The Ghosts That Mergers Leave Behind
As a company that develops artistic works and ventures that seek to improve the way artists live, we must acknowledge whenever the artistic landscape shifts dramatically. We must be able to give our artists a surfboard when the wave comes so their projects don't slip into the murky abyss.
Let's talk about the impending Discovery Plus/HBO Max merger.
Which bizarrely looks like this.
WHAT'S HAPPENING?
On August 4th, news broke that conglomerate Warner Bros. Discovery plans to merge HBO Max with Discovery+ to create a new streaming Megazord that will launch in Summer 2023. The scuttlebutt surrounding this announcement has a tone of confusion. HBO Max seems like a giant, having built its brand largely on works about people on top of the world like "Succession" and "Game of Thrones." So how were they being quietly subsumed by Warner Bros. Discovery and merged with Discovery+, a streaming service that had a meager 24 million subscribers as of last April?
Well, there's a new sheriff in town; and although CEO of Global Streaming JB Perrette has been vague about the problems with the current model, it's no secret that he believes this restructuring will provide some sort of triage and catapult Warner Bros. Discovery into the competitive plane of Netflix and Disney Plus. In fact, this seems to be his main job, as he's heartily supported by CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery David Zaslav.
WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?
The problem is Perrette's two-step plan for saving money:
Step 1: Cancel projects that seem costly or didn't test well with audiences, like the completed film "Batgirl." (And hey, there's a $25 million tax write-off for you.)
Step 2: Wipe HBO Max clean of shows that cost too much in residuals and don't have a high-enough return. Most of these shows are animated programs.
There is... so very much to unpack here, and we can't get into all of it. But ultimately, these sudden swings of the axe disregard any human element to media creation. All of the people who worked on "Batgirl" don't get to show off their work. In fact, this was so devastating that they are having 'Secret Funeral Screenings' for cast and crew only to say goodbye to the film before it's locked away.
And existing shows? Well, they didn't all make it to DVD before they hit HBO Max. And even the ones that did, like "Infinity Train," are being yanked from Amazon. Picture an enormous sinkhole opening up under HBO Max's "Family Programming" filter and you've got a pretty good idea of what's been lost here.
Levon Jihanian, art director for cartoon series "Tig N' Seek," reacts to the news that "Tig N' Seek" has unceremoniously vanished from HBO Max.
CIRCLING BACK TO MOC...
We currently have 2 On-Screen projects in the throes of developing their proofs of concept: "Alien of Extraordinary Ability" and "Captain Moriah's Map of the World." That means 2 shows that could succumb to these same fates.
As the animated shows seem to have been hit the hardest, we sat down with "Captain Moriah" creator and MOC Founder Sarah Fiete to hear her take on the situation - and what it could mean for "Moriah's" future.
MOC: Can you remind us what your project is?
Sarah: "Captain Moriah's Map of the World" is an animated steampunk adventure series about three friends trying to create the first map of their world. It's aimed at young teens. The aesthetic is old, but the topics are rooted in today's world.
MOC: What draws you to the art of animation?
Sarah: I love collaboration. I come from the theatre world where magic enters the room any time you get a good group of people working on one thing together. Animation by nature involves a LOT of collaboration, and it unlocks a certain level of creativity you can't always get with live action. There are very few rules.
MOC: What concerns you about this merger regarding the future of animation?
Sarah: So, the thing is, we all know shows and movies rotate on streaming platforms. But usually, there's warning. There's an understanding that it will happen, so I'd wager that creators are aware of the service's limited hosting period and can plan for it.
This... this is sudden. This blindsided a ton of people. And it broadcasts an idea that animated projects are disposable. That HAS to change the risk assessment, right? I've been very jazzed about all the fun new animated projects that have been hitting streaming services, because there really is something for everyone. And the more opportunities there are, the more people can try weird, creative things with the way they tell a story, which is how we become better storytellers and artists. This ordeal feels like a harbinger for more mass-produced, completely neutered, inoffensive work that doesn't take risks that iconic shows like "Spongebob" and "Avatar" did because if you don't promise an immediate audience, you're out of luck.
MOC: What concerns you about this in how it relates to your project?
Sarah: It makes me want to hoard my rights more, but that's a notoriously bad way of getting your project to actually be, you know, viewed. And if animated projects feel at risk of being canceled, who would want to take a chance on my stingy contract?
I've seen many people suggesting that creators work with independent studios, which is something that REALLY appeals to me, but it doesn't answer the big question: then what? Big companies, network or streaming, don't like to host something brand new that they didn't have a hand in.
MOC: Is there any positive outcome you can foresee?
Sarah: For those canceled projects? Not really. Maybe if the creators get the rights back, they can continue them, but... I can't imagine that would happen quickly, if at all. Too many contracts. Too little reason for the streamers' legal department to spend time doing that.
For projects that have been fully developed or have yet to be... yes... and I think they're realistic ones. First, people are wondering if WBD/HBO Max is going to create a kids-programming-centric separate streaming service to host these shows. It means fewer adults without kids will be exposed to them, which is a shame because that's a big market...but better than nothing.
Second - and this is something I would want to include in my contract - creators are now thinking about requiring that their shows go to DVD, too, not exclusively streaming. It would help them from becoming totally lost.
Third, I hope this outcry empowers other platforms to embrace family programming. I hope we see more decentralization of streaming services- not that I want people to pay $5/month for 20 different things! But it would be nice for people to have other options, because that would give the creators more power in contract negotiations. And that sounds like a GREAT thing.
