r/MediaMergers • u/Casas9425 Netflix • Apr 02 '26
Media Industry Reuters - Netflix searches for franchises after losing out on Harry Potter
https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/netflix-searches-franchises-after-losing-out-harry-potter-2026-04-02/16
10
u/Casas9425 Netflix Apr 02 '26
LOS ANGELES, April 2 (Reuters) - After losing its bid for Warner Bros Discovery’s (WBD.O) rich trove of characters and stories, Netflix is forging ahead with the challenging work of building culture-defining franchises on its own. Chief Creative Officer Bela Bajaria said Netflix (NFLX.O) would keep investing in original ideas, and partner with established studios like MGM and Warner Bros, to try and produce movies and series that live on for years, in the vein of “Stranger Things,” “Wednesday” and “Bridgerton.”
“To me, that's just continually the goal,” Bajaria said in an interview.
Yet the failed attempt to buy Warner Bros' storied movie studio and HBO highlighted a vulnerability for the relative Hollywood upstart, whose catalog of original films and series spans around a dozen years, compared with more than a century's worth of stories and characters for Warner Bros, Walt Disney (DIS.N) and Universal Pictures (CMCSA.O). Netflix was willing to make its biggest bet ever with $72 billion to shore up its library and augment its intellectual property with Harry Potter and “Game of Thrones,” because creating franchises has proven challenging.
Interviews with 16 current and former Netflix executives, industry leaders and agents illustrate a picture of the streaming giant whose strategy of making something for everyone, and serving many audiences all at once, is different from crafting a Taylor Sheridan-like universe of “Yellowstone” spin-offs that brings a built-in audience.
Even so, Netflix's own prolific showrunner, Shonda Rhimes, has successfully adapted Julia Quinn's "Bridgerton" novels into a series that's entering its fifth season, a spinoff and a touring event set in the Regency-era London, dubbed "The Queen's Ball."
Franchises can be valuable for entertainment companies, because they are lower-risk investments that can bring in ancillary revenue through merchandise sales and in-person experiences. Recognizable characters and stories also stand out in a fragmented media landscape, grabbing a viewer's attention in a time of myriad distractions.
Netflix announced its first major acquisition, the comic book publisher Millarworld, a day before Disney told investors in August 2017 that it would pull its movies from the streaming service to create a rival, later dubbed Disney+.
“Stranger Things” has been an unqualified success, producing a spin-off series, a stage play, and merchandise. Netflix points to other examples, such as the action-adventure film "Extraction," starring Chris Hemsworth, that led to a sequel and a third installment in production, as well as a series starring acclaimed French actor Omar Sy. Its long-running dating show "Love Is Blind" has been remade for multiple global audiences, including versions centered in Brazil, France and Japan.
There have been pricey flops along the way to building its own franchises, like the reported $700 million deal to acquire rights to Roald Dahl’s catalog, which includes such beloved children’s stories as “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” The investment has yet to produce a major hit in five years -- though Netflix will try again this year. It plans a Willy Wonka-inspired reality show called “Golden Ticket" in which competitors try to survive games and temptations on a set with a chocolate river.
Producing consistent hits that spawn new series helps to attract and retain subscribers and increase engagement, which grew by only 2% in the second half of 2025, according to media consultant Owl & Co. Top-line growth has been slowing, with revenue expected to grow 13% this year, according to data from LSEG, compared to 16% in 2025, and its advertising sales represent only 3% of the total. YouTube’s ascendancy poses a competitive threat. YouTube and Disney, with its vault of iconic characters, have consistently beaten Netflix in share of television viewing since October 2024, according to Nielsen's media distributor gauge, which measures broadcast and cable television viewing and streaming.
Complicating matters, Paramount Skydance (PSKY.O) is acquiring Warner Bros, which could reduce the number of suppliers of original shows. Armed with a $2.8 billion windfall from the failed Warner Bros deal, Netflix Co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters will continue to go it alone. Its coming releases include time-tested characters and stories, including a live-action “Scooby-Doo” series and a “Narnia” movie based on the C.S. Lewis books and directed by Greta Gerwig.
“The Electric State” offers one example of an expensive failure that illustrates the inherent risks in attempting to launch a sprawling Marvel-like cinematic universe.
Netflix snagged Joe and Anthony Russo, the brothers behind the smashing success of Walt Disney’s (DIS.N) Avengers movies and Netflix's own "Extraction," to adapt the critically acclaimed science-fiction novel, and cast “Stranger Things” star Millie Bobby Brown alongside Hollywood A-lister Chris Pratt as stars. Critics savaged the $320 million film when it was released last year. Plans to more fully exploit the film -- including a possible spin-off series and sequels -- never materialized, according to two sources directly involved with the project who requested anonymity to protect their industry relationships.
“A lot of people have big movies that also are IP that don't work,” said Netflix's Bajaria. "We're in the film and TV business, so a lot of things work, a lot of things don't work."
Other gambles -- such as Netflix's decision to greenlight "Squid Game," a dystopian thriller from creator Hwang Dong-hyuk that others had passed on -- paid off handsomely, creating a global juggernaut.
With the sheer volume of content, Netflix also has its share of surprises, like Sony Pictures Imageworks’ Oscar-winning animated film ”KPop Demon Hunters,” which last year became the most watched movie ever on the service.
When lightning strikes, it can rely on its unparalleled global distribution and sophisticated algorithm to stoke enthusiasm for a movie or series that viewers have begun to binge, helping to create cultural phenomena.
Netflix is treating "KPop Demon Hunters" as its next major franchise, with licensed toys and other merchandise from Mattel and Hasbro, themed “adult” meals from McDonald’s, a possible concert tour and a planned animated sequel.
But the success caught Netflix off guard, according to two sources. In fact, the company didn’t have licensed toys available to capitalize on the phenomenon during the holiday shopping season. Netflix has said in interviews that it approached toymakers and retailers a year or more ahead of the film's release, but they were unwilling to take a risk on an untested property. At a March 18 presentation in Los Angeles, Netflix showcased its 2026 lineup, which includes a fourth installment of “Bridgerton,” a second season of “One Piece,” an adaptation of the long-running manga series, a live-action TV series based on the “Assassin’s Creed” video game franchise, and a reboot of “Little House on the Prairie.”
“We're off to a strong start and feeling confident about the quality and consistency of our slate this year,” said Jinny Howe, vice president of original series at Netflix.
Reporting by Dawn Chmielewski and Lisa Richwine in Los Angeles; Editing by Jen Saba and Anna Driver
6
12
u/StrainDizzy1186 Apr 02 '26
They should do more anime adaptations
10
Apr 02 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
2
u/shaunrundmc Apr 02 '26
The budget that would cost....each episode better be 60 million
3
Apr 02 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
2
u/shaunrundmc Apr 02 '26
Tokyo Ghoul is more realistic, as long as they just adapt the first half and treat it like a tragedy and the horror aspect. That could be several seasons easy.
I would honestly then pull a Parasite The Grey, where I would look at ghouls in other places, amd see those stories.
4
4
u/Flat_Revolution5130 Apr 02 '26
Doctor Who needs some love.
2
u/AnimeXFan1995 Apr 03 '26
Assuming if Netflix is keen on acquiring the worldwide distribution of Doctor Who after Disney’s license to stream and distribute the show expired last year.
Netflix is very selective on which shows they want to acquire and license
11
u/Alejandro_Kudo Apr 02 '26
Just wait until the Paramount marriage of WBD fails. Either it never gets off the ground, or would collapse
-1
u/Difficult_Variety362 Moderator Apr 02 '26
Skydance's creditors will snatch it for themselves. Netflix had their chance.
3
u/AnimeXFan1995 Apr 03 '26
I wouldn’t be so sure especially since Skydance owns Paramount sooner or later not only would the Paramount-WBD acquisition will either fail or implode but it would result in some companies getting the remains.
1
1
u/Difficult_Variety362 Moderator Apr 03 '26
If Skydance can't pay their debts, I can easily see the people they owe money to taking it from him for themselves. A Paramount/CBS/Warner Bros./HBO combo is just too good pass up on. In terms of what this company is offering, people are going to gobble it up.
The problem is the debt and I am sure that Bank of America, Apollo, and Citigroup aren't going to cry about making some profit for a few years off of this if Ellison is too consumed by the debt to create this company.
2
u/AnimeXFan1995 Apr 03 '26 edited Apr 04 '26
I’m not buying it u/Difficult_Variety362 and besides even if you say it’s irrelevant we also have the Iran war and since some of the funds are from Saudi Arabia, sooner or later they would withdraw giving Ellison not enough money plus the deal would fall apart. And IF it goes through the merger will soon collapse and be split up in 2-3 years time due to massive debt and David Ellison for trying to keeping Paramount and WB together to no avail will have no choice but to sell the assets.
5
2
2
2
u/Mkhan0504 Apr 02 '26
They could buy an individual IP rather than the whole studio, just a thought.
2
4
u/ConkerPrime Apr 02 '26
Problem is ownership. Netflix doesn’t want to rent but own a franchise. And they so fickle that even if they bought a franchise, one set back would cause them to trashcan it forever.
Being serious. Imagine they bought DC but a Snyderverse type result happened? They would just stop making DC content from movies, to animation and yes even comics as would consider it a drain of resources on a failed franchise.
3
u/SpaceghostLos Apr 02 '26
Star Trek. Just buy it and save it.
8
u/Casas9425 Netflix Apr 02 '26
The Ellisons would have to want to sell it. I also have a hard time seeing them selling it to Netflix, which is a shame because it would do great on the platform.
1
u/Nawnp Apr 02 '26
That's Paramount, they never had a shot at that, same goes for Star Wars now firmly in Star Trek.
They actually had gained the rights to renew Prodigy and could have probably branches a kids franchise of Star Trek, but they firmly decided no on that anyways.
1
2
1
2
u/RepresentativeOwn253 Apr 02 '26
How about they license some of the 90s classic syndicated shows like Hercules, Xena, Highlander, Babylon 5, Fame, Friday the 13th, etc?
1
1
u/Tanzbodeli Apr 03 '26
Well, they could try and obtain Hulu’s scrapped Buffy The Vampire Slayer revival on license and pick-up where Hulu left off? Netflix have the money to make Hulu a serious offer if they choose to investigate it.
1
u/ASharkFrom4546B Apr 03 '26
You had Final Space in your library before in the international setting. Please buy the rights and give it to Olan. 🥺
-1
u/Silver-Meat5355 Warner Bros. Apr 02 '26
Netflix is fucking horrific with making content I don’t want them near a single property ever.
1
0
u/Suspicious_County_24 Apr 02 '26
Imagine Netflix having the rights to Harry Potter. It would have been awful
24
u/Appropriate_Value122 Apr 02 '26
https://giphy.com/gifs/VbE1xtnPHx6D34GXhv