HBO Max boss Jason Kilar throws shade at Netflix, citing one edge their streaming platform has over their biggest competitor. The video-on-demand platform game has quickly gotten saturated over the last year with the consecutive debuts of new services from Disney, Comcast, and WarnerMedia. At this point, Netflix remains at the top of the hierarchy, so it's no wonder its newest competitors are gunning it down, including HBO Max.
Announced in 2018 by WarnerMedia, HBO Max is a one-stop platform for content from TNT, TBS, Adult Swim, and more, not to mention a collection of films from other studios. Warner Bros' classic movie library is also one of its banner features, as well as, movies from prominent franchises including DC Films. On the TV front, it houses popular sitcoms such as Friends and The Big Bang Theory, resulting in both shows being pulled from Netflix - a big blow to the platform considering how popular the comedies remain.
Speaking with Bloomberg, WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar was confident when asked what they offer that their industry's biggest player doesn't. Looking at what they currently offer and what's to come in their platform, he believes that their biggest advantage on Netflix is the quality of content people can find on HBO Max.
Quality. When I first joined the company, I did this introduction video from my garage to say hello. I got announced on April 1 and didn’t start until May 4. I did my best to allow people to see a face with the name. I did a two-minute video to introduce myself and explain why I made the decision to join the company. The first thing I said was “quality bar.”
We all have quality bars. When I think about Casey Bloys, Toby Emmerich and Peter Roth, the thing that’s consistent among their teams and their people is where they place the quality bar, which I’d argue is just a cut above.
That's quite a statement, considering that Kilar essentially claims Netflix's content doesn't have quality - at least, in terms of their standards. Granted that they don't have HBO Max's library of classic and Best Picture-winning movies, not to mention other content inherited from their parent company, but Netflix has been putting money on their original content endeavors, and they're relatively successful in establishing a presence during award seasons. So far, they've netted a string of nominations and wins for their films including Alfonso Cuaron's Roma (2019), The Coen Brothers' The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2019), Martin Scorsese's The Irishman (2020) and Noah Baumbach's Marriage Story (2020). They've also collected quite a few nods for their original series such as House of Cards, When They See Us, Orange Is The New Black, Stranger Things, Ozark and Bodyguard.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Hollywood's production timeline has been delayed in varying degrees. For streaming services, they now rely on ready-to-debut content - new or otherwise. With Netflix making a push for their original content, it's safe to say they can stick to their release schedule for a while. HBO Max (and other newer platforms), on the other hand, has been significantly impacted, with their planned original shows, such as the Friends reunion, now delayed indefinitely. Given this, it's safe to say it will be a while before the public can fairly judge for themselves which service really excels when it comes to quality.
Source: Bloomberg