Warner Bros. Discovery is reportedly shopping some of its HBO titles to one of its biggest rivals in the streaming game: Netflix.
This report comes from Deadline, which states that insiders have stressed the deal is not yet closed and still has the potential to fall apart. Regardless, this indicates a shift in strategy from Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns the streaming service Max, formerly known as HBO Max.
So, what does this mean for consumers?
Well, it means that you might be able to watch certain HBO shows and movies on both Max and Netflix sometime soon. The titles would be distributed to Netflix on a nonexclusive basis, which means they could be available on both streaming services at the same time.
It’s good news if you are a fan of Issa Rae — the first of the titles reported to be part of this new system is her comedy series Insecure. The show was nominated for 14 Emmy Awards over the course of its five-season run and won one in 2020.
While deals of this nature existed for HBO in the broadcast landscape, this would be the first of its kind in the streaming era.
It is the latest move from Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav as he continues the companywide cost-cutting plan he instituted at the beginning of his tenure in 2021.
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