If you’re one of those guys who simply love watching series (or are probably obsessed with them) then here’s some good news for you. The streaming video environment is getting even more crowded now that AT&T’s WarnerMedia announced plans to launch the newly dubbed HBO Max, its own “direct-to-consumer” video service featuring many of its assets.
For those who loved binge watching The Big Bang Theory and are sad that the sitcom’s 12th season (the season-finale) ended recently this year, here’s some surprise for you.
HBO Max seems to have plenty of potential, with a huge list of TV Shows and movies at its disposal. This includes the evergreen TV series – FRIENDS, and as recent reports claim The Big Bang Theory is joining the Max club soon. AT&T’s WarnerMedia has sealed a huge deal, reportedly worth over $1 billion — which is a record in itself by the way, for the exclusive streaming and syndication rights for this popular show. The rights are valid for the next five years.
WarnerMedia is targeting to do some serious investments right here. In the past year alone, over $2.4 billion has been committed to pin down selected comedies like “Friends”, “The Office”, “Seinfeld” .“The Big Bang Theory” is just another huge deal.
Sitcoms are quite popular, be it from the States or from the UK, sitcoms are always a source of instant entertainment. And WarnerMedia’s HBO Max is well into the entertainment industry through its thoughtful work of bringing all popular sitcoms under its umbrella. They are simply utilising the power of sitcoms to attracts consumers and well , that’s some promising idea for a business to run.
What’s important to know is that WarnerMedia envelopes a wide range of Warner Bros.-produced feature films besides other significant TV content libraries; it includes the DC Extended Universe superhero movies, Godzilla and King Kong’s shared Monster-verse films, and the Lord of the Rings franchise, among other properties. One major Warner Bros. Pictures property that won’t be included at launch, however, is Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World, which NBCUniversal purchased the exclusive streaming rights in a deal that runs through 2025.
According to The Los Angeles Times, Netflix had acquired the rights to Seinfield . The deal was sealed for a mammoth amount of $500 million. However, HBO Max played the real deal when Netflix lost two of its big-budget streaming properties – “The Office” to NBCUniversal’s new streaming service, “The Peacock” and of course the other one – “Friends” to WarnerMedia’s HBO Max .
“Few shows define a generation and capture mainstream zeitgeist like ‘The Big Bang Theory,’” Robert Greenblatt, chairman of WarnerMedia Entertainment and direct-to-consumer, told The Hollywood Reporter, which broke the news. “We’re thrilled that HBO Max will be the exclusive streaming home for this comedy juggernaut when we launch in the spring of 2020. This show has been a hit virtually around the globe, it’s one of the biggest shows on broadcast television of the last decade, and the fact that we get to bring it to a streaming platform for the first time in the U.S. is a coup for our new offering.”
Each of the stars along with show creators Lorre and Prady and executive producers Molaro and Holland stand to become very rich. Lorre alone will be pocketing around 30% of the syndication deal. That’s a huge amount, do your calculations !
“I am forever grateful to have been part of something as extraordinary as ‘The Big Bang Theory,’” Lorre told The Hollywood Reporter. “All of us — Bill Prady, Steven Molaro, Steve Holland, and the amazing writing staff, cast and crew — recognize that 12 seasons of laughter is a gift to be cherished.”
