Kyle Buchanan

He wanted to water it down with all this dreck that was imported over from Discovery, all these reality shows, things you'd never see on HBO, but that he thought would open that brand up.

So as much as we might like to think that these corporations have more sense than to mess with the HBO brand, time has told us that in the name of increasing shareholder value, all sorts of misbegotten bids might be taken.

Right.

I will say it's making for some tasty unscripted drama.

I'm not eager for the season finale, but in the meantime, they're keeping us fed.

Absolutely.

And, you know, and I think obviously, as has been borne out by this conversation, fear about the future of theatrical distribution is very justified.

But I think the even bigger brained, longer range take on what is about to happen is concern about the future of movies, period.

I don't know that as we move into an all streaming future and theatrical continues to die on the vine, that it is in streamers best interest to invest in movies as a two hour medium.

They want to capture your attention and keep you on that service for as long as possible.

And by and large, a 10 hour limited series or a.

20-hour reality show that costs virtually nothing is the better way to do it than a discrete piece of two-hour entertainment that can be sequelized sometime far in the future, if at all.

Other streamers have already realized this lesson.

They're making fewer movies than they used to, including Netflix.

Netflix used to put out a new movie every week.

They don't do that anymore.

I'm not sure that that would feel much more robust if this acquisition goes through, because ultimately, does it behoove them to spend $250 million on a Superman movie?

Or would they rather that be a 12-episode series?

that will keep you on the service for 12 hours instead of just two.

Swimming and maybe drowning.