As always, you have the absolute best breakdown and in-depth analysis in the entertainment business that I've seen. The amount of context and detail that you bring is outstanding. With the way everything looks, and the selfish interest of cutting content in order to fill your own pockets, really thinking about just canceling anything related to them now. I understand the need to be financially successful, but as we've seen in the past companies and leaders of these companies have no problem sacrificing the common people just so they can hit their own targets and get richer.
They have to do this so that they can survive. We are talking about 40 billion in dept. They will provide new shows who may be as enjoyable but will be sure to be succesful. Even if a show is liked by its audience, if nobody watch it, what's the point?
As a casual watcher of Dan I just figured him out. If you just read the text of what Dan says without seeing him or hearing his voice you'd be bored, it's really similar to reading the same content in a NY Times/WSJ article. But his affable manner and voice inflection makes you think it's more interesting than what it really is. His BO analysis videos on Monday's are so bland, and feel like I'm back in some dry school course again. He rarely gives his opinion or analysis, just facts or what the people involved said. Props to Dan for finding a groove led by his personable nature, but I unsubscribed because I really want opinion and analysis. I can read the chart breakdowns or what happened with the Discovery/WB/HBO exec shakeup in a news story.
He will cut all these jobs…Nickel and dime any creative project and continue to push even a higher salary for himself whether the corporation makes or loses money. Watch…in a couple of years he will push for stock buybacks. It’s the the corporate way of paying yourself even more money…all perfectly legal.
Well in order to effectively cut down expenses they need a beefy salary don't they? And if they successfully cut down on the expenses then they deserve a bonus don't you think?
One thing that the streaming services have not counted on is how incredibly expensive access to content becomes when everything is divided up into a dozen different services. Very few can reasonably afford even two different services at the same time, and the incentive to get any of them decreases when you only get a fraction of all the content you would actually want.
I totally agree I just dropped Netflix it was getting way to expensive I will probably subscribe for a month when something big hits watch everything I missed while I was away and unsubscribe again. And just in case someone from HBO hears this one big reason I canceled Netflix was because they kept canceling all the things I was invested in.
@@christophercomtois7175 I just about to cancel Netflix. Every once in a while they have something good but for the most part. The quality just isn't there. Conversely, I've grown to like HBO Max, and even more so Hulu. It's a little frustrating to hear they will be shifting focus away from streaming for me as I just don't like to go out to the theater.
The problem is that you can't make a 200 million dollar plus movie and expect it be profitable if they are available to stream within two months. Disney has avoided this problem because of MCU addiction but even that is starting to show cracks with massive second week drops and comic book movie fatigue. Also people are starting to say why should I spend 60 dollars to bring my family to the theater when its going to be streaming in 45 days. Trust me Disney will change their strategy once some of their competitors are taken out (I am looking at you Netflix)
@@danielriley4670 yeah. Which again circles back to the finances of the audience. There's probably many who would go see movies in the cinema, for the experience, and appreciate having access to them later for rewatching. But there's just no way the majority of the viewers can afford that, much less on a regular basis....
“Save us tens of billions in debt, and we will give you half a billion dollars.” Now that’s an incentive! Slash, cut, and destroy relationships and lives. Dan, you were spot on in your analysis. It’s all about the money. I’ve always been a big fan of HBO Max, due its excellent original programming and vast library. IMO that quality often justified the cost. I’m curious to see where the company goes with their content. If the quality plunges, I won’t hesitate to drop them.
Slash, cut and destroy relationships and lives? That was done by the people who ran up the 50 billion in debt, not by the guy who has been called in to fix it. You are saying that if a man runs up 50,000 credit card debt, and his wife finds out and takes over the finances, and has to cut back on their lifestyle, that it is her fault for cutting back, not his for running up the debt?
While I have enjoyed their original programming it is their library that I love. HBO Max right now is the only major streaming service that has a large and good classic films collection thanks to TCM. It is were I finally got around to watching Singin in the rain and West Side Story.
Yeah, that's like blaming the guy who took you into rehab instead of the guy giving you the heroin because the rehab guy is making you have withdrawal symptoms.
Warner Bros has always had issues, but it's hilarious how IMMEDIATELY upon merging with Discovery, they've become a clown show on the level of NBC-Universal as seen on 30 Rock. Cancelling a 90 million dollar film for a tax write-off and calling it "90 Day Fiancé Universe" feels like such a Jack Donaghy move. EDIT: WAIT he's LITERALLY a former NBC exec. That's hilarious.
Heard from a guy scoring the scoob movie that it was the last thing they needed to get done before the final cut. Animation was done, VA work was done, and the very next day WBD scrapped it. Absolutely disrespectful to everyone working on these projects.
As a WB/HBO employee, I really appreciate this video explainer. Zaslov making this much money in ONE YEAR yet still cutting jobs is absolutely demonic. It really goes to show the layoffs are avoidable, but these dudes at the top are just greedy bastards.
I was able to get a (very) minor crew role on Batgirl so I was extremely shocked when I found out it was cancelled. Glasgow was transformed into Gotham for months and to think that potentially the film is never going to see the light of day is wild. It makes me sad that I'll never see my city of screen, regardless of how 'good' the film is.
Blame the terrible production and the product that came of it. If the story acting and directing was good, it would be released. Having a credit at hbo will once again mean something.
@@serwinzzalot9989 I mean. No. They're just taking a big tax write-off. Quality has nothing to do with it. I don't know how you can watch this video and have that takeaway
@@serwinzzalot9989 The fact that you made this comment on a video where Dan VERY CLEARLY lays out that it almost certainly has nothing at all to do with the quality shows that you're just out there spouting crap that others have said without giving two damns about facts.
I had zero interest in Batgirl, but I feel bad for all the cast and crew, as well as for all the people who were looking forward to the movie. It seems ridiculous and unfair for a completed movie to not be made available to be seen. Just drop it on Vudu or something. You don't even need to spend money on advertising. Just drop it and let the people who wanted to see it have a chance to watch it.
Did you listen to dan video. It is explicitly said that if they release batgirl in any way shape or form they cannot put its current budget under "loss" in their account book and they will have to pay a huge tax be aise of it.
This was one of the most informative videos Iv'e seen about this merger and also the easiest to understand. I'm still praying for Harley Quinn, Peacemaker, and Young Justice to survive. I never really cared for the Batgirl movie, but it would have been interesting to watch. It's a shame though that all the people who worked on the movie went to waste, I do really feel for them.
I'm totally with you this is why I still buy physical media too and why I wish more streaming services released their stuff physically. The only way to see a lot of these things now is piracy. Plus more and more we see shows and films being edited after the fact....they can't change anything once it's on a disc.
I question how this will affect future business dealings going forward. That is to say why would you do business with a company who has shown itself to be actively disrespectful towards you if there are other options available to you?
Some talents are fine as long as they got paid. After all, well-paying jobs are harder to come across these days. For a lot of people, "appreciation for artists" is so "first-world problem".
@@androyus Even getting paid can be a challenge these days. The recent news of visual effect artists speaking up against Marvel shows that the craft people are overworked and underpaid. With so many mergers and fewer productions getting green lit, jobs will be harder to come by. This changing media landscape sucks for everyone, except the CEO getting paid $250M, I guess.
I think the reality that these streaming services are now seeing is there is only so much money and people are willing to spend on monthly content services. When Netflix exploded and all these other services were put together they thought that everyone could just invest in this magical money pit that streaming was and they would all see huge profits. Its the same mistake that alot of capitalist strategies make where they think there is always more money out there when in realities there is a limit. Once you've expanded and made a service available globally there is no expansion left and its about creating things that will attract and retain customers. The problem now is that there are so many platforms that no one wants to subscribe to everything and these are also premium services which are the first things to go when people's wallet get tighter (which is the case now). It was fine when you were subscribing to maybe 2 or 3 services but where we are now is unsustainable and some are going to have to either cut back (which most will do in some form as we are seeing) or fold entirely. There is too much media that they want us to pay for now from theatrical releases, traditional tv and streaming that I think instead of producing volume they should be focused on producing quality content that makes a service stand out and can't miss rather just another streaming service with some crap on it.
What's really interesting about this is that Zaslav truly doesn't care about PR or creative relationships. He has just alienated a scattershot of talented and profitable partners forever simply for the bottom line. The bottom line matters, but other studios tow that line without being this actively aggressive and sociopathic. It also deters other potential creatives from partnering with the company as well. Nolan already moved to Universal and that was before the merger. Same with Snyder. They cannot afford this kind of press, more than they can't afford to pay their content creators.
@@ChienaAvtzon Thanks for the info, I didn't know about all of that, that's insane. I wonder if Steven had a negative experience working on Ready Player One.
Love that creators are giving visibility to the actual business side of things. I work in M&A and am a CPA, so I've been watching this activity pretty closely. As a consumer, I'm incredibly disappointed. From a business perspective, I think this is pretty risky. After the earnings call on Thursday the WBD stock fell ~16.5%
Excellent analysis as always. I would emphasize that $50B debt though. Global economy isn't looking good for the next few years, and interest rates are rising. The company needs money, or more specifically guaranteed money. So looks like they are going to play it safe on everything, but to me that ironically seems a risky strategy, it seems like they could become a much smaller player. Also, considering the WB back catalogue, abandoning of children's media seems odd.
The money people always want "another Kevin Feige," but never understand that that means caring about the properties more than the bottom line (which in turn can lead to huge profits). I truly don't think this corporate entity is capable of pulling it off.
The first Suicide Squad hurt the property, thats why James Gunns Suicide Squad lost money, if they cancelled Batgirl it must really be bad and they don't want it to effect the possibility of them making a good Batgirl movie
Thank you for doing a deep dive on this. I have rarely heard of something so infuriating as a company writing off a *_COMPLETED FILM_* that, thanks to Hollywood accounting, they would make millions on and _still_ write up as a loss on the books. That's not even _mentioning_ the stuff that they're taking off of HBO Max that isn't costing them anything apart from residuals while driving people to their service. I've heard of cutting off your ear to spite your face, but this is more like cutting off your arm to spite your heart while paying your head $280 million for that caliber of decision-making. I sincerely hope that these idiotic decisions end up violating some contract and he gets sued into oblivion over them.
@@MiguelJimenez-uc3yz What you might want to consider is why you have this much faith in a dude who has never been responsible for quality scripted programming. Did spear heading Hoarders really prove the value of his opinion? Keep in mind, he’s the only one saying it was bad. Oh… and that totally legit and not at all weird leak in the… New York Post.
Believe it or not, this is not as rare as some people seem to think it is. Some movies get shelved for content reasons, some get shelved for financial, and some were never intended to be release. It doesn't take long on Google to find out this is a normal part of business in Hollywood, so if you're "infuriated" by it now, it's because you've simply not been paying attention, and/or it's happened to projects you didn't care about. And if you don't believe me, this is a list from 2019, just as proof that it wasn't created as a response to the current situation: screencrush.com/movies-that-were-never-released/
I would also add that if you don't understand how a movie making "millions" can still, truly, be a failure and not just "Hollywood accounting" says that you haven't listened to anything Dan's been putting out into the world for several years.
For the record I personally have been listening to Dan for years, but I think the infuriating part is that they get to just write of the loss. If you don’t want to put out a movie you spent millions on, fine your choice but having to face no consequences so this guy can pocket his bonus by “writing off” 90 million dollars seems a little ridiculous. If he couldn’t write it off he would have found a way to make the movie better instead of canceling it.
@@MiguelJimenez-uc3yz That's bullshit man, the movie tested well, i remember the reports a month ago or so, they're spreading the "movie not good" excuse now, only to have some sort of excuse to hang onto... It's a mean and dishonest thing to do. They taint the filmakers with those rumors and leave us with no chance to judge by ourselves
@@MoviesAndTvShowsAreSubjective Yeah you think animation and kids entertainment is not successful, Warner Bros is ran by idiots who aren't inspired by Spider-Verse enough to make their own theatrical budget superhero animated movie. You don't know what is good for show business.
I actually feels this makea sense. 1. HBO main has been the best scripted content hub for 2 decades. So having it take over for all scripted series makes sense. 2. HBO max has always hidden their sub numbers behind the combined HBO number. Infact the majority of HBO max users get it for free from either HBO main or Att wireless deals. So it was actually costing WB a lot of money with 0 profit. 3. WB was misrun for almost a decade. I see discovery finally not ignoring those issues and making the steps to turn the sfudio back into a profitable success.
In addition, it doesn't make any sense to put a film on to your streaming platform when it is still making money in the theaters just because 45 days had passed. You don't have to commit to a streaming release date before the theatrical release. Nobody who was subscribing to HBO Max so the could see The Batman after 45 days is going to leave because they had to wait 60...especially since 99.99% of their subscribers will never even be aware of this policy change.
It's worth pointing out, as a companion/contrast to some of this, prior to the acquisition of Warner, Zaslav has been known as a exec who was actually very creator-friendly at Discovery. So, I do think we need to give him some time to see how his ongoing relationships with creatives develop. As Dan mentioned, there are a number of write-downs of previously contracted content from the previous regime that are getting jettisoned for financial reasons right now, but I don't think that necessarily spells doom and gloom for the future.
Analysis like this is why I love your channel. I hadn't heard anyone bring in the angle of salary incentive for the CEO. Puts things in a new shade of light.
Dan, I was so confused by all of this and while I am still annoyed and baffled you always give great explanations to these complicated situations! Thank you!
Film industry for WB became like the videogame industry. Designers, developers, programmers all invest years of their lives into a project, but if the company simply decides to can everything they got nothing to show.
Great analysis, Dan! HBO/WB/Discovery has given so much to digest in such a short time that we need a solid summery just to try and get a handle on it. John Campea made an argument that the changes could be good for the DC brand and by not going forward with a half-baked movie like Batgirl they’re drawing a line in the sand to regroup. However, your discussion about the CEO’s pay and history does appear to be showing that he’s more likely interested in the financial situation than the creative issues. HBO is a service I like, and none of my favorites have been removed or shaken up yet. You’ve helped put me on alert, tho. Thanks!
Thank you so much Dan. You are the best channel that has covered the issue for me. I also found that chart unacceptable and sadly not many channel has called it out.
Too many top level managers forget that trust is one of the most valuable, hardest won, and most easily destroyed assets. Who would want to work with them now?
So the rich man at top gets too keep his quarter billion dollars per year but hundreds to thousands of people barely scraping by in the industry they love get fired to "cut costs". Capitalism at its finest doing exactly what it's made to do.
I bet they all wish they'd let Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime keep the streaming pie and kept their noses out of it. I know I wish they had. Everything is a fragmented and if you have every service it's more expensive than a cable subscription.
This is an outstanding breakdown. This really sets your channel apart from other channels that have a very superficial take. They literally are reading press releases while you are providing us analysis of what it means. Keep up the good work.
This is fucked. I really don´t like this. Not that I was overly invested in any of the projects that got slashed from the streamer nor am I broken up by the fact I personally am not going to be able to see the Batgirl movie, but the fact that these projects exist somewhere, never to be seen because of some corporate bullshit is really sad.
I think something that plays into your theory about WBD not wanting to pay huge amounts of money to the cast and crew of the movies and series that were pulled from HBO Max is that some of what was pulled (basically all of the HBO Max original movies and the HBO/TNT/TBS series that were pulled) are still available to buy (or rent in the case of the movies) through VOD services. They probably don’t mind paying royalties every once in a while to the cast and crew from the VOD revenue.
It's hilarious that immediately toxic fans went "haha, superhero gurrl bad, cancelled good!" and feeling validated like that had anything to do with the cancellation, rather than penny pinching.
this is why it was important to have PBS - and Sesame Street on PBS - so that you could have quality programming for kids that wasn't subject to capitalistic market machinations.
You are just the BEST, most incisive, and we'll researched commentator on RUclips. I had to watch this twice to absorb all the great inside info you've compiled. Thanks! Always a great view!
Dan, I’ll always really appreciate the way you talk about things like numbers and corporate maneuvering, because some how you make it digestible, understandable, and entertaining. Good on you.
Dan, what I dont understand is why they've shelved a project with a great lead actress but are continuing with The Flash, despite the fact that Ezra Miller has been accused of grooming a 12 year old among many other crimes. Guess it is all about the money
You explained everything so well, Dan!! I really appreciate videos like this. Some folks are only interested in making click-bait videos, but you always provide full context and give us the bigger picture. You're a true entertainment journalist. Great work! 👍
While the Discovery+ HBO Max slide was stupid it should have told them one thing… They don’t cater to the same audience so purging most of the content from one and merging them is not going to keep those customers. Really sad that Beforeigners was removed. I has just started watching season 2. It was a really good show. Based on what I just saw I don’t plan on keeping my subscription once it comes due
Dan you read my mind with the corporate garbage they pitched on that slide. This makes me nervous about the future of WB and DC. I like HBO Max, but love that films will be longer in theaters. There has to be balance! And they need to support their creatives.
Insane that WB are more concerned how the Batgirl movie could damage the brand than whatever the hell Ezra Miller is doing right now. Great video as always Dan
@@Zentrixu Hey I'm with you, Ezra Miller seems to have genuine problems and needs help. This is why its bizarre WB seem to have their head in the sand doing nothing about it. (And all the more odd that the Batgirl movie is something they'll spring into action for immediately.)
@@hankhooper1637 My original comment wasn't questioning the decision to cancel Batgirl - Dan says in his video its likely to save money. I'm questioning the priorities of the studio - they can make this decision so quickly when they seem to be doing nothing about the lead of one of their franchises being wanted by the police. (And seems to need genuine help.)
This was incredibly insightful. It gives me some hope for DC films in the future in a way if WB decides to take it serious. However - I worry about WB making too many deep cuts and pushing away otherwise good artists who could make amazing movies. Look at how Christopher Nolan left WB.
The BEST breakdown of this whole thing. I was at Food Network in 2018 when Discovery bought Scripps Networks and I was subsequently laid off. So unfortunately I am all too familiar with David Zaslov… he is not a good guy. During an all hands meeting right around the time of the merger, he swore he would do everything to protect the Knoxville, TN employees (HGTV HQ at the time) and I recently found out through friends still there that they’re now selling the Knoxville office building entirely less than 5 years after that promise. During the same all hands, Zaslov kept saying “content” over and over again and wanted to make sure this new merged company would make “content people pay for before dinner.” Well idk about you, but when I’m eating dinner, I want to watch something like The Rehersal or Hacks… I don’t want to watch Breaking Amish Mafia or another flip flop home renovation TV show. Just sad overall for all the artists involved. He has no appreciation of film/TV as an art form. He only wants to serve a bottom line
My honest to god fear is he is going to just turn HBO into wall to wall freak show reality shows since they do not have to deal with censorship that basic cable does. I imagine more shows like they used to have in the early nineties about the lives of strips or so called short doc series like real sex which was made show people with weird kinks or their series of docs about hookers. I could see it be nothing bit that under him.
Dan, thank you for providing some background and context to this entire topic. Company mergers seem to always result in loss of jobs. It appears the top priority of this new CEO is to cut costs in order to provide added value for investors. I don't really have confidence that someone who ran a network built on documentary programming and reality tv shows will know how to handle scripted programming. It's easy to announce some nebulous 10 year plan inspired by Marvel's Kevin Feige but I'll wait to see who he appoints to oversee DC before I give him props for that decision. The Batgirl movie didn't make my watchlist when it was announced but after seeing the Ms. Marvel episodes directed by Adil and Bilall, I became much more interested in screening it, so it's disappointing to hear it's being shelved for a tax write-off.
This is a great much needed breakdown. I think the parallels between this moment for streaming and what we saw (on a slightly smaller scale) with RUclips several years ago. Companies saw a platform with tens of millions of viewers and invested heavily, buying content creators, channels, and trying to farm views. But they had no idea how to effectively and responsibly monetize that reliable viewing audience, leading to things like adpocalypse and the collapse of companies like Defy. I wonder if that’s one reason Discovery is so resistant to streaming, because (if I’m not mistaken) they were a major player in the RUclips space for a while there.
I am always worried that I may lose access to the many digital movies I have purchased following some corporate reshuffle like this. I know that the user agreements when purchasing digital movies and TV have in the fine print the possibility that access could be lost. So far so good, but it is hard to tell what may come.
@@ANTIStraussian you can download your movies but only for viewing through the respective app, not for personal storage. It's the same for streaming services like Netflix.
Thanks for the breakdown Dan. This whole WB thing is nuts. I don't know how creatives trust WB after this. I wouldn't be surprised to see several lawsuits coming.
Honestly, I'm mostly just annoyed that streaming has become so siloed that it's basically cable again. Any excuse they give me to drop a streaming service, I'm happy to take. HBO Max seems like it really wants me to unsub. I'll give it time because honestly, I like some of the stuff on Discovery+ but don't want to pay for another streaming service so seeing them combine might be just the ticket. We'll have to see though...
Anyone that went to school for business know exactly what he is doing and he is doing everything right. While it’s technically in the merger phase you cut the fat and write it off. This in turn makes the profits in subsequent quarters look better. Imagine spending $200mil on batgirl and it releases and then it has losses because it isn’t good in the quarters in 2023. It only adds to the negative of 2023. They would hemorrhage cash and loss by the end of 2023.
I think about that original DCEU plan often, lmao. They watched Marvel call their shot, hit it, then said "we can do that" walked up to the plate, and swung so wildly they knocked themselves out with their own bat.
I was about to make a comment about physical media and Dan starts talking about it! I used to buy WAY too many seasons of shows and movies during Black Friday sales, but I have begun to dial it down in recent years. But if something is a favorite of my, I will hunt down a physical copy of it for my own satisfaction lol
Unless you're making a habit of rewatching them, having them seems a waste of money and space. I noticed I wasn't rewatching my collection, so at first I also went to only buying my favorites thinking I'd surely rewatch them, but I wasn't even rewatching those, so almost two years ago I sold the movies I could and donated the rest, many of which were getting 10 years or older, which is their supposed lifespan. Haven't missed it.
The major problem in thinking about DC/WB in terms of other corporate entities, even media ones like Discovery and Travel Channel, is that so much of the value in the company is in the goodwill you have with the audience. Not to mention the trust needed between management and the people who create your product. Moves like this do incalculable damage that you aren't going to "major event" your way out of, particularly if you've pissed away the trust of the people you need to make those event movies actually happen and/or be even worth watching. It's not a great start.
Great stuff Dan! This was super informative. Some feedback from a viewer - I love when you're less neutral and get more opinionated. Like around 18:30 when you call out corporate bullshit. More Dan hot takes please!
What a fucking mess... Prioritizing movies again, why not. But shelving TV shows and streaming movies left and right ? That's dumb as shit. In a matter of days, that new CEO robot has made himself the most unpopular and dumbest CEO in the industry. No matter what the numbers say, the fact of the matter is : people thought Warner/HBO max were doing good in those last few years. Yeah they had no big superhero connected universe anymore, but they were putting out great content. Wonder Woman, (well not the second one...), Shazam, Aquaman, Joker, The Batman, and just as importantly, the TV shows. They were trying great new stuff like Doom Patrol, Raised By Wolves, Swamp Thing, Peacemaker... Clearly someone out there managed to hire great writers and actors, in the way that Netflix, Disney+ and even sometimes Apple are doing.
I appreciate the 'buzzword' rant! a couple of years ago when 'organic' just started I saw a proud display of "Organic Clothing!!!" in a store, which was just cotton shirts and hoodies. so never one to shy away from a question I bluntly asked the salesperson "what does organic even mean?" she couldn't give me an answer. and 'organic' coffee is different from 'organic' clothing or 'organic' vegetables. an ultimately pointless word with a million meanings yet none at all. (and it most certainly does not mean it contains carbon)
Great analysis Dan, I understand the need for WB Discovery to be financially successful and hopeful for DC’s plans I am still shock that they canceled Batgirl and the Scoob sequel just when they were both completed!
I always leave it to Dan for getting the story right. I love HBO Max and it's one of my favorite goto streaming services. WB/DC is has been lagging behind Marvel and I'm over the moon happy that Zaslov is committed to fixing the mess that is the DC Universe. That said, this is corporate speak and it's going to take time to see what there direction looks like. Thanks Dan for the great content!👏🏾👋🏾
Great breakdown Dan. I could only think of two things you left out. One is all the DC CW shows that have been cancelled post the merger. While that's relatively unimportant, the second is not. That is the hiring of Alan Horn as a consultant to David Zaslav. Other than those points, I think you hit on everything else.
Good video, Dan. Thanks for taking the time to explore the whole topic beyond Batgirl hot takes. Your explanation of the business side (and the egotists who run these businesses) is fascinating.
I always appreicate Dan's approach in breaking down the big picture with these blockbuster events. Mergers and acqutions of this level have a ton of working parts. Now I can see the clearication behind these upcoming moves with HBO Max and more. It is due to a huge difference leadership styles and agenda in their business visions for now this combined company.
I need Dan Murrell to breakdown my life, cause it's kind of a mess too.
I don't think I could handle seeing too many well done charts involving my life
@@crshwrck 😂 this is great!
"Now let's take a look at the _Hours of Laziness_ chart, and it seems we've hit a new record!"
HAHAHAHHA MINE TOO, I WILL DEFINITELY SUBSCRIBE TO HIS PATRON 🤣🤣🤣
@@Im_Ish have to adjust for inflation
Preach, brother.
As always, you have the absolute best breakdown and in-depth analysis in the entertainment business that I've seen. The amount of context and detail that you bring is outstanding. With the way everything looks, and the selfish interest of cutting content in order to fill your own pockets, really thinking about just canceling anything related to them now. I understand the need to be financially successful, but as we've seen in the past companies and leaders of these companies have no problem sacrificing the common people just so they can hit their own targets and get richer.
They have to do this so that they can survive. We are talking about 40 billion in dept. They will provide new shows who may be as enjoyable but will be sure to be succesful. Even if a show is liked by its audience, if nobody watch it, what's the point?
As a casual watcher of Dan I just figured him out. If you just read the text of what Dan says without seeing him or hearing his voice you'd be bored, it's really similar to reading the same content in a NY Times/WSJ article. But his affable manner and voice inflection makes you think it's more interesting than what it really is.
His BO analysis videos on Monday's are so bland, and feel like I'm back in some dry school course again. He rarely gives his opinion or analysis, just facts or what the people involved said.
Props to Dan for finding a groove led by his personable nature, but I unsubscribed because I really want opinion and analysis. I can read the chart breakdowns or what happened with the Discovery/WB/HBO exec shakeup in a news story.
@@jdesert5036 yet you still found time to comment. Lol..... Well at least you're helping the algorithm.
@@jdesert5036 Who asked??
30 minutes of a cinema business lesson from Dan ... Hell Yeah!!!!
CEOs paying themselves a ton of money while talking about how they are forced to cut down on spending is always amazing.
He will cut all these jobs…Nickel and dime any creative project and continue to push even a higher salary for himself whether the corporation makes or loses money. Watch…in a couple of years he will push for stock buybacks. It’s the the corporate way of paying yourself even more money…all perfectly legal.
Well in order to effectively cut down expenses they need a beefy salary don't they? And if they successfully cut down on the expenses then they deserve a bonus don't you think?
@@alexsilva28 Isn't a salary an expense? Shouldn't they cut down on expensive salaries? Hahaha...
@@brianng8350 Nonsense. Those yatch ain't paying themselves
Didn't they already pay for making Batgirl and decided it was a bad movie? so aren't they losing money?
Oh thank god, talk on this topic by someone who knows what they’re talking about.
For real, everybody talking about this, but not everyone seems to know exactly what's going on.
John Campa also did a great breakdown of this. ruclips.net/video/xigTn-j-1A8/видео.html
Dan doesn't do click baity bullshit and we're all better for it.
He’s the first person that’s not a cartoon-tuber that actually talked about the animation cuts. Woah
One thing that the streaming services have not counted on is how incredibly expensive access to content becomes when everything is divided up into a dozen different services. Very few can reasonably afford even two different services at the same time, and the incentive to get any of them decreases when you only get a fraction of all the content you would actually want.
I totally agree I just dropped Netflix it was getting way to expensive I will probably subscribe for a month when something big hits watch everything I missed while I was away and unsubscribe again. And just in case someone from HBO hears this one big reason I canceled Netflix was because they kept canceling all the things I was invested in.
Agreed. I canceled Netflix because it is just too expensive and the quality of shows does not warrant the price.
@@christophercomtois7175 I just about to cancel Netflix. Every once in a while they have something good but for the most part. The quality just isn't there.
Conversely, I've grown to like HBO Max, and even more so Hulu. It's a little frustrating to hear they will be shifting focus away from streaming for me as I just don't like to go out to the theater.
The problem is that you can't make a 200 million dollar plus movie and expect it be profitable if they are available to stream within two months. Disney has avoided this problem because of MCU addiction but even that is starting to show cracks with massive second week drops and comic book movie fatigue. Also people are starting to say why should I spend 60 dollars to bring my family to the theater when its going to be streaming in 45 days. Trust me Disney will change their strategy once some of their competitors are taken out (I am looking at you Netflix)
@@danielriley4670 yeah. Which again circles back to the finances of the audience. There's probably many who would go see movies in the cinema, for the experience, and appreciate having access to them later for rewatching. But there's just no way the majority of the viewers can afford that, much less on a regular basis....
“Save us tens of billions in debt, and we will give you half a billion dollars.” Now that’s an incentive! Slash, cut, and destroy relationships and lives. Dan, you were spot on in your analysis. It’s all about the money. I’ve always been a big fan of HBO Max, due its excellent original programming and vast library. IMO that quality often justified the cost. I’m curious to see where the company goes with their content. If the quality plunges, I won’t hesitate to drop them.
Slash, cut and destroy relationships and lives? That was done by the people who ran up the 50 billion in debt, not by the guy who has been called in to fix it. You are saying that if a man runs up 50,000 credit card debt, and his wife finds out and takes over the finances, and has to cut back on their lifestyle, that it is her fault for cutting back, not his for running up the debt?
Same! I'm hoping the quality Asha variety stays the same or else I may cancel.
While I have enjoyed their original programming it is their library that I love. HBO Max right now is the only major streaming service that has a large and good classic films collection thanks to TCM. It is were I finally got around to watching Singin in the rain and West Side Story.
Yeah, that's like blaming the guy who took you into rehab instead of the guy giving you the heroin because the rehab guy is making you have withdrawal symptoms.
Warner Bros has always had issues, but it's hilarious how IMMEDIATELY upon merging with Discovery, they've become a clown show on the level of NBC-Universal as seen on 30 Rock. Cancelling a 90 million dollar film for a tax write-off and calling it "90 Day Fiancé Universe" feels like such a Jack Donaghy move.
EDIT: WAIT he's LITERALLY a former NBC exec. That's hilarious.
Heard from a guy scoring the scoob movie that it was the last thing they needed to get done before the final cut. Animation was done, VA work was done, and the very next day WBD scrapped it. Absolutely disrespectful to everyone working on these projects.
As a WB/HBO employee, I really appreciate this video explainer. Zaslov making this much money in ONE YEAR yet still cutting jobs is absolutely demonic. It really goes to show the layoffs are avoidable, but these dudes at the top are just greedy bastards.
I was able to get a (very) minor crew role on Batgirl so I was extremely shocked when I found out it was cancelled. Glasgow was transformed into Gotham for months and to think that potentially the film is never going to see the light of day is wild. It makes me sad that I'll never see my city of screen, regardless of how 'good' the film is.
Blame the terrible production and the product that came of it. If the story acting and directing was good, it would be released. Having a credit at hbo will once again mean something.
just look at the 'release the snyder cut!' saga, nothing is set in stone!
@@serwinzzalot9989 tell me more since you obviously watched it
@@serwinzzalot9989 I mean. No. They're just taking a big tax write-off. Quality has nothing to do with it. I don't know how you can watch this video and have that takeaway
@@serwinzzalot9989 The fact that you made this comment on a video where Dan VERY CLEARLY lays out that it almost certainly has nothing at all to do with the quality shows that you're just out there spouting crap that others have said without giving two damns about facts.
I had zero interest in Batgirl, but I feel bad for all the cast and crew, as well as for all the people who were looking forward to the movie.
It seems ridiculous and unfair for a completed movie to not be made available to be seen. Just drop it on Vudu or something. You don't even need to spend money on advertising. Just drop it and let the people who wanted to see it have a chance to watch it.
But then they can’t write it off
@@sleepycrusader8871 Can they write it off if someone leaks a bootleg copy to the Internet?
The crew still get pay right?
@@Vaajraath There aren't many people that even have access to it to do that. Plus, it's not finished.
Did you listen to dan video. It is explicitly said that if they release batgirl in any way shape or form they cannot put its current budget under "loss" in their account book and they will have to pay a huge tax be aise of it.
This channel seriously makes me question why I bother watching anyone else. So well researched, so well spoken, as always. Well done Dan 👏
This was one of the most informative videos Iv'e seen about this merger and also the easiest to understand. I'm still praying for Harley Quinn, Peacemaker, and Young Justice to survive. I never really cared for the Batgirl movie, but it would have been interesting to watch. It's a shame though that all the people who worked on the movie went to waste, I do really feel for them.
I'm totally with you this is why I still buy physical media too and why I wish more streaming services released their stuff physically. The only way to see a lot of these things now is piracy. Plus more and more we see shows and films being edited after the fact....they can't change anything once it's on a disc.
I question how this will affect future business dealings going forward. That is to say why would you do business with a company who has shown itself to be actively disrespectful towards you if there are other options available to you?
that’s part of the problem. Options for creatives are fewer and fewer each year. Not everybody has the means for indi productions either
Some talents are fine as long as they got paid. After all, well-paying jobs are harder to come across these days. For a lot of people, "appreciation for artists" is so "first-world problem".
@@androyus Even getting paid can be a
challenge these days. The recent news of visual effect artists speaking up against Marvel shows that the craft people are overworked and underpaid. With so many mergers and fewer productions getting green lit, jobs will be harder to come by. This changing media landscape sucks for everyone, except the CEO getting paid $250M, I guess.
I think the reality that these streaming services are now seeing is there is only so much money and people are willing to spend on monthly content services. When Netflix exploded and all these other services were put together they thought that everyone could just invest in this magical money pit that streaming was and they would all see huge profits. Its the same mistake that alot of capitalist strategies make where they think there is always more money out there when in realities there is a limit. Once you've expanded and made a service available globally there is no expansion left and its about creating things that will attract and retain customers.
The problem now is that there are so many platforms that no one wants to subscribe to everything and these are also premium services which are the first things to go when people's wallet get tighter (which is the case now). It was fine when you were subscribing to maybe 2 or 3 services but where we are now is unsustainable and some are going to have to either cut back (which most will do in some form as we are seeing) or fold entirely.
There is too much media that they want us to pay for now from theatrical releases, traditional tv and streaming that I think instead of producing volume they should be focused on producing quality content that makes a service stand out and can't miss rather just another streaming service with some crap on it.
And maybe that is why he is focusing on theaters. Which could be a good thing, and keep HBO Max to well-made series.
What's really interesting about this is that Zaslav truly doesn't care about PR or creative relationships. He has just alienated a scattershot of talented and profitable partners forever simply for the bottom line. The bottom line matters, but other studios tow that line without being this actively aggressive and sociopathic. It also deters other potential creatives from partnering with the company as well. Nolan already moved to Universal and that was before the merger. Same with Snyder. They cannot afford this kind of press, more than they can't afford to pay their content creators.
@@ChienaAvtzon It’s fair to say that WB has a legacy of horribly mishandling their talent and properties.
@@ChienaAvtzon Thanks for the info, I didn't know about all of that, that's insane. I wonder if Steven had a negative experience working on Ready Player One.
Hbo max saw Netflix imploding and they went “Hold my beer”
Love that creators are giving visibility to the actual business side of things. I work in M&A and am a CPA, so I've been watching this activity pretty closely. As a consumer, I'm incredibly disappointed. From a business perspective, I think this is pretty risky. After the earnings call on Thursday the WBD stock fell ~16.5%
David Zaslav has managed to surpass Bob Chapek as the most hated single person in Hollywood right now! Not an easy task!
Excellent analysis as always. I would emphasize that $50B debt though. Global economy isn't looking good for the next few years, and interest rates are rising. The company needs money, or more specifically guaranteed money. So looks like they are going to play it safe on everything, but to me that ironically seems a risky strategy, it seems like they could become a much smaller player.
Also, considering the WB back catalogue, abandoning of children's media seems odd.
You’re the only one I want to listen to break this down. Thank you.
The money people always want "another Kevin Feige," but never understand that that means caring about the properties more than the bottom line (which in turn can lead to huge profits). I truly don't think this corporate entity is capable of pulling it off.
The first Suicide Squad hurt the property, thats why James Gunns Suicide Squad lost money, if they cancelled Batgirl it must really be bad and they don't want it to effect the possibility of them making a good Batgirl movie
Thank you for doing a deep dive on this. I have rarely heard of something so infuriating as a company writing off a *_COMPLETED FILM_* that, thanks to Hollywood accounting, they would make millions on and _still_ write up as a loss on the books. That's not even _mentioning_ the stuff that they're taking off of HBO Max that isn't costing them anything apart from residuals while driving people to their service. I've heard of cutting off your ear to spite your face, but this is more like cutting off your arm to spite your heart while paying your head $280 million for that caliber of decision-making. I sincerely hope that these idiotic decisions end up violating some contract and he gets sued into oblivion over them.
@@MiguelJimenez-uc3yz
What you might want to consider is why you have this much faith in a dude who has never been responsible for quality scripted programming.
Did spear heading Hoarders really prove the value of his opinion? Keep in mind, he’s the only one saying it was bad. Oh… and that totally legit and not at all weird leak in the… New York Post.
Believe it or not, this is not as rare as some people seem to think it is. Some movies get shelved for content reasons, some get shelved for financial, and some were never intended to be release.
It doesn't take long on Google to find out this is a normal part of business in Hollywood, so if you're "infuriated" by it now, it's because you've simply not been paying attention, and/or it's happened to projects you didn't care about.
And if you don't believe me, this is a list from 2019, just as proof that it wasn't created as a response to the current situation:
screencrush.com/movies-that-were-never-released/
I would also add that if you don't understand how a movie making "millions" can still, truly, be a failure and not just "Hollywood accounting" says that you haven't listened to anything Dan's been putting out into the world for several years.
For the record I personally have been listening to Dan for years, but I think the infuriating part is that they get to just write of the loss. If you don’t want to put out a movie you spent millions on, fine your choice but having to face no consequences so this guy can pocket his bonus by “writing off” 90 million dollars seems a little ridiculous. If he couldn’t write it off he would have found a way to make the movie better instead of canceling it.
@@MiguelJimenez-uc3yz That's bullshit man, the movie tested well, i remember the reports a month ago or so, they're spreading the "movie not good" excuse now, only to have some sort of excuse to hang onto... It's a mean and dishonest thing to do. They taint the filmakers with those rumors and leave us with no chance to judge by ourselves
This is why we love Dan Murrell. He is straight forward, honest and insight. 😊
This must be shared. I can't imagine what these artists, crews, and creatives are going through. Thank you, Dan!
@dr rock The animation artists and people involved in kids entertainment are getting screwed. Screw HBO Discovery
They could work anywhere. Just gotta go apply
@@MoviesAndTvShowsAreSubjective Yeah you think animation and kids entertainment is not successful, Warner Bros is ran by idiots who aren't inspired by Spider-Verse enough to make their own theatrical budget superhero animated movie. You don't know what is good for show business.
Solidarity forever ✊
@@drewmcgill5290 I go to where the pay is at. Life is about making Big money
I actually feels this makea sense.
1. HBO main has been the best scripted content hub for 2 decades. So having it take over for all scripted series makes sense.
2. HBO max has always hidden their sub numbers behind the combined HBO number. Infact the majority of HBO max users get it for free from either HBO main or Att wireless deals. So it was actually costing WB a lot of money with 0 profit.
3. WB was misrun for almost a decade. I see discovery finally not ignoring those issues and making the steps to turn the sfudio back into a profitable success.
In addition, it doesn't make any sense to put a film on to your streaming platform when it is still making money in the theaters just because 45 days had passed. You don't have to commit to a streaming release date before the theatrical release. Nobody who was subscribing to HBO Max so the could see The Batman after 45 days is going to leave because they had to wait 60...especially since 99.99% of their subscribers will never even be aware of this policy change.
When it comes to big industry issues like this, Dan should have a takeaway segment at the end called "The Murrell of the story is..."
Awesome! Dan always has an interesting and thoughtful opinion
It's worth pointing out, as a companion/contrast to some of this, prior to the acquisition of Warner, Zaslav has been known as a exec who was actually very creator-friendly at Discovery. So, I do think we need to give him some time to see how his ongoing relationships with creatives develop. As Dan mentioned, there are a number of write-downs of previously contracted content from the previous regime that are getting jettisoned for financial reasons right now, but I don't think that necessarily spells doom and gloom for the future.
How can artists trust WB again, I can see Michael Keaton saying "fuck it, I'm out" for any more batman appearances
Analysis like this is why I love your channel. I hadn't heard anyone bring in the angle of salary incentive for the CEO. Puts things in a new shade of light.
This is absolutely insane. Thanks for the breaking everything down for us. Especially that HBOMax is removing shows and movies.
Dan, I was so confused by all of this and while I am still annoyed and baffled you always give great explanations to these complicated situations! Thank you!
Film industry for WB became like the videogame industry.
Designers, developers, programmers all invest years of their lives into a project, but if the company simply decides to can everything they got nothing to show.
Great analysis, Dan! HBO/WB/Discovery has given so much to digest in such a short time that we need a solid summery just to try and get a handle on it.
John Campea made an argument that the changes could be good for the DC brand and by not going forward with a half-baked movie like Batgirl they’re drawing a line in the sand to regroup. However, your discussion about the CEO’s pay and history does appear to be showing that he’s more likely interested in the financial situation than the creative issues.
HBO is a service I like, and none of my favorites have been removed or shaken up yet. You’ve helped put me on alert, tho. Thanks!
Thank you so much Dan. You are the best channel that has covered the issue for me. I also found that chart unacceptable and sadly not many channel has called it out.
Too many top level managers forget that trust is one of the most valuable, hardest won, and most easily destroyed assets. Who would want to work with them now?
So the rich man at top gets too keep his quarter billion dollars per year but hundreds to thousands of people barely scraping by in the industry they love get fired to "cut costs". Capitalism at its finest doing exactly what it's made to do.
I bet they all wish they'd let Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime keep the streaming pie and kept their noses out of it. I know I wish they had. Everything is a fragmented and if you have every service it's more expensive than a cable subscription.
Love this breakdown! And thank you for sharing the detail around projects that were pulled from the platform.
This is an outstanding breakdown. This really sets your channel apart from other channels that have a very superficial take. They literally are reading press releases while you are providing us analysis of what it means. Keep up the good work.
This is fucked. I really don´t like this.
Not that I was overly invested in any of the projects that got slashed from the streamer nor am I broken up by the fact I personally am not going to be able to see the Batgirl movie, but the fact that these projects exist somewhere, never to be seen because of some corporate bullshit is really sad.
I think something that plays into your theory about WBD not wanting to pay huge amounts of money to the cast and crew of the movies and series that were pulled from HBO Max is that some of what was pulled (basically all of the HBO Max original movies and the HBO/TNT/TBS series that were pulled) are still available to buy (or rent in the case of the movies) through VOD services. They probably don’t mind paying royalties every once in a while to the cast and crew from the VOD revenue.
It's hilarious that immediately toxic fans went "haha, superhero gurrl bad, cancelled good!" and feeling validated like that had anything to do with the cancellation, rather than penny pinching.
Zaslav is cleaning house! He's doing what is best for shareholders. I do hope more quality content is coming to HBO Max.
this is why it was important to have PBS - and Sesame Street on PBS - so that you could have quality programming for kids that wasn't subject to capitalistic market machinations.
You are just the BEST, most incisive, and we'll researched commentator on RUclips.
I had to watch this twice to absorb all the great inside info you've compiled.
Thanks! Always a great view!
Dan, I’ll always really appreciate the way you talk about things like numbers and corporate maneuvering, because some how you make it digestible, understandable, and entertaining. Good on you.
Dan, what I dont understand is why they've shelved a project with a great lead actress but are continuing with The Flash, despite the fact that Ezra Miller has been accused of grooming a 12 year old among many other crimes. Guess it is all about the money
Even if Batgirl was terrible this is an even worse look for them still moving forward with Ezra Miller and that movie.
The difference, at least according to insider knowledge is that Flash is good and Batgirl is terrible
You explained everything so well, Dan!! I really appreciate videos like this. Some folks are only interested in making click-bait videos, but you always provide full context and give us the bigger picture.
You're a true entertainment journalist. Great work! 👍
While the Discovery+ HBO Max slide was stupid it should have told them one thing… They don’t cater to the same audience so purging most of the content from one and merging them is not going to keep those customers. Really sad that Beforeigners was removed. I has just started watching season 2. It was a really good show. Based on what I just saw I don’t plan on keeping my subscription once it comes due
Dan you read my mind with the corporate garbage they pitched on that slide. This makes me nervous about the future of WB and DC. I like HBO Max, but love that films will be longer in theaters. There has to be balance! And they need to support their creatives.
I had heard about this HBO Max thing but didn't know the specifics. This video helped a lot, thanks Dan.
You've completely made me look at this situation differently than I had before. Some damn good clear eyed analysis.
Insane that WB are more concerned how the Batgirl movie could damage the brand than whatever the hell Ezra Miller is doing right now. Great video as always Dan
I think they will just fire ezra after the movie releases
@@Zentrixu the movie could be great, doesn't mean he can groom children.
@@metallicnole4514 I think you're right. Still crazy to me they've done nothing about it
@@Zentrixu Hey I'm with you, Ezra Miller seems to have genuine problems and needs help. This is why its bizarre WB seem to have their head in the sand doing nothing about it. (And all the more odd that the Batgirl movie is something they'll spring into action for immediately.)
@@hankhooper1637 My original comment wasn't questioning the decision to cancel Batgirl - Dan says in his video its likely to save money. I'm questioning the priorities of the studio - they can make this decision so quickly when they seem to be doing nothing about the lead of one of their franchises being wanted by the police. (And seems to need genuine help.)
You broke this all the way down. I’m so in love with data, and your channel thrives in that area
This was incredibly insightful. It gives me some hope for DC films in the future in a way if WB decides to take it serious. However - I worry about WB making too many deep cuts and pushing away otherwise good artists who could make amazing movies. Look at how Christopher Nolan left WB.
I’m wondering how he feels about this company I’m the wake of all this news…
@@titanguy7316 probably doesn't regret his decision
The BEST breakdown of this whole thing. I was at Food Network in 2018 when Discovery bought Scripps Networks and I was subsequently laid off. So unfortunately I am all too familiar with David Zaslov… he is not a good guy. During an all hands meeting right around the time of the merger, he swore he would do everything to protect the Knoxville, TN employees (HGTV HQ at the time) and I recently found out through friends still there that they’re now selling the Knoxville office building entirely less than 5 years after that promise.
During the same all hands, Zaslov kept saying “content” over and over again and wanted to make sure this new merged company would make “content people pay for before dinner.” Well idk about you, but when I’m eating dinner, I want to watch something like The Rehersal or Hacks… I don’t want to watch Breaking Amish Mafia or another flip flop home renovation TV show.
Just sad overall for all the artists involved. He has no appreciation of film/TV as an art form. He only wants to serve a bottom line
My honest to god fear is he is going to just turn HBO into wall to wall freak show reality shows since they do not have to deal with censorship that basic cable does. I imagine more shows like they used to have in the early nineties about the lives of strips or so called short doc series like real sex which was made show people with weird kinks or their series of docs about hookers. I could see it be nothing bit that under him.
@@stephennootens916 honestly same here and that’s what scares me the most
Dan, thank you for providing some background and context to this entire topic. Company mergers seem to always result in loss of jobs. It appears the top priority of this new CEO is to cut costs in order to provide added value for investors. I don't really have confidence that someone who ran a network built on documentary programming and reality tv shows will know how to handle scripted programming. It's easy to announce some nebulous 10 year plan inspired by Marvel's Kevin Feige but I'll wait to see who he appoints to oversee DC before I give him props for that decision. The Batgirl movie didn't make my watchlist when it was announced but after seeing the Ms. Marvel episodes directed by Adil and Bilall, I became much more interested in screening it, so it's disappointing to hear it's being shelved for a tax write-off.
This is a great much needed breakdown. I think the parallels between this moment for streaming and what we saw (on a slightly smaller scale) with RUclips several years ago. Companies saw a platform with tens of millions of viewers and invested heavily, buying content creators, channels, and trying to farm views. But they had no idea how to effectively and responsibly monetize that reliable viewing audience, leading to things like adpocalypse and the collapse of companies like Defy.
I wonder if that’s one reason Discovery is so resistant to streaming, because (if I’m not mistaken) they were a major player in the RUclips space for a while there.
I appreciate this breakdown. Whenever I looked up what happened I just get even more confused
Kept checking for you to weigh in on this topic. Great analysis, Dan.
Dan is one of those humans I would love to sit at a table drinkin' m' coffee and eatin' m' muffin and talk shop for hours on end. Thank you, sir.
I am always worried that I may lose access to the many digital movies I have purchased following some corporate reshuffle like this. I know that the user agreements when purchasing digital movies and TV have in the fine print the possibility that access could be lost. So far so good, but it is hard to tell what may come.
You need to re-watch and memorize each frame of each movie. That's what most people are doing
Can you download the movies? Netflix still have that?
See I wasnt into physical media because it's an excuse to accumulate more "stuff" but Dan has an point.
@@nancykerrigan you sound like my wife! full wall blu-ray collection isn't stuff. It's art lol
@@ANTIStraussian you can download your movies but only for viewing through the respective app, not for personal storage. It's the same for streaming services like Netflix.
Thanks for the breakdown Dan. This whole WB thing is nuts. I don't know how creatives trust WB after this. I wouldn't be surprised to see several lawsuits coming.
Very happy to get this info in "Dan's movie news" format.
Dan, this was absolutely fascinating. I would love to see more deep dives like this from you in the future!
Dan Murrell, the most trusted name in movie news as far as I’m concerned!
Honestly, I'm mostly just annoyed that streaming has become so siloed that it's basically cable again. Any excuse they give me to drop a streaming service, I'm happy to take. HBO Max seems like it really wants me to unsub. I'll give it time because honestly, I like some of the stuff on Discovery+ but don't want to pay for another streaming service so seeing them combine might be just the ticket. We'll have to see though...
Anyone that went to school for business know exactly what he is doing and he is doing everything right. While it’s technically in the merger phase you cut the fat and write it off. This in turn makes the profits in subsequent quarters look better.
Imagine spending $200mil on batgirl and it releases and then it has losses because it isn’t good in the quarters in 2023. It only adds to the negative of 2023. They would hemorrhage cash and loss by the end of 2023.
This is a great video! Can’t wait to see your Sandman review!
I was looking forward to hearing your analysis of all the Warner/Discovery news -- fantastic video!!
I saw the new about batgirl movie and the articles didn't have much information so much as filler
Thank you for in depth history and details.
I think about that original DCEU plan often, lmao. They watched Marvel call their shot, hit it, then said "we can do that" walked up to the plate, and swung so wildly they knocked themselves out with their own bat.
I was about to make a comment about physical media and Dan starts talking about it!
I used to buy WAY too many seasons of shows and movies during Black Friday sales, but I have begun to dial it down in recent years. But if something is a favorite of my, I will hunt down a physical copy of it for my own satisfaction lol
Unless you're making a habit of rewatching them, having them seems a waste of money and space. I noticed I wasn't rewatching my collection, so at first I also went to only buying my favorites thinking I'd surely rewatch them, but I wasn't even rewatching those, so almost two years ago I sold the movies I could and donated the rest, many of which were getting 10 years or older, which is their supposed lifespan. Haven't missed it.
I can see that unique slide of HBO & Discovery meeting room ....just imagine the whole room nodding their heads like this is next level brilliance
The major problem in thinking about DC/WB in terms of other corporate entities, even media ones like Discovery and Travel Channel, is that so much of the value in the company is in the goodwill you have with the audience. Not to mention the trust needed between management and the people who create your product. Moves like this do incalculable damage that you aren't going to "major event" your way out of, particularly if you've pissed away the trust of the people you need to make those event movies actually happen and/or be even worth watching. It's not a great start.
Dan you’re a life saver… made me understand what’s going on very well
Great stuff Dan! This was super informative. Some feedback from a viewer - I love when you're less neutral and get more opinionated. Like around 18:30 when you call out corporate bullshit. More Dan hot takes please!
If they even think about messing with Dune, Denis Villenueve is going to follow Nolan to Universal.
Really great analysis! Thanks Dan!
What a fucking mess... Prioritizing movies again, why not. But shelving TV shows and streaming movies left and right ? That's dumb as shit. In a matter of days, that new CEO robot has made himself the most unpopular and dumbest CEO in the industry. No matter what the numbers say, the fact of the matter is : people thought Warner/HBO max were doing good in those last few years. Yeah they had no big superhero connected universe anymore, but they were putting out great content. Wonder Woman, (well not the second one...), Shazam, Aquaman, Joker, The Batman, and just as importantly, the TV shows. They were trying great new stuff like Doom Patrol, Raised By Wolves, Swamp Thing, Peacemaker... Clearly someone out there managed to hire great writers and actors, in the way that Netflix, Disney+ and even sometimes Apple are doing.
I appreciate the 'buzzword' rant!
a couple of years ago when 'organic' just started I saw a proud display of "Organic Clothing!!!" in a store, which was just cotton shirts and hoodies. so never one to shy away from a question I bluntly asked the salesperson "what does organic even mean?" she couldn't give me an answer.
and 'organic' coffee is different from 'organic' clothing or 'organic' vegetables. an ultimately pointless word with a million meanings yet none at all.
(and it most certainly does not mean it contains carbon)
Thanks, Dan. Was hoping you'd do a breakdown/recap of this. I've been seeing bits on Twitter but haven't gotten the whole story until now.
Great analysis Dan, I understand the need for WB Discovery to be financially successful and hopeful for DC’s plans I am still shock that they canceled Batgirl and the Scoob sequel just when they were both completed!
4:32 My best friend worked on Swamp Thing... he has a pretty good Idea what that's like...
Swamp Thing was an underrated show.
I always leave it to Dan for getting the story right. I love HBO Max and it's one of my favorite goto streaming services. WB/DC is has been lagging behind Marvel and I'm over the moon happy that Zaslov is committed to fixing the mess that is the DC Universe. That said, this is corporate speak and it's going to take time to see what there direction looks like. Thanks Dan for the great content!👏🏾👋🏾
You are a real joy to listen to. A really authoritative analysis.
Love the videos on news and discussion man. Glad to see it
Loved this! It was direct, informative, and entertaining!
I've been waiting all week for this video! Thanks, Dan!
Great breakdown Dan. I could only think of two things you left out. One is all the DC CW shows that have been cancelled post the merger. While that's relatively unimportant, the second is not. That is the hiring of Alan Horn as a consultant to David Zaslav. Other than those points, I think you hit on everything else.
Man, can you imagine if Sesame Street gets canned? I think Jim Henson would start rolling over in his* grave.
*entirely metaphorical, he was cremated
Good video, Dan. Thanks for taking the time to explore the whole topic beyond Batgirl hot takes. Your explanation of the business side (and the egotists who run these businesses) is fascinating.
Great breakdown! The Godfather 2 quote was awesome 😊 I am honestly bummed about Scoob 2 being scrapped. Thanks!
I’m just confused at how Discovery, what I assumed was not a large entity, toppled the rules but in place by Warner Media before the merger
I really like this kind of investigation into the business side of TV/film, great job Dan!
I always appreicate Dan's approach in breaking down the big picture with these blockbuster events. Mergers and acqutions of this level have a ton of working parts. Now I can see the clearication behind these upcoming moves with HBO Max and more. It is due to a huge difference leadership styles and agenda in their business visions for now this combined company.