TV Streaming Discussion: HBO MAX UPDATE: WTF is Going on? Merger with PARAMOUNT?!

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HBO Max Offers Discount As It Cuts Dozens of Titles From Service
By Eric Vilas-Boas@e_vb_


HBO Max’s deal won’t really apply to originals like Genera+ion — which is set to be erased from the service, along with many others. Photo: Warrick
When in doubt, bribe. That seems to be the message of HBO Max’s latest discount, a 30 percent price chop to its yearly subscriptions for new users that lands half a day after the streamer abruptly announced it would cut dozens more original shows and films from its service. Under the terms, new and returning customers can sign up for prepaid annual subscriptions to the service for either $104.99 (the no-ads plan) or $69.99 (the ad-supported plan) — compared to $149.99 and $99.99 for the plans’ regular pricing. The discount is just for the first year; the offer’s good until October 30, 2022, and available through the service’s website or its partners Roku, Google Play, Apple, and Amazon.

To the streamer’s credit, it’s a straightforward deal, and it could potentially save you up to 42 percent if you’re currently on a monthly plan, but its timing is interesting. The new Game of Thrones spinoff House of the Dragon debuts this week, so it could be a hedge against subscribers who sign up only to cancel once the season of the big-budget series ends. It also indicates Warner Bros. Discovery’s desire to juice some quick cash out of its flagship streamer in the form of annual sign-ups, amid a period of intense PR shellacking. HBO Max’s summer has been a scorcher: It laid off its unscripted-content staff, purged several titles off the service without warning, then purged more, canceled franchise movies mid-production, and endured rumors and an earnings call that the internet mobilized to mock. Warner Bros. Discovery at least seems to acknowledge the heat with this discount, though.
 

playahaitian

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sidebar...

damn it

I ALWAYS wanted to do this and everyone told me it wouldn't work

salute that man.

 

playahaitian

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Interesting...

@ViCiouS

I see both sides I don't think they need to take a loss but some properties are for kids and also some should be perserved for history.

They gotta fix how these streaming works.
 

ViCiouS

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Interesting...

@ViCiouS

I see both sides I don't think they need to take a loss but some properties are for kids and also some should be perserved for history.

They gotta fix how these streaming works.
fyi



...Nexstar’s overarching plan with the last-place broadcast network is to turn it into a plan that can actually make money, as opposed to operating at a loss year in and year out. The company’s CFO Lee Ann Gliha shared this fairly shocking fact while on a conference call with analysts (via Deadline):


It’s no secret that the CW is not profitable, but this is not typical for fully-distributed broadcast or cable networks. In fact, according to SNL Kagan data, no other broadcast network operates at an ongoing loss...

...One rather big and obvious reason for such financial imbalances? The fact that the network was pumping so much money into shows like The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl and more, without those shows’ respective viewerships necessarily justifying the financial backing.



...
The CW Will Focus On Its Actual Age Demographic Instead Of The One It’d Like To Have

For a network that has been filled with twentysomething superheroes and the high school students of All American, Riverdale and more, The CW somehow isn’t exceedingly popular with younger viewer demographics. In fact, Tom Carter revealed that according to their research, the average CW viewer is 58 years old,

:lol::lol::lol:

which is more akin to the crowd tuning in nightly to Paramount’s CBS. That, in a nutshell, is why Carter thinks The CW ranks so poorly against the Big 4...


...
So while fans will no doubt continue to hope for a left-field miracle to save Legends of Tomorrow, there’s no inherently logical way for that to ever happen at The CW, and any future Arrowverse projects would almost definitely have to happen on HBO Max at this point. Or perhaps somewhere that isn’t also dealing with projects being shelved and canceled at alarming rates. I suppose the silver lining here is that we’ve had the past year and change to get used to all the cancellations, rather everything only surviving long enough to get axed in one fell swoop by Nexstar...
 

playahaitian

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fyi



...Nexstar’s overarching plan with the last-place broadcast network is to turn it into a plan that can actually make money, as opposed to operating at a loss year in and year out. The company’s CFO Lee Ann Gliha shared this fairly shocking fact while on a conference call with analysts (via Deadline):




...One rather big and obvious reason for such financial imbalances? The fact that the network was pumping so much money into shows like The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl and more, without those shows’ respective viewerships necessarily justifying the financial backing.



...
The CW Will Focus On Its Actual Age Demographic Instead Of The One It’d Like To Have

For a network that has been filled with twentysomething superheroes and the high school students of All American, Riverdale and more, The CW somehow isn’t exceedingly popular with younger viewer demographics. In fact, Tom Carter revealed that according to their research, the average CW viewer is 58 years old,

:lol::lol::lol:

which is more akin to the crowd tuning in nightly to Paramount’s CBS. That, in a nutshell, is why Carter thinks The CW ranks so poorly against the Big 4...


...
So while fans will no doubt continue to hope for a left-field miracle to save Legends of Tomorrow, there’s no inherently logical way for that to ever happen at The CW, and any future Arrowverse projects would almost definitely have to happen on HBO Max at this point. Or perhaps somewhere that isn’t also dealing with projects being shelved and canceled at alarming rates. I suppose the silver lining here is that we’ve had the past year and change to get used to all the cancellations, rather everything only surviving long enough to get axed in one fell swoop by Nexstar...


I saw that sh*t

you think I was gonna VOLUNTARILY submit this to YOU??

Vicious aka the viciously unforgiving aka Berlanti Bully
 

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Warner Bros. Discovery Bosses Talks Future Of DC Films And Rationale Behind Batgirl's Cancellation
By Adam Holmes published 15 days ago
It’s been a hectic time for the DC Films franchises.



Just two days ago, the DC Films franchise endured a major shakeup, as Batgirl, a movie that had already been shot, was scrapped from the lineup of upcoming DC movies, meaning it won’t be released in theaters or to HBO Max subscribers.This surprising news came months after the Wonder Twins movie was cancelled after three months of development. For those now wondering where things stand with DC Films, two of Warner Bros. Discovery bosses opened up on the company’s earnings call today. about the future of the franchise and provided more rationale for Batgirl’s cancellation


Starting off, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav made it clear that the DC brand is still a priority for this recently-merged conglomerate, to the point that there’s a specific 10-year plan that’s being applied to future DC movies. In Zaslav’s words:

… As we look at the opportunities that we have, broadly, DC is is one of the top of the list for us. We look at Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, these are brands that are known everywhere in the world. And the ability to drive those all over the world with great story is a big opportunity for us. We have done a reset. We've restructured the business where we're going to focus where there will be a team with a 10-year plan focusing just on DC. It’s very similar to the structure that Alan Horn and and Bob Iger put together very effectively with Kevin Feige at Disney. We think that we could build a long term, much stronger, sustainable growth business out of DC. And as part of that, we're going to focus on quality.

The DC Extended Universe launched with Man of Steel in 2013, five years after the Marvel Cinematic Universe got rolling with Iron Man. However, the DCEU has never reached the MCU heights of success, but with David Zaslav leading the charge, he’s implementing this 10-year plan that pulling a page from the book the MCU has been using for a while now. And for those unaware, Alan Horn is now serving as a consultant for Warner Bros. following nearly a decade at Walt Disney Studios as chairman and later the chief creative officer. Zaslav continued:
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We're not going to release any film before it's ready. We're not going to release a film to make a quarter… the focus is going to be, how do we make each of these films in general as good as possible? But DC is something that we think we could make better and we're focused on it now. We have some great DC films coming up: Black Adam, Shazam and Flash, and we're working on all of those. We're very excited about him. We've seen them, we think they're terrific and we think we can make them even better.

Black Adam will hit theaters this October, followed by Shazam! Fury of the Gods two months later. And despite the controversy surrounding The Flash actor Ezra Miller, the Scarlet Speedster’s solo movie is still on track to arrive next June. However, it isn’t all about strengthening the DCEU continuity, as evidenced by Joker 2 scoring a release date and The Batman 2 being greenlit earlier this year, not to mention Matt Reeves’ Caped Crusader-centric universe expanding with a Penguin series and other spinoff shows in development. The point

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As for Batgirl, which starred In the Heights’ Leslie Grace in the title role and was directed by Bad Boys for Life’s Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, yesterday Warner Bros. Discovery issued a statement yesterday about it, saying that Batgirl’s cancellation “reflects our leadership’s strategic shift as it relates to the DC universe and HBO Max.” Today, Gunnar Widenfels, WBD’s CFO, provided the following rationale about Batgirl being shelved, as well the scrapping of Scoob! Holiday Haunt and Wonder Twins:


Substantial investment into direct to HBO Max films, for which again, we did not find sufficient support. This means adjusting the way we invest going forward, and also in evaluating those projects already completed or in progress. Wonder Twins, Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt are examples of streaming films that do not fit this new strategic approach. These are difficult decisions, but we are committed to being disciplined about a framework that guides our content investment for maximum return.

All three of these movies had been slated to be exclusive to HBO Max, as was Blue Beetle before it changed to a theatrical release. However, under the new regime, Warner Bros. is committing to releasing theatrical movies, and rather than pour more money into Batgirl (which had a budget of $90 million) to make it feel more cinematic, the company decided to set it aside. It’s been reported that Warner Bros. Discovery plans to take write off Batgirl as a tax break.

Clearly some big changes are coming to DC Films, and CinemaBlend will continue sharing updates on what the franchise is delivering to audiences. If you’re wondering what non-DC movies there are to look forward to for the remainder of the year, head to our 2022 release schedule.
 

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:lol:
Berlanti been running a 10 year nonprofit org to benefit mediocre actors and production...

f*ck you cuz

giphy.gif
 

playahaitian

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:lol:
Berlanti been running a 10 year nonprofit org to benefit mediocre actors and production...

Ok mastermind

Why EXACTLY was this allowed to start and continue for a DECADE?

They got share holders to answer to

Canada government giving tax forgiveness and incentives

Why ?????

Tell me that?
 

playahaitian

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Despite losing its assumed status as having the youngest broadcast audience, it’s still safe to say that the CW has the youngest average viewer in the pack when it comes to streaming.

The plethora of teen dramas and superhero fare at the CW are known to be consumed by a streaming audience largely in their late 20s and early 30s. While independently verified streaming data on CW series is not available, paying attention to the difference between Live + Same Day numbers and Live + 7s in linear viewing supports the perception of a younger audience when it comes to different ways of viewing this content.


Ok at least this part makes me feel a little bit better

Not much.
 

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playahaitian

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it kinda makes sense $$

they plan on migrating content to a new backend and building out a new service for Max and Discovery+ by next summer 23

so significantly reducing server load now would save some money on infrastructure /operational costs

Bro if you don't get me my free annual subscription when that bitch launches

We gonna fight
 

VAiz4hustlaz

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playahaitian

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still no green light... means no new Batman until post 2024/25

I'll be surprised if Matt Reeves does Bat 2 or works with Pattinson again

Yup

Funny that Campea guy is saying it's because they don't have a script etc...

Which is odd because we have highly publicized TV shows and movies get confirmed sequels and second seasons with no formal scripts many times before.
 

blackbull1970

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It’s clear Warner Bros. is doing a complete clearing house of everything.

I have no problem with it, just let folks know and go forward from there.

WB obviously has something planned, hopefully it’s for the better.
 

Helico-pterFunk

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@ViCiouS @Helico-pterFunk

this is the best most responsible explanation to the CW existence nd the HBO Max firings



8/19



Playa - that’s one of my fave podcasts in recent years. They do lots of industry talk. Good interviews with talent and showrunners. Tge female host’s wife works in the biz, and male host is a well known tv critic. He’s a bit of a Debbie Downer but watches a shitload of stuff and knows what’s what. From what I gather he used to host a pod with fellow known critic Alan Sepinwall previously. I only know Dan Feinberg with TV’s Top 5 pod here though.
 

playahaitian

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Playa - that’s one of my fave podcasts in recent years. They do lots of industry talk. Good interviews with talent and showrunners. Tge female host’s wife works in the biz, and male host is a well known tv critic. He’s a bit of a Debbie Downer but watches a shitload of stuff and knows what’s what. From what I gather he used to host a pod with fellow known critic Alan Sepinwall previously. I only know Dan Feinberg with TV’s Top 5 pod here though.

Bro you the one who RECOMMENDED it to me!
 

Helico-pterFunk

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Bro you the one who RECOMMENDED it to me!


Yes indeed. It’s a good one for the playlist rotation! I like Slash Film
Daily too. You feel like you’re learning stuff while they inform and recap you over industry news. Instead of having to read through a bunch of articles. They can break it down for us common fans / viewers in the public.
 

Helico-pterFunk

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Playa and others,

So many good movie review podcasts out there these days too. We’re spoiled with all the various opinions, hot takes, and web forum resources to read and listen to.
 

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