Netflix is becoming a giant...

[JeffKeryk]

Netflix started in a smallish building a few blocks from our house, mailing out VCR and then DVDs. I never used them, buy my folks loved the service.
Now they are buying Warner Bros and HBO Max.

 

[The_Jeff]

Remember when AOL bought Time Warner? LOL.

 

[Vil_Riker]

Remember when AOL bought Time Warner? LOL.

What happened to the Eljefino username?

 

[loneryder]

We have too many monopolies already. They get too large to govern and have money to do anything they want, including buy government. There is a reason we have anti trust laws but they have been ignored.

 

[JohnnyG]

It's gonna cost more.

 

[slo town]

I drive by the Netflix campus on a semi-regular basis. No doubt it's a high stress workplace - which is typical of Silicon Valley - but I always thought it might be an exciting place to work. The campus itself is gorgeous.

Scott

 

[supton]

Wonder what that will do to the subscription service. Surely it'll go down in price...

 

[Pablo]

Not that Warner, etc can be ruined worser, but Netflix is up to the desk.

More junk to unsub from.

 

[Sayjac]

Rarely is consolidation of competitive businesses a good thing for customers/subscribers. I expect that to be true in this case.

 

[JeffKeryk]

I drive by the Netflix campus on a semi-regular basis. No doubt it's a high stress workplace - which is typical of Silicon Valley - but I always thought it might be an exciting place to work. The campus itself is gorgeous.

Scott

Yep. Right around the corner from me. A co-worker database and front end programmer went to work there. He's done very well. As you know, the early 2000's were gangbusters around here.

 

[97prizm]

Netflix started in a smallish building a few blocks from our house, mailing out VCR and then DVDs. I never used them, buy my folks loved the service.
Now they are buying Warner Bros and HBO Max.

I have a huge issue with the few companies buying up EVERYTHING.

 

[Pablo]

I have a huge issue with the few companies buying up EVERYTHING.

And spreading their weird sickness as normalcy

 

[JeffKeryk]

I have a huge issue with the few companies buying up EVERYTHING.

Welcome to Capitalism.
Consolidation is a natural part and is inherint in Capitalism. This fosters growth, profit, efficiency (economies of scale), and market dominance.

One company's success is another's failure. Loss of competition, possible monopoly, etc. can result. Interestingly, the CEOs often sell their companies because it enriches them via stock price incentives.

 

[Pablo]

Welcome to Capitalism.
Consolidation is a natural part and is inherint in Capitalism. This fosters growth, profit, efficiency (economies of scale), and market dominance.

One company's success is another's failure. Loss of competition, possible monopoly, etc. can result.

I’ve got not much wrong with that but when it is “info” spreaders things get interesting

Think of the only newspaper in town

 

[97prizm]

Welcome to Capitalism.
Consolidation is a natural part and is inherint in Capitalism. This fosters growth, profit, efficiency (economies of scale), and market dominance.

One company's success is another's failure. Loss of competition, possible monopoly, etc. can result. Interestingly, the CEOs often sell their companies because it enriches them via stock price incentives.

Yeah it's been happening since the beginning in the USA.

 

[SC Maintenance]

It makes sense for Netflix. Netflix pioneered streaming, but everyone does it now.

Now its all about content. Those who bought up and consolidated all the old content early make a lot of money leasing it back to the likes of Netflix.

As for anti competitive - anyone can make a video and hang it on Youtube or your own website now. I would say back in the day when there were 3 networks and half dozen Hollywood studios that controlled everything were far more anti-competitive.

 

[UncleDave]

Look for Netflix (the subscription to the channel) to begin losing other studios properties and become more internally focused.

Good luck making Warner Brothers work. Been in the business since 89 and Warbros have always been a mess.

 

[Pablo]

Look for Netflix (the subscription to the channel) to begin losing other studios properties and become more internally focused.

Good luck making Warner Brothers work. Been in the business since 89 and Warbros have always been a mess.

Yes

 

[The_Jeff]

What happened to the Eljefino username?

It's not correct Spanish, I don't have a Latin heritage, and don't wish to culturally appropriate.

It's also been read as "heck if I know" which was funny when I was in my twenties but I've since grown more mature.

Also with AI scraping the internet I'm trying to move away from unique identifiers that may cross reference between various forums.

 

[The_Jeff]

As for anti competitive - anyone can make a video and hang it on Youtube or your own website now. I would say back in the day when there were 3 networks and half dozen Hollywood studios that controlled everything were far more anti-competitive.

Yeah but Youtube is effectively a monopoly for amateurish video hosting; if you want to monetize you pretty much have to use them and accept their profit split and content rules. For starters you can't have any real music, even in the background.

There are things to be said about the "studio system" being anti-competitive, but that was more about actors and actresses being "signed to" a studio, and studios closely controlling distribution through theaters. We fixed that, more or less, but the potential to lose ground is real with big mergers like this.

Imagine being a producer shopping a script, and there's one fewer studios today than there were yesterday. That's less of a good deal for you, for sure, and you might not even get your project made. If you do get it made somehow, you'll have a harder time getting distribution.