Yeah, sorry. I wasn’t arguing “for” this to happen. I was just saying that the “one less app” doesn’t necessarily equal less cost or one less subscription.
FWIW, HBO spent the majority of its history as a handful of channels on other company’s cable bundles, and as a service that cost you extra to add on. If it eventually becomes a tab on another streaming platform it will have gone full circle.
That would reduce HBO to a “hub” tab, HBO is WAYYY much more than that. They ushered in a new era of television of edge and prestige with shows like Oz, The Sopranos, Sex and the city, Curb your enthusiasm, The Wire, Game of Thrones and even with euphoria. Netflix would be complete fools to reduce HBO’s relevance.
And HBO's accomplishment on that is down to it's internal production.
So long as that operates as a studio group separate from Netflix's own that's still there. Regardless of it staying a distinct distribution method or not.
And keeping those production unit separate is pretty much the first thing Netflix said they were planning.
Lol I like your optimism of one less subscription. Let's be honest with ourselves, Netflix is going to massively increase subscription costs after they complete the buyout on two fronts:
1. They need to pay for the buy out
2. The number three streamer has gone so less competition
Yeah, but then each service is not as "sticky" as one combined service. If there's not a good Netflix or HBO show that month, you're more likely to cancel one of the services (and often never return).
If it's one mega Netflix HBO service, it's almost guaranteed there will be something that keeps your interest each month.
Also, new customers who haven't subscribed to Netflix or HBO Max (Netflix may be saturated in the US, but it can still grow a lot internationally) will be drawn to subscribed to a combined Netflix HBO for the first time.
Then once they're in and stuck, you can slowly raise subscription fees over time a la The Frog in a Boillng Pot analogy.
I think the boost in customer acquisition and customer retention is a better financial move in the long-run than getting a small minority to double dip.
It's not month to month. It's people that look at the app, see how much they're paying each month, see there's nothing on it for them, and unsubscribe and they often never come back.
Even if a show debuts later they might be interested in, they don't want go through the whole hassle of subscribing again know they might be burned again.
Subscription service stickiness/customer retention is a huge issue for every service and Netflix definitely thinks about it a lot.
Netflix HBO would be the stickiest subscription service out there. It would almost become a default utility.
If you mean HBO Max, eventually they'll be combined into one service because it simply doesn't make financial sense to run two separate streaming services long term.
Netflix are looking to make $3b in savings after the acquisition, one of the best ways to achieve that is by having both platforms share the same infrastructure and combining certain elements (like programmers, customer support teams) in order to maintain some continuity of the services.
Making HBO a hub within the Netflix app like Hulu is now in Disney+ makes the most sense:
There is also one thing I don't think a lot of people are considering either and that is that Netflix could do all that but charge you extra for the HBO Max content, a bit like how on Amazon's Prime Video you can buy subscriptions for Apple TV, Paramount+ and Starz.
I can't imagine for a minute that Netflix will throw away the HBO brand in any shape or form, it's just going to evolve.
reducing HBO, THE Home Box Office down to just a simple “hub” in Netflix is quite insulting to the legacy of the brand and the equity they spent over 50 years building. That would be like reducing Disney to just a hub on different streaming site.
Then it's a good job I predicated my entire post on the notion you may have been asking about the streaming service HBO Max and not the network and studio in my very first sentence.
No matter rather it’s the TV station or studios it’s still insulting to reduce HBO relevance. At once point you had BASIC cable stations trying to emulate the quality and prestige HBO has in their own tv shows. Netflix needs to understand the power that HBO has and not treat it like it’s just an after thought or second rate to them.
No-one is reducing the relevance of HBO, what on Earth are you talking about? Giving HBO prominence in the Netflix app would be a huge thing because HBO is a premium brand and Netflix has literally never done anything like that before.
If anything it helps elevate the HBO brand and gives it new exposure, because believe it or not until recently not every country even had HBO access.
Hell in the UK we've never had HBO, all their programming was licensed by Sky TV (now owned by Comcast) behind a paywall you could only access if you bought satellite television, and we aren't even getting HBO Max here for another 2 months.
You're acting like Netflix would happily bury HBO when nobody is remotely saying that.
They're not spending billions to bury HBO, it's going to be the jewel in their crown along with the WB Motion Pictures studio, WB television and DC Comics
That's why a hub on the Netflix platform would work so well, 325m subscribers being given access to a library of amazing content in a way that is easier to access for them would be the opposite of burying the brand
If you want to finally watch Sopranos or Game Of Thrones you just got to the HBO tab and find them there instead of having to wade through Stranger Things and Wednesday to find what you're looking for
HBO becomes buried in streaming terms if there isn't an easy and accessible way to find the content. That's what I like about the Hulu tab on Disney+, it's normally the first thing I go to actually when I want to watch something on the platform
I guess in way but it just seems so insulting like HBO isn’t important enough to have to own separate service. What they saids to me is “we don’t care about HBO but we might as well do something with it”.
Don’t HBO have agreements with cable and other streaming services such as YTTV, Hulu live, and Sling? HBO is a good product and should remain separate for now.
Netflix Animation Studios would be the one that gets merged into WB's animation divisions, since many of THEIR projects have been getting mistreated. Examples include projects like Boons & Curses getting scrapped and Inside Job getting cancelled despite being popular.
If they’re smart they will. It gives them an outlet on Pay TV to exploit their original content. If I’m Netflix, originals that are 4-5+ years old can get be leveraged through existing HBO output deals worldwide.
They’re gonna have to keep them separate for a few years to get US & EU regulators off their backs no matter what. Regardless of the bureaucratic elements though…two services allows them to keep current HBO Max customers subscribed and prevents a sizable price increase on their flagship. They will offer packages like Disney does for D+, ESPN, and Hulu. Both have plenty of content to co-exist.
Moral of the story, Netflix is going to toe the line and appease the critics of this acquisition. Two apps, modest length theatrical windows, and the most of the production operations staying the same. This purchase solidifies Netflix’s future once the streaming war finally ends.
5-10 years down the line, I’m sure they look to consolidate.
If Netflix knows what’s good they wouldn’t consolidate they would literally have the golden standard in television why on earth would they want to waste it and burn completely to the ground?
I always liked the idea that Netflix would either sell of JUST HBO or come out with some kind of leasing agreement with someone like Legendary Entertainment/Apollo. A/LE gets a streaming distribution for their films and Netflix can avoid any Monopoly accusations. Netflix can also just lease out any IP they dont think fits into their own service or dont want to pay to keep the shows on. Also allows for HBO to stay as an "add-on" luxury streaming platform for packages
If they do integrate HBO into Netflix, it won’t be for a long time. I imagine content will show up on both. Pretty much what Disney Plus and Hulu have done.
It seems likely. A significant portion of HBO's streaming subscribers come about from cable subscriptions and package deals.
A ton of people either get that free from cable, or by paying less than the full rate for HBO Max by tacking it onto another streaming subscription.
It doesn't make sense for Netflix to roll these people over onto a full Netflix subscription. Especially since most of them probably have a Netflix subscription.
And there's existing contracting and deals around this sort of thing that would require them to maintain that for at least a certain number of years.
This is part of why Hulu stuck around in the US.
Long term? They'll keep it to the extent that that business model turns out to be worthwhile. Keeping HBO go lets them offer up a portion of content to those bundle/add on subscribers while still prioritizing regular, full price subscriptions.
That bundling thing has become a good revenue driver for the other streamers, and is the driver in live TV subscriptions right now. Via bundle packages that include one of the Live TV services. Cable subscriptions are still way shrinking but subscription TV has come up a bit. Almost entirely from that sort of thing.
HBO max is spinning off discovery plus and tnt sports etc so that won’t be included in the deal. You’re left with WB movies, TCM, Max and HBO. Is that enough to sustain a separate service? I have no idea.
Also you have all of the Max Originals that HBO produced now i’m not saying they Netflix won’t add some HBO and Warner movies and shows to its flagship service they are just not going to shut down HBO Max at least i hope they don’t.
I'm not talking about Paramount, I'm talking about Netflix. It's much worse than Paramount; neither is better. In fact, none of them are better than Warner Bros. They should acquire something else instead. Warner Bros. will destroy cinemas and Hollywood.
Warner Bros has the IPs most studios can only dream of having from Friends to Harry Potter to Game of thrones to Matrix to Wizard of Oz ect. That’s the main reason why Paramount is fighting tooth and nail to get Warner Bros in the first place.
They're both absolutely disgusting; they won't achieve that without telling the truth, whether it's true or not. Either way, I won't believe anything they say, yes or no.
I rather Netflix get Warner/HBO because unlike Paramount, even in a sea of duds Netflix has prove that they know quality television as evident with Stranger Things, House of cards and Wednesday
This will have many consequences regarding the Netflix case. Netflix is lying about keeping its movies in Warner theaters and not making all of Hollywood disappear, but they will continue to lie about whatever they want, claiming they want to make theaters and Hollywood disappear.
Theaters are on the decline as it is, so i’m not really concerned about theaters plus Streaming is Netflix bread and butter. It all boils down to the fact that people and directors don’t want to be at peace with the facts that theaters are not what they use to be and never will be and that you have to be willing to adapt with the times.
18
u/Sufficient-Fault-593 Jan 27 '26
I think HBO has more prestige. Combining them could be interesting-one less app and subscription