By Shivani P Menon
A day after announcing its massive takeover of Warner Bros, Netflix quietly dropped an email into subscribers’ inboxes late at night, trying to put nerves at ease. The message was simple: for now, nothing is changing.
The deal, once completed, will bring Warner Bros’ films and TV shows — including HBO and HBO Max — under Netflix. But that won’t happen anytime soon. Netflix said both companies will continue running separately until the transaction is finished, a process expected to take at least 12 to 18 months.
The FAQ section on Netflix’s website also says that the membership plans will remain the same, and as of now, no Warner Bros movies and shows are moving to Netflix.
US Senator Elizabeth Warren called this deal an anti-monopoly nightmare, while Representative Pramila Jayapal warns saying how this could lead to price hikes and more ads. Many Hollywood Industry groups, like the Producers Guild of America, SAG-AFTRA, voiced out their opinions stating how this deal would reduce creative control and job losses as well.
On the contrary, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, while talking to the investors, sounded bold, and he insisted that this merger will help the viewers, creators, as well as workers. He also emphasized how this merger would create a stronger organization than either one could become alone.
If everything moves forward as planned, Netflix subscribers could one day see classic favourites like Friends, Harry Potter and Game of Thrones sitting next to platform originals such as Stranger Things, Bridgerton and Wednesday. That future, however, is still a long way off — and for now, Netflix users are being asked to wait and watch.