Warner Bros. purchase Netflix gives you what you’ve always needed: identity

close your eyes, Think for a minute, and tell me: what it is Netflix film? Well, try again: What’s the Netflix show?

Sure, it’s easy to name some killer headlines—Demon hunters in kpop, Strange things– But Netflix had no brand identity at all. It’s not like DisneyHome of Star Wars and Mickey Mouse. As streaming services go, they’ve made their name by being a jack of all trades and never a master. Now, she’s made her smartest move yet, Down $83 billion To buy himself a completely new personality.

The streaming giant announced on Friday that it will acquire Warner Bros. Entertainment. The deal gives Netflix the studio’s film and TV operations as well as HBO and HBO Max. For those who can’t keep up with who owns what these days – no one can – this means that once the deal closes, Netflix will own everything from Batman to Big bang theory, Wizard of Oz to Westeros. also, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potterand prestigious TV shows such as The soprano.

The deal, which is expected to close next fall after Warner Bros. Discovery is separating its cable business (CNN, HGTV, Discovery, and others), and Hollywood was given a big surprise when Netflix announced it Friday morning. The future of Warner Bros. Discovery has been hanging in the balance for weeks, with a series of potential buyers making offers. NBCUniversal’s parent company Comcast has made a bid. The same applies to Paramount Skydance, which has raised concerns among some given that the merger of Paramount and Skydance, headed by… David Ellison, son of Oracle founder Larry EllisonIt has become a political football that includes everything from… South Park to The Late Show with Stephen Colbertwhich happened Put on ice This summer.

In the end, Netflix won, making itself the place viewers would go game of thrones Rewatches and anything new James Gunn does with the DC Extended Universe. In fact, it gives the streaming giant an identity it never had before and a back catalog that rivals that of Disney+. It could also turn the streaming giant into something much closer to a traditional film and TV studio, if that’s what it wants.

This is the big question. Once the acquisition was announced, industry observers began speculating on whether or not Netflix would continue, say, Warner Bros.’ commitment to theatrical releases, which is important to its directors like Sand dunes Director Denis Villeneuve. Some have also wondered, given recent comments by Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos about embracing generative AI, whether it will lead to more AI content Born thanks Huge Warner Bros. library. All scenarios seem possible, but they also conflict with each other. Today’s deal means Netflix has a decision to make: use the legacy of Warner Bros. Which it acquired to continue as a major studio in Hollywood, or used to produce large amounts of content but much less art.

In Hollywood, labor groups are already concerned about the deal. Despite Sarandos’ claims that the deal would be “pro-labor”, many unions rejected it Statements issued The claim is that the takeover will lead to fewer jobs, lower wages, and a reduced diversity of content available to the public. Parks and recreation Creator Mike Schur, board member of the Writers Guild of America West, Referenced in Bluesky “All media mergers ultimately hurt writers, actors, directors, and everyone else who works in the industry. Fewer companies means fewer jobs, period.”