More bad news for HBOmax/DC

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or do we?

We finally have an idea of what kind of stuff David Zaslav wants Warner Bros. Discovery to make.

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav was candid during the company’s Q3 earnings call about why shows are disappearing.

www.theverge.com

 

[Ryujin]

or do we?

We finally have an idea of what kind of stuff David Zaslav wants Warner Bros. Discovery to make.

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav was candid during the company’s Q3 earnings call about why shows are disappearing.

www.theverge.com

So now I guess we know that what he says is vastly different from what actually is, I guess.

 

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So now I guess we know that what he says is vastly different from what actually is, I guess.

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO Defends Batgirl Cancellation, HBO Max Cuts

Warner Bros. Discovery's CEO tried to defend Batgirl's cancellation. Amid numerous cuts to HBO Max [...]

comicbook.com

"Let me be clear," Zaslav claimed. "We did not get rid of any show that was helping us." Naturally, that isn't going to play very well with the people who really cared about the shows in question.

 

[Rabulias]

"Let me be clear," Zaslav claimed. "We did not get rid of any show that was helping us." Naturally, that isn't going to play very well with the people who really cared about the shows in question.

Yes, but it has always been true that a show can be well-made and have millions of fans, and still cost its producers more to make than they gain back. And I have been one of those disappointed fans too many times to count.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

What we are seeing is David Zaslav (head of WB Discovery) is doing what he does best from the Discovery side- cutting costs.

Really nice summary!

It's really weird to watch HBOMax so aggressively pivot towards becoming irrelevant, while doubling down on the DC movies side. It just feels like grandpa coming out of retirement and insisting people go back to using faxes for communication.

I'd understand it more if they were just selling WB for parts, but then they wouldn't also be greenlighting Flash 2, of all things...

 

[Ryujin]

Yes, but it has always been true that a show can be well-made and have millions of fans, and still cost its producers more to make than they gain back. And I have been one of those disappointed fans too many times to count.

Seen individually, that's true. Seen from the point of view of an entire streaming service those tentpole productions bring in viewers, who may well stick around for other content.

 

[Umbran]

Seen individually, that's true. Seen from the point of view of an entire streaming service those tentpole productions bring in viewers, who may well stick around for other content.

A thing to note: unlike with broadcast, or even cable TV, the streaming systems know if those tentpole production viewers also watch other content. They know if you are playing the "turn off subscription, wait for a stack of things you want to watch, turn on subscription for a one month binge, turn it off again" games.

This is not to say they are going to make good decisions with that information, but they do have it.

 

[Rabulias]

Seen individually, that's true. Seen from the point of view of an entire streaming service those tentpole productions bring in viewers, who may well stick around for other content.

I assume that consideration is factored in to the "helping us" criteria. And Zaslov could well be wrong in his assessment of this. It is hard to measure how much major productions keep viewers beyond their runs.

 

[Ryujin]

Yes, they do have it but a typical "bean counter" may well ignore such data, and only concentrate on raw costs. If you completely strip mine a service, then you're going to lose viewers. Which type this guy is will all come out in the wash, as they say.

 

[Blue]

A thing to note: unlike with broadcast, or even cable TV, the streaming systems know if those tentpole production viewers also watch other content. They know if you are playing the "turn off subscription, wait for a stack of things you want to watch, turn on subscription for a one month binge, turn it off again" games.

This is not to say they are going to make good decisions with that information, but they do have it.

Not challenging but curious - what makes you think cable TV hasn't been gathering and using this information for decades as well? They know what channels we watch when, and for those with DVRs they know what we record to watch. I can't see this as something new at all.