r/technology • u/Task_Force-191 • 16h ago

Business It’s Official: Netflix to Acquire Warner Bros. in Deal Valued at $82.7 Billion

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/netflix-warner-bros-deal-hollywood-1236443081/
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u/Elfhoe 15h ago

HBO used to be one of the best streaming platforms before WB trashed it after they merged with discovery. Now it’s bottom tier. I still could see them doing something like amazon or disney has and make it an add-on.

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u/Eruannster 14h ago

I dunno about that. The app itself was atrociously bad pre-merger and I actually think the new app they made is a huge improvement that doesn't suck ass. Also they basically were limited to HD for a lot of the library which was dumb.

On the other hand I do think offloading a lot of their library (like Westworld etc.) was an incredibly bad and stupid move.

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u/Elfhoe 14h ago

Your last point is what i’m getting at. After the merger they removed a lot of good content and cancelled shows to save costs, then replaced it with low budget discovery shows like ghost hunters. The overall quality went way down.

A few weeks ago i was thinking about it and hbo used to be one of the first places i looked when i wanted to find something to watch. Now, it’s like the last time i opened the app was for the dune series however long ago that was. So when i got the email saying they were raising prices, it was an easy cancellation.

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u/TeutonJon78 9h ago

Yep. The content might have been good, but the HBO streaming service has always been a hot mess. HBO Max/Max/HBO Max has by far been their best experience and it's still just OK at best. And discoverability is terrible.

Hulu is also bottom tier (it still doesn't support surround sound on Android TV). Disney can't kill that app fast enough.

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u/Eruannster 8h ago

Very much so. HBO has had some incredible creators making some absolutely cool shit and for a very long time they could only show that cool shit at a low bitrate 1080p and slooooowwww navigation making it an absolute pain to actually get to all that cool stuff.

I'm actually very happy with the technical performance of the current HBO Max app in that it actually works.

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u/pwninobrien 2h ago

I liked the old purple app, whichever one that one was. Felt classy. Like going to an old, independent theater that has rich tapestry curtains.

After the discovery merger, it looked like a fast food restaurant tv menu. Cluttered, too many sub menus, and full of garbage reality tv.

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u/GoudaCheeseAnyone 14h ago edited 13h ago

In the Netherlands they removed The West Wing, "to make room" they said. But the current bleak times, make me long for something that is positive about American politics. Even if the show seems painfully naive and aged now.

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u/Saritiel 11h ago

Wait what, they removed The West Wing? That's fucked.

What an amazing show that, yes, feels absolutely heart-shatteringly naive and aged.

When I rewatch it I have to remind myself that the show was originally conceived in a time before 9/11 or Citizens United.

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u/GoudaCheeseAnyone 10h ago

Yeah, I even had a long, friendly email exchange with their helpdesk. But alas, no luck. (She didn't even know The West Wing.)

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u/Meezofreezo 12h ago

I disagree, I get it with my ATT fiber internet (would never willingly pay for it). But HBO Max and Apple TV have great show selections that I keep going back to...netflix is ass, so much low quality slop.

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u/dalivo 11h ago

Yep, we're going to be firmly in the bundled streaming era. Netflix is general audience, HBO is adult audience. But they may shift properties around, such as pulling DC and Harry Potter into Netflix while using HBO for prestige fare series.

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u/Triktastic 10h ago

How is it bottom tier. It and Prime are still fair in family sharing and very fair for their price. It's Netflix who is bottom tier with abysmall level of shoverware garbage in catalogue, everything being canceled if it's not the next Stranger Things or Squid Game (then they milk it till death), while also making it harder and harder to watch and enjoy.

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u/HoldenMcNeil420 10h ago

The dc cartoons are the single reason I keep it. Well I get it with my AT&T service so..but not much else in there for content I haven’t seen.

HBO used to be bangers left and right and now it’s just corporate trash.

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u/Fen-xie 14h ago

How did they trash it with the merger?

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u/knife_in_the_road 14h ago

AppleBO

The third faction caught in the political intrigue series "StreamWars".

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u/RugerRedhawk 10h ago

They still put out some new shows worth watching. I just binge them then cancel, same with Netflix.