The Netflix-Ification of Hollywood

The Netflix-ification of Hollywood

Many viewers see streaming services as interchangeable. Would the media merger that may devour HBO change anything?

Here’s how Netflix's acquisition of Warner Bros. could harm physical media, theatrical releases, and reshape franchises

Just a few years ago, the thought of Netflix acquiring Warner Bros. would have sounded absurd. But in today’s landscape — where streamers are king, traditional studios are struggling to stay afloat, and consolidation is an annual occurrence — it suddenly doesn’t feel impossible. The deal, valued at $82.7 billion, still has to go through several hoops, but if Netflix acquires the century-old studio that has given us Batman, Harry Potter, and HBO,…

Warner Bros' game studios weren't really a factor in Netflix's acquisition, so you can add that to the list of concerns

All these massive, multi-billion dollar acquisitions are getting a bit scary, aren't they? The one on everyone's minds at the moment is of course Netflix's proposed takeover of movie studio giant Warner Bros, offering up a cool $82.7 billion in exchange. This, of course, has an indescribably massive potential to ruin mainstream cinema, but we won't get into that right this second, because there's another concern: how much the streamer does not s…