Warner Set to Launch Streaming Service in Late 2019
WarnerMedia are preparing to launch their own direct-to-consumer streaming service in late 2019, just in time to compete with Disney’s streaming service. Warner Bros. executives are suggesting that platform is stated to be more expensive than an HBO subscription at launch, but worth the investment.
Variety is reporting that Warner CEO John Stankey has stated that the various company under WarnerMedia’s control will be collectively pooling their resources together in order to have a large library of content on the streaming service at launch. Content from HBO is apparently at the forefront of this service, which is part of the reason why the service is looking to be more expensive than an HBO subscription at launch; in some respects, this is expected to be an “HBO Plus” of sorts. (Currently, such a subscription for regular HBO costs $15 per month.) Warner plan to spend $2.5B annually on content produced for this new streaming service, meaning that there will be no shortage of movies and television shows for audiences to look into.
Warner Bros. have laid out their plans for streaming for quite some time. As of right now, it is not clear how existing streaming services featuring major Warner Bros. content will be affected, but it seems likely that the company will progressively phase out its content on Netflix and other services that it does not currently have a stake in. Streaming services that are currently run by Warner include HBO Now (for HBO-exclusive content and a library of movies), Boomerang (for fans of classic animation), FilmStruck (for fans of classic films), and DC Universe (for DC Entertainment content of all kinds, including downloadable comic books). Warner also have a 10% stake in Hulu, which they could either sell or keep depending on how confident they are in their service’s ability to perform.
Netflix has definitely changed the name of the game when it comes to the entertainment industry, with long-standing titans having to make drastic moves to adapt in order to stay afloat in a changing market. As of right now, it’s looking like a media landscape that was previously occupied by Disney, Fox, Warner Bros., Paramount, Sony Pictures, and Universal will soon be dominated by Disney-Fox, Comcast-NBCUniversal, AT&T-WarnerMedia, Netflix, Amazon, and likely a few other players from Silicon Valley. Let’s hope that these massive companies are able to swim instead of sinking.
The untitled Warner Bros. streaming service will arrive in the final quarter of 2019.
Grant Davis is a freelance writer who has covered entertainment news for more than seven years. His articles have frequently appeared in Star Wars News Net as well as as other entertainment-related websites. As someone who grew up on Star Wars and comic book movies, he’s completely thrilled with the current era of genre entertainment.
