On Friday morning, Netflix made a groundbreaking announcement, revealing that it had acquired Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc., including HBO Max and HBO, which were owned by the company.
While the news was undoubtedly massive, it was not immediately clear what exactly this would mean for customers going forward. However, Netflix broke its silence in that regard on Dec. 6, sending a message to customers.
Netflix Announces the Deal
On Friday, Netflix officially announced the groundbreaking deal, sharing the news in a press release.
“Today, Netflix, Inc. (the Company) and Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (WBD) announced they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Netflix will acquire Warner Bros., including its film and television studios, HBO Max and HBO,” the company announced in a press release on December 6.
Netflix’s co-CEOs Greg Peters and Ted Sarandos expressed optimism about the deal.
“This acquisition will improve our offering and accelerate our business for decades to come,” Peters said in the release.
“Our mission has always been to entertain the world,” Sarandos said in the release. “By combining Warner Bros.’ incredible library of shows and movies—from timeless classics like Casablanca and Citizen Kane to modern favorites like Harry Potter and Friends—with our culture-defining titles like Stranger Things, KPop Demon Hunters and Squid Game, we’ll be able to do that even better. Together, we can give audiences more of what they love and help define the next century of storytelling.”
Netflix Sends a Message to Customers
After the initial announcement on Friday, customers understandably had a lot of questions. Primarily, customers were wondering what would change for subscribers of both streaming services after the acquisition.
In a letter shared with customers on early Saturday morning, Netflix made it clear that no changes would be happening immediately, as there are still many steps before the deal becomes finalized.
“Nothing is changing today. Both streaming services will continue to operate separately. 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 the meantime, we hope you’ll continue to enjoy watching as much as you want, whenever you want – all on your current membership plan,” Netflix wrote in its message to customers.
Obviously, changes could be on the horizon eventually, including the potential for a new, unified app as well as pricing changes. For now, however, customers can just keep enjoying their content as they have been.
