As Hollywood grapples with the fallout from the astonishing mega-deal for Warner Bros., Netflix wants its subscribers to know that everything will be OK.
The streaming giant sent an email to subscribers early Saturday morning, “Welcoming Warner Bros. To Netflix.”
The email explained the deal (in simple terms, appropriate for a consumer-facing communication) and linked to an FAQ with details of the transaction. But there was a clear overarching theme to the message: Nothing will change. At least not for a while.
“Nothing is changing today. Both streaming services will continue to operate separately,” the email stated. “We have more steps to complete before the deal is closed, including regulatory and shareholder approvals. You’ll hear from us when we have more to share.”
In fact, the help center FAQ reiterated that HBO and Warner shows won’t be on Netflix soon, that HBO Max and Netflix remain separate, that prices and plans aren’t changing, and that the companies will operate independently until the deal closes.
In other words, Netflix subscribers may have questions, but the platform doesn’t have many answers yet. And it probably won’t for a while.
The deal will surely draw close regulatory scrutiny, and likely consumer scrutiny as well, as movie fans and HBO and Netflix customers try to figure out what it will mean for their favorite shows and films. That concern may have been a factor in Netflix’s outreach. Better to have a direct conversation with your customers than to lean entirely on media coverage.
Despite the email and FAQ, Hollywood doesn’t entirely buy the narrative that nothing will change. On a conference call with Wall Street analysts, Netflix co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters suggested that HBO could provide tiring opportunities for Netflix, and that while they will release films in theaters, they still believe the model needs to “evolve to become more consumer friendly.”
The deal is 24 hours old. There won’t be any changes for a long time. But it and when it closes, it will mark a new chapter for both Netflix and HBO Max, and change will surely follow.