Commentary: A plea to Netflix's Ted Sarandos: Don't screw up Warner Bros. and HBO

Dear Ted Sarandos,

Congratulations connected making the winning bid for Warner Bros. By straight contradicting your celebrated “build don’t buy” mantra, you person managed to propulsion the already beleaguered amusement manufacture into an apoplectic meltdown, and conscionable successful clip for the holidays!

On the positive side, the thought of Paramount’s David Ellison throwing a nepo-baby “but I privation it” tantrum erstwhile helium heard the quality has provided a just magnitude grim delight.

Just not enough, I’m afraid, to assuage the overwhelming outrage and fear, presently being voiced by many, that you volition personally not beryllium contented until each movie theatre is shuttered, each different network/streaming work consumed, forcing each idiosyncratic successful the satellite to ticker lone Netflix via a crystal embedded successful their manus similar thing retired of “Logan’s Run.” (Which is not disposable connected Netflix truthful possibly you haven’t seen it.)

In different words, a batch of people, including thousands who really marque movie and television, are not happy, not blessed astatine all, Precious. (Including the banal market, wherever Netflix fell aft the woody was announced.)

Indeed, determination is simply a accidental that your acquisition of Warner Bros., which includes HBO and HBO Max, volition not spell through; it inarguably gives you a monopoly successful streaming and since HBO, similar Netflix, is simply a planetary company, the woody volition beryllium scrutinized by regulatory agencies astatine location and abroad. All of which volition instrumentality immoderate time, truthful Netflix subscribers shouldn’t cancel theirHBO Max subscriptions conscionable yet.

On the different hand, determination are acold excessively galore streaming platforms (as evidence, I springiness you my recognition paper bill) and everyone has been saying for years present that lone a fewer tin past — Disney already owns Hulu (which it bundles with Disney+) portion Amazon owns MGM.

If the merchantability does spell through, present are a fewer thoughts from idiosyncratic who, though prevented by morals from owning banal successful Netflix oregon immoderate different amusement company, inactive watches a batch of TV and movies.

Leave HBO and HBO Max the hellhole alone

I recognize Netflix has spent a batch of wealth trying to prove, via the Emmys, that it is conscionable arsenic bully astatine TV arsenic HBO but bash not marque the mistake that Warner Bros. Discovery Chief Executive David Zaslav made by pretending it isn’t special. Rather than unit it into wide production, fto it proceed to beryllium the self-guided couture marque it is. And don’t marque subscribers wage other for entree to it. (Bonus points if you get escaped of the “Max.”)

Likewise, fto Warner Bros. beryllium Warner Bros.

You bought a movie workplace and a palmy 1 astatine that. Don’t commencement laying disconnected a clump of radical with the misguided conception that the Netflix infrastructure tin besides grip moving a movie studio. For 1 thing, you’ll conscionable person to prosecute backmost each the WB lawyers and execs arsenic consultants erstwhile you recognize you don’t rather recognize however things work, and that’s conscionable embarrassing and expensive.

Do not lend immoderate much to the demise of movie theaters than you already have

Seriously, it’s clip to see your legacy. At the infinitesimal Netflix is an innovative and palmy institution that has transformed the amusement manufacture successful ways millions of radical are consenting to wage for. Is determination a antagonistic facet to immoderate of those changes? Sure. But being known arsenic the caput of the institution that sparked the streaming gyration is precise antithetic from going down successful past arsenic the antheral who bought a movie workplace for purposes of dealing a decease stroke to the theatrical experience.

A theatrical merchandise gives a movie prestige and a amended selling opportunity; determination is thing wrong, oregon unprofitable, astir acting arsenic a secondary level for films. Original contented whitethorn gully caller subscribers but it’s the room that keeps them. With small accidental for subscriber growth, Netflix should ore connected keeping the millions they have.

Remember the Bilbao effect

Instead, grant Frank Gehry, who died connected the time this woody was announced, by remembering the Bilbao effect — providing 1 shining illustration of greatness tin jumpstart planetary revitalization. Most radical bask some the accidental to spell to the movies and to spot them astatine home. I would person loved, for example, to person seen past year’s fantabulous vacation thriller “Carry-On” successful a theater, lone to ticker it again this twelvemonth connected my flatscreen. As streamers proceed to instrumentality implicit Hollywood, Netflix has an accidental to supply a template that bolsters exhibitors and in-home offerings.

Don’t expect the user to wage for this

I recognize that Netflix wants to beryllium the lone crippled successful town, but it isn’t yet and if you precipitously jack up the rates, oregon make a maddening warren of add-ons, you volition suffer subscribers — determination are lone truthful galore hours successful a time 1 tin walk watching television, aft all. If you bash truthful portion laying disconnected workers and depleting the offerings astatine the cinema, well, that Tudum dependable tin beryllium a herald, oregon it tin beryllium an elegy.