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Mummelmann 1 day ago
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SanAndreasX said:
Mummelmann said:

I suppose, just like with other, huge acquisitions in the past decade, there's a large (too large by far) group that harbor illusions about this being good for consumers somehow. HBO has already lost a lot of appeal and quality since they merged the service with Discovery +, and this will probably make it suffer even more.

People don't think it's going to be good, but a merger is going to happen, regardless of what we think.

For one, WB cannot afford to run itself. Too many years of mismanagement. I wish it weren't true, but it is.

For another, Netflix is the least bad option here, compared to Skydance/Paramount and the Saudi PIF. If Netflix doesn't get approved, then Ellison will end up owning it. Comcast was another potential option, but it has far fewer resources than the other three known suitors.  Comcast is about the size of Nintendo. 

I know all that, the mismanagement was mainly what prompted the new Discovery boss to call for more "unscripted content" on the service overall. It's cheaper to produce, and pulls in large audiences (a sad truth, if there ever was one). My "Home" hub in the HBO Max app is mostly filled with suggestions for reality shows today, where quality HBO shows with actual purpose and directions used to take up the slots. 

Maybe Netflix is the least bad option, but it's still really bad. But numbers don't lie, and as I recall, Netflix is the only out of the top 5 streaming services that actually makes money. As for their model and structure, Netflix reminds me of a market leader in console sales; shovelware is everywhere, but there are diamonds in the rough as well. My main gripes with them are their aggressive price hikes, paired with utter disrespect for certain IPs and audiences. They're also the most sensitive to dipping Nielsen ratings and subsequent axing of productions - where HBO would leave up productions with widespread critical acclaim on that merit alone, Netflix will simply kill it if the viewership is slightly below their expectations/wishes. I see the economical sense in it, but it's a tough sell for someone claiming to be the "saviors of the industry" and its integrity and viability across the board.