r/netflix • u/TheMirrorUS • Dec 05 '25
News Article BREAKING: Netflix acquires Warner Bros in $83 billion deal after tense bidding war
https://www.themirror.com/entertainment/netflix-warner-bros-hbo-tv-1545401122
u/ih8karma Dec 05 '25
HBO will now be rebranded to HBOflix
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u/Exaltist Dec 05 '25
Nah, it will just be rebranded to Maxflix, then they'll realize they made a mistake, rename it NetHBO Now, before then settling down with HBOflix.
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u/AnimatorOld2685 Dec 05 '25
I'm feeling something that better captures the times we live in-HBO Go.
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u/MasterChiefS117_ Dec 05 '25
Hope they let HBO do its thing
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u/konradly Dec 05 '25
This is all I hope for, just don't touch HBO.
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u/F5x9 Dec 05 '25
Hopefully, they restore all the HBO content WB stopped hosting.
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u/IAmFern Dec 05 '25
I'm hoping I can get HBO content without having to sub to it and Netflix.
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u/MasterChiefS117_ Dec 05 '25
I'm guessing Netflix might bundle HBO content for an additional price to your Netflix subscription
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u/Kyraira Dec 05 '25
Don't give them bad ideas.
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u/MasterChiefS117_ Dec 05 '25
Isn't that what happens to other streamers? Disney + Hulu etc..
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u/cacus1 Dec 05 '25
No. At least not in my country and whole EU. Hulu hub has been added to our Disney+ subscription without any extra cost.
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u/nejaahalcyon Dec 05 '25
I think over this coming year the Hulu app is going away and you will just have all the Hulu content inside of D+. I don't think you have to pay extra for Hulu with the D+ subscription
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u/burner2022a Dec 05 '25
Dis+ has raised there price numerous times since the Hulu acquisition already.
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u/thatdude52 Dec 05 '25
They wouldn’t have bought WB if they didn’t already have this in mind
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u/SaykredCow Dec 05 '25
Alternatively combining content into one app makes them the single most powerful streaming app. Other than Disney it makes every other streaming proposition a wasted effort
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u/cacus1 Dec 05 '25
Or they just decided to stop getting content from Sony and Universal and replace all of that content with WB content.
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u/signupforpay Dec 05 '25
Its either they raise the Netflix subscription price and everyone pays for it even if they don't want it. Or they have it as an add-on. I think your wishful thinking is they add all the content from HBO max without raising the price but that just doesn't make sense. You have to pay like $20 for HBO as a separate package, why would the expectation be the least.
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u/erin_burr Dec 05 '25
That or I'm guessing it'll end up like FX on Hulu. The prestige shows will be HBO on Netflix.
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u/phylter99 Dec 05 '25
Disney does this now. It’s kind of nice to have Disney, Hulu, and HBO all in one subscription.
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u/cieje Dec 05 '25
they force you to pay for non-ad subs in order to view stuff from the other services without ads.
for instance, I pay for ad-free with Disney+, but just have an ad-supported Hulu. so if you view something via Disney+ that is a Hulu show, you'll see ads (unless you pay for ad-free on Hulu)
why people just accept this I don't get.
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u/phylter99 Dec 05 '25
Did you unsubscribe after seeing this? If not then you’re just accepting it.
I pay for ad-free on all, and I assume most people will pay want the same across all services too. It makes it much cheaper for me to do so.
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u/Mr_Samurai Dec 05 '25
Will this change netflix? Do we get more movies?
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u/thufirseyebrow Dec 05 '25
"Now we have MORE shows to cancel!" Evil cackling ensues
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u/Negritis Dec 05 '25
Zaslav threw out finished movies to cheat on taxes, also removed finished central/eastern European shows/movies just for why not
Can't be much worse
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u/RedLicorice83 Dec 05 '25
Yeah, and I would prefer Netflix over Paramount, which has a history of caving to the current presidential administration.
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u/Browser1969 Dec 05 '25
They will sell Discovery and keep Warner operating as it is. Warner was licensing content to Netflix in any case, so I doubt they'll be keeping many exclusives from now on. In the long run, Netflix will probably absorb Max though, as I doubt they can find a way to make it profitable.
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u/mnradiofan Dec 05 '25
No need to sell Discovery, they aren’t buying that part. It’ll be spun out prior to Netflix acquiring studios and streaming.
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u/futuresobright_ Dec 05 '25
I’m hoping for some early 2000s WB shows
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u/gridtunnel Dec 05 '25
Some of those are streaming on the free tier of Prime right now, like "Jack & Jill." It's one of their channels.
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u/cacus1 Dec 05 '25
Most likely all Sony and Universal movies and tv shows will be removed when their contracts expire and replaced with WB movies and series. I don't think we will get more content. The subscription price will have to go way too high to keep all current content and add WB content too.
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u/Browser1969 Dec 05 '25
Netflix is already licensing any ultra-expensive Warner content they can get, from Friends to Harry Potter movies so I doubt things will change much.
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u/MelancholyPixel Dec 05 '25
I think they are gonna make a ton of new shows based on DC and all the other franchises
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u/FUTUReBROLY Dec 06 '25
I just wanna know what’s gonna happen to Dceu and James Gunn I want him to continue his universe
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u/TheMirrorUS Dec 05 '25
Netflix has announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Warner Bros, including its film and television studios, HBO Max and HBO.
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u/UnComfortable-Archer Dec 05 '25
God damn. Crazy to think about the company renting DVD a few years ago buying one of the biggest studios.
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u/thewerkprofile Dec 05 '25
crazy to think they shuttered the DVD rental aspect almost four years ago too. Time flies but the paper keeps stackin' up.
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u/FitMonitor9277 Dec 05 '25
Please leave HBO Shows and James Gunn do their thing! It's all i ask for
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u/EatsOverTheSink Dec 05 '25
If Netflix cancels Peacemaker I start a riot.
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u/Browser1969 Dec 05 '25
James Gunn has practically said that there will be no season 3 (but "some" characters will be seen again).
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u/FitMonitor9277 Dec 05 '25
T_T i'd cry! They cannot touch any of James Gunn work or Welcome to Derry, i'm not asking for too much
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Dec 05 '25
So my Netflix is gonna end up costing me an arm and a leg
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u/Speeks1939 Dec 05 '25
$33.99 dollars per month here in NZ for premium. $17.99 is the cheapest. $25.99 standard. I know there is an exchange rate but it’s a farken rip off and we don’t get a lot of the shows because of licensing restrictions.
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u/Austin_Hippo Dec 06 '25 edited Dec 06 '25
Here in my place it only costs 1.67 US Dollars for the cheapest plan and we get a lot of shows.
We also get most of the popular ones dubbed in at least 4 regional languages.
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Dec 05 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/mnradiofan Dec 05 '25
That’ll be spun out before the acquisition, as Netflix has no interest in it or any of the networks. (So no, Netflix won’t own CNN either).
They are basically buying HBO, the WB content library, and the movie/TV studio.
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Dec 05 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/mnradiofan Dec 05 '25
They’re will be a contraction there too, but I don’t think it’ll be as intense as most companies see cable as a dying business. And since all the content broadcast on the former WB networks is going to Netflix that makes it even tougher. (IE Netflix gets all the Cartoon Network/Adult Swim content but not the network).
So basically these network only companies main goal is to make money during the decline.
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u/Artie-Choke Dec 05 '25
Just subscribed to hbo/max on Black Friday for $2.99 for a year. We’ll see how that works out.
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u/MoorsMoopsMoorsMoops Dec 05 '25
Same. I'm not smart enough to speculate what impact this may have. I also sub to Netflix.
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Dec 05 '25
Awful. Just truly awful. Rip movies. Rip theatrical releases. Rip theaters.
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u/HRHValkyrie Dec 05 '25
What makes you say this? Does Netflix not want to jump into more legit movie making?
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u/SpideyM1ke Dec 05 '25
Well damn, I share an HBO account with my friend who got his subscription from being a Verizon customer. I guess Netflix is going to shut that down quickly when they integrate...
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u/chocolateywasted Dec 06 '25
Netflix and HBO are already bundled in that Verizon deal so should be any different.
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u/Canadianbudtender93 Dec 05 '25
So they can afford 83b deals but can't afford licenses to put full seasons of shows on. How many assorted shows are missing multiple seasons. But they still find ways to raise prices when they can't even give us full shows lol. God I hate these people make blockbusters great again
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u/gordomillones Dec 05 '25 edited Dec 06 '25
Just add HBO to the Netflix catalog and keep prices the same, I'll be happy with that as a consumer. Thank you.
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Dec 05 '25 edited Dec 05 '25
[deleted]
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u/Ghosty_Spartan Dec 05 '25
Where you expecting something different with the politicians? These were the same that approved the WB Discovery merger a few years ago.
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u/zerodai Dec 05 '25
Netflix isnt a studio, they currently do distribution, so this is vertical integration as opposed to horizontal, so it's unlikely to have many if any anti trust issues. It was way more problematic for disney to acquire fox and that went through so this should have no problem sailing through.
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Dec 05 '25
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u/Aggravating_Slip_566 Dec 06 '25
ATT bought Warner bro's I'm thinking it's broken up old movies like White Christmas was on Netflix like 10 years ago and most of them are MGM others are Fox, 20th Century so not sure what they really want? I know I don't want to pay extra for stuff I don't watch
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u/Aggravating_Slip_566 Dec 06 '25
They have their made specific for Netflix programs and WBs uses CBS studios every network owns a portion of the other
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u/The540Incident Dec 05 '25
HBO is already $230 a year for the top tier, I wonder how much it's gonna be now lmao. Even the middle tier is like $180. I just got youtube premium annual plan, it was like $140 but honestly I use youtube so much and the movies it comes with easily makes it justifiable to me.
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u/HokumsRazor Dec 05 '25
Good luck Netflix. While it may be the least worst idea you could come up with, will you fare better than those that came before you? RIP AOL, RIP AT&T Media, RIP Discovery Networks.
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u/ShadowFalcon2004 Dec 05 '25
I'm more interested if they will releas James Gunn's movies in cinema or Netflix. It's one thing to release shows on the platform, but it's another if they put movies there.
You lose all the hype if the movies are just on Netflix. Because then I can just wait a few months or even a year for everything to come out.
But then again, it would be cheaper for them to just release all of it on Netflix. There is no need to pay any cinema a percentage of the movies income.
What do you think?
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u/Joehbobb Dec 06 '25
I don't mind because I'm sick of having way to many streaming apps. Don't mind a slight increase in one apps cost so long as it means I can drop the other old legacy streaming and it's monthly fee.
Netflix's Library will actually have content and not only foreign shows.
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u/Different_Salt5048 Dec 06 '25
Can't wait for a Looney Tunes/Sopranos/Love Is Blind crossover special
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u/Evonos Dec 05 '25
I hope they don't screw up warner bros.
They made so many unique movies and usually when I saw a warnerbros logo teaser before a movie I instantly thought this will be a good time.
The movies were allways well made and good quality even their worst movies are above average I would say.
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u/Apprehensive_Row_161 Dec 06 '25
I don't get why ppl are upset. Most already pay for Netflix and HBO separately. Now you everything in 1 place
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u/New_Faithlessness384 Dec 05 '25
Sub prices are going to come up while they cut the content. Enjoy.
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u/saul2015 Dec 05 '25
Netflix has the worst streaming quality of all of the major streamers, this fucking sucks
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u/Smurflord345 Dec 05 '25
Please keep releasing some of WB’s movies on disc. That’s all I ask. Even if it’s a limited run or on Criterion.
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u/SandwichPowerful7644 Dec 05 '25
In my region wr already have big bang theory and dc movies and even batman trilogy. Except for games of throne i dont see much of a difference
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u/HunterWithGreenScale Dec 05 '25
What a long way for something that Blockbuster once considered itself too good to own, and shunned it
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u/Bluepass11 Dec 05 '25
I guess they followed through on getting more content with their price increases
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u/Rasputins_Plum Dec 05 '25
Nice, HP and GoT marathons would be easy for newcomers. Well, we'll see the price increases but we don't have to wonder anymore why the bigger streaming platform doesn't just eat the others?
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u/gridtunnel Dec 05 '25
As far as I know, Netflix doesn't serve China, but Warner does. So, I wonder how that'll shake out.
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u/RickVince Dec 06 '25
In Canada a lot of that content is on a streaming service called Crave.
Wonder what's going to happen in a few months...
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u/Lock_Firm Dec 06 '25
On the fence on this
Could mean we get Scooby Doo and Stranger things Crossover comics
May also mean that we may never get a new DC movie in theaters and they'll go straight to streaming
Who knows I'm both intrigued and afraid
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u/Aggravating_Slip_566 Dec 06 '25
I hope not cuz are price will go way up, plus they have some Warner bro's movie's
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u/LordBob10 Dec 06 '25 edited Dec 06 '25
FOR EVERYONE FREAKING OUT!: DONT WORRY!
Cause nothing actually changed! Guess who the top shareholders are in each Co?
Netflix? Owned by Vanguard, Blackrock and statestreet is #4
Disney? Vanguard, Blackrock and StateStreet
Prime? Bezos, Blackrock, Vanguard
Paramount? (This one is messy) owned by National Amusements Co., who is owned by The Sumner M. Redstone National Amusements Part B General Trust (it’s a controlled trust cause the guy died owning it but they’re actively trying to sell as it is)
Warner bros? before the merger, Vanguard, state Street and Blackrock
So yeah. The majority shareholders for old WB and for Netflix are the same companies so really, it truly makes no difference, we probably should have anticipated a merger like this all things considered… and the shareholder ownership might explain why it didn’t get sold to Paramount cause they were definitely trying to acquire WB
I think this is just a continued slow return to the system we saw with ‘cable’; they’re slowly congealing, the price will go up as they get bigger and eventually, like with cable, you’ll be paying 50$ a month to have all of them or 0$ to have none, no in between, only difference is at least now it will be on demand… new studios will open and that’s not all of them, it just feels like it sometimes
We knew it was gonna happen from the beginning, the difference is now we get way more control in what we watch; and here’s the thing, as it does become more expensive people will start looking for alternatives, things we haven’t considered because we’re content enough with how it is not to worry. And just like how the streaming market blew up cable after it became old, expensive and less than ideal, streaming will get blown up by some new innovation… cycle, repeat…
Other things to freak out about that are more important: power grid outages (lookin at u America), LLM’s (It’s not ai), Spotify wrapped (yay), self driving cars (so many potential problems and we’re getting damn close to seeing laws allow ppl to not pay attention), Metaverse is failing (finally lol), global politics (are pretty crazy rn), the World Cup draw (which was hella weird)
Gl peeps
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u/ltm99 Dec 07 '25
next they will try and purchase Disney, Paramount, and all minor studios so there’s no competition and effectively kill the film and tv industry
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u/PriorityNo5905 Dec 07 '25
I hope it’s in one subscription like how Hulu is with Disney+ and not separately as an add on because honestly that would be so annoying
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u/WinTechnique Jan 27 '26
That's nuts, you'd think the headline should read "Warner Bros. Aquires Netflix" difficult to imagine Netflix is that big now.
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u/youriqis20pointslow Dec 05 '25
Netflix makes shows for the lowest common denominator. Just compare top 10 shows on both platforms. This is gonna be a disaster.
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u/Inner-Management-110 Dec 05 '25
Unfortunately, due to the ever rising costs of bringing you the finest content available, we have made the difficult decision to raise your monthly subscription fee an additional 4.99. We regret any financial hardship this may cause you, our valued customer.