‘Band of Brothers,’ ‘Six Feet Under’ Among Additional HBO Originals That Could Reportedly Be Sent to Netflix
Earlier this week, Warner Bros. Discovery sent observers into another frenzy regarding a potential new licensing deal with Netflix that would see HBO Original shows head to that streamer.
Now, reporting from Vulture is helping to augment the list of shows that could possibly start appearing on Netflix in the near future. In addition to the Issa Rae comedy series “Insecure,” Vulture identifies Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s pro football series “Ballers,” World War II-themed shows “Band of Brothers” and “The Pacific” from Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, and the beloved comedy/drama “Six Feet Under” as other titles that may be included in the Netflix deal.
The series may all be a bit older, with “Ballers” (2015) and “Insecure” (2016) being the most recent release among the group. Still, they’re all highly recognizable shows, and each one became synonymous with the HBO brand during its time on the air. All of the series will remain on WBD’s streaming platform Max concurrent with their runs on Netflix, but it is nevertheless another sign that Warner seemingly doesn’t value HBO branding all that highly.
The casual observer could certainly be forgiven for thinking so after the company dropped the “HBO” from the name of its flagship streaming platform. Between that move, and now WBD’s willingness to license HBO content to the world’s largest streaming service, questions about the company’s commitment to one of its most valuable intellectual properties have come from within the entertainment industry and without.
It’s likely that WBD brass thinks the HBO brand is so ubiquitous, it doesn’t need to be in the name of its streaming service anymore. People know where to go to get HBO content, and if they don’t a quick Google search will tell them. The allure of HBO Originals is as strong as it ever was in the company’s eyes, and offering a few on Netflix could drive more users to Max to find the rest.
The deal between WBD and Netflix isn’t complete, and there’s still a chance that it falls through entirely. Still, looking at the type of shows WBD is willing to license out could be instructive when Disney starts to license its own streaming content to third parties. Disney has been closely following WBD’s playbook on how to achieve profitability in streaming and has already promised it will consider licensing titles to others to improve its finances.
Max
Max is a subscription video streaming service that gives access to the full HBO library, along with exclusive Max Originals. There are hubs for content from TLC, HGTV, Food Network, Discovery, TCM, Cartoon Network, Travel Channel, ID, and more. Watch hit series like “The Last of Us,” “House of the Dragon,” “Succession,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and more. Thanks to the B/R Sports add-on, users can watch NBA, MLB, NHL, March Madness, and NASCAR events.