largest media company (Disney) and Netflix is firmly in the tech-ification of the media industry as much as Apple or Amazon and certainly hasn't approached the industry from the media side like Disney, Paramount, or even Comcast has. Also, Apple or Amazon's streaming businesses would be tiny compared to even WBD in valuation, much less next to Netflix. To claim that Netflix is the scrappy one compared to anyone in streaming--whether they're headquartered in Seattle, the Bay Area, or LA-is silly
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Literally the least concerning monopoly ever.
Worst case a bunch of bad content gets more expensive.
I mean, it's annoying, but, with everything else going on, should Congress really be spending time worried about Stranger Things and The Flash getting more expensive?
Really? Congress is not an organization that can chew gum and engage their prefrontal cortexes at the same time.. they need to focus.
Worst case a bunch of bad content gets more expensive.
I mean, it's annoying, but, with everything else going on, should Congress really be spending time worried about Stranger Things and The Flash getting more expensive?
Really? Congress is not an organization that can chew gum and engage their prefrontal cortexes at the same time.. they need to focus.
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Here's a benefit for consumers: keeping WBD out of the grimy editorial hands of fascists like the owner of Paramount.
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Canterrain
Ars Scholae Palatinae
I'm old enough to remember when the great hope of Netflix is that you could cancel cable service get all the content you want and save money. Those were the days. Like.. six years ago...
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It's like any other addiction - at some point, it just sort of runs away with itself and leads to an inevitable hard crash. Sometimes that hard crash can be literal and end with serous injury or death to self or another.
Capitalism in the US is at that addict stage, where the person is more interested in raving, chasing the better high and has a "I'm going to get mine before the whole shit house goes up in flames" attitude.
They've stopped paying the bills, the few times they even see their roommates anymore, they could care less about their concerns or advice.
They're about 90% of the way to an OD or making catastrophically bad choices.
..and there is no one and nothing in the world that will stop them until what happens, happens.
Edit: Spelling and toned it down to be more kind.
Capitalism in the US is at that addict stage, where the person is more interested in raving, chasing the better high and has a "I'm going to get mine before the whole shit house goes up in flames" attitude.
They've stopped paying the bills, the few times they even see their roommates anymore, they could care less about their concerns or advice.
They're about 90% of the way to an OD or making catastrophically bad choices.
..and there is no one and nothing in the world that will stop them until what happens, happens.
Edit: Spelling and toned it down to be more kind.
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Well, I was paying about $100/month for POTS back in the 80's which included the cost of calls and all. And that was for one line. Now, I pay about 1/3 that per line for 4 lines total (so call it about 120) .
I mean, yeah, it took 40 years to get there, but sheesh... People gotta learn to be patient.
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So would the CEO be okay being held liable with jail time when they do not have more value? Because the fact there is no consequence for every merger to go spew the same nonsense and it never turns out to be true is getting really old.
Gosh I miss accountability.
* considering the alternative option here though is paramount... Netflix is less bad. Still neither should be the right answer.
Im not subscribed to either but hate the pervasive behavior on display from the execs.
Gosh I miss accountability.
* considering the alternative option here though is paramount... Netflix is less bad. Still neither should be the right answer.
Im not subscribed to either but hate the pervasive behavior on display from the execs.
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Next minute they will go all Gamepass and raise prices 50% lol
I only keep netflix as included with my fibre connection, I would not be paying for it otherwise lol
I only keep netflix as included with my fibre connection, I would not be paying for it otherwise lol
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Oh no... what is Netflix's business model going to do to the quality of HBO's shows? Prepare for shows you like to get cancelled a season in, over and over again, until you just don't want to commit the time any more.
Hmm, come to think of it, the bread's already hard to afford now, and with the price of RAM and games going out of reach, along with this, there goes the circuses too. No bread, no circuses, what's the populace going to do with their free time?
Hmm, come to think of it, the bread's already hard to afford now, and with the price of RAM and games going out of reach, along with this, there goes the circuses too. No bread, no circuses, what's the populace going to do with their free time?
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Netflix started as DVD rentals so I would say as much from the media side as Comcast.
Amazon Prime Video is pretty big just a hair less US viewership than all of Disney's combined streaming services. Apple is irrelevant though.
Alphabets YouTube (original not YouTube TV) is the king of video streaming vastly outperforming Netflix in every metric.
Lets also not pretend that having those other businesses doesn't allow the tech giants to throw billions at video of they wished and could easily crush Netflix if they wanted.
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