Relaxing Netflix's death grip on streaming
Is this what the big N is going to do to keep regulators at bay?
Over at The Tech Buzz they are asking what the Warner Bros acquisition may mean for the relationship Netflix has with TV manufacturers. It’s a smart question that I’m a bit jealous that I hadn’t given much thought to.
Smart TV companies integrating Netflix into their platforms need to meet the requirements of its Netflix Ready certification program. That involves tech specs related to codecs and digital rights management (DRM), but it also mandates things like positioning Netflix “as the first item in the rail on the initial launcher screen, with a fully visible icon and adherence to Netflix brand guidelines."
Netflix also has partnership arrangements with manufacturers who have a Netflix app launcher on remote controls.
These are the sorts of arrangements that help to keep Netflix dominant in the streaming space.
Another smart move is that Netflix avoids being integrated into a lot of the major channel aggregators like Prime Video Channels and Apple TV Channels. Frustrating from a user perspective, it does create an us vs them nature to Netflix where Netflix viewers must go into the Netflix ecosystem to watch their content and will often remain there for further viewing.
There are still questions to be answered about how Netflix plans to integrate HBO Max into its streaming business. My prediction is that it keeps HBO Max as its own app, but Netflix subscribers will be able to bundle it into the Netflix app as part of its premium tier. But what I don’t think you’ll see happen is Netflix backing down on integration into third-party ‘Channels’ platforms. If anything, HBO Max may just find itself walled off from Channels too going forward.
Unless…
Netflix will have a regulatory fight going forward. I think it is very likely that in order to push the Warner Bros deal through, Netflix is going to have to make some concessions. And a key concession would be to level the playing field between competitors in the streaming space. At the top of the list for me would be to see Netflix forced to remove requirements in regards to smart TV platform placements and to provide open access to third party channel aggregators.
Ultimately, it is a good business decision for smart TV manufacturers to have easy access to Netflix for consumers, so I wouldn’t expect to see Netflix buttons disappear from remotes or prominent placement anytime soon. But, it would be a major step towards stimulating competition in the space.
Huh, a Penske pub said what?
An interesting article up on Variety right now is a write-up of comments made by Joe Rogan on his podcast on the topic of why he didn’t get nominated for Best Podcast at the Golden Globes.
He didn’t want to pay the $500 for what he views as false validation:
“I just know that I didn’t submit” for the Golden Globes award, Rogan said. “I don’t want to be a part of that. I don’t care. You’re just a group of people that just decide, all of a sudden, that you’re going to give an award out? ‘I get a trophy’? Fuck off!”
In discussing the Globes’ podcast award with his guest Bert Kreischer, Rogan claimed, “I already won,” citing his regular position at the top of podcast rankings. The comedian’s interview podcast has been the No. 1 podcast on Spotify for five straight years and also topped the Apple Podcast and YouTube rankings for 2025.
“You can’t tell me I didn’t win. I’ve been number one for six years in a row,” Rogan said. “All of sudden, you’re going to have a contest in front of all these people wearing tuxedos and you’re going to say now I’m not number one? Fuck off — I don’t care that I’m number one, but I am, in fact, number one,” he said.
Quoting a celebrity trashing the Golden Globes in a Jay Penske publication? I never thought I’d see the day.
(For background, Variety, like every other major US trade publication, is owned by Penske Media Corporation. In 2023, the Golden Globes were bought by Dick Clark Productions, which is also owned by Penske Media Corporation).
Barry Diller remains interested
We generally see news stories because someone wants the news out there. Yesterday the Wall St Journal reported that last year Barry Diller expressed an interest in buying CNN from Warner Bros Discovery.
As per the Wall St Journal:
The approach came before Warner’s June announcement that it plans to split the company in two and before the company formally put itself up for sale last fall, one of the people familiar with the matter said.
The article also included a WBD spokesperson comment that CNN is not for sale and is an important part of the business that will be Discovery Global when it splits from the Warner Bros assets that Netflix is buying.
The crucial part there is that CNN is an important part of the Discovery Global business because without CNN, the value of Discovery Global shrinks dramatically.
The WSJ also says that Barry Diller remains interested, which suggests to me that within the next few months we may see him make a play for the Discovery Global business. It isn’t clear how he would fund the purchase, but as a major Democrat donor, his interest doesn’t come as a surprise.
More billionaire Democrats should be kicking the tires on it.
Discovery Global splits from the larger business in the coming months, with an upfront presentation event scheduled for May 13, 2026, in New York.
News Desk
Australian broadcaster Nine has purchased out-of-home media company QMS for $850m from Quadrant Private Equity, which it has long been rumoured to do after selling its Domain real estate listings business to the US CoStar Group. It also announced the sale of its Nine Radio business to billionaire hotel owner Arthur Laundy for $56m. Read: Nine
Australia’s Paramount-owned Network 10 has announced that it will not go ahead with the previously-announced The Amazing Race Australia this year. It cited travel logistics and didn’t mention budget at all. Read: TV Tonight
The Apple TV drama about Siegfried & Roy (starring Jude Law & Andrew Garfield) will only use CGI tigers. Read: THR
An 80-page report commissioned by the BBC has found that “clunky” depictions of race can cause more harm than good. It recommends that the BBC rethink color-blind casting “tokenism” and “preachy” storylines about the UK’s colonial history in scripted series. Read: Deadline
BBC Australia New Zealand is currently hiring for a Head of Channels & Streaming. Which of my pals is going to be banging out an application this weekend? This story updates. Read: Linkedin
Mandy Patinkin will play Odin in the Prime Video God of War series: Source: Prime Video PR
Married couple Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V Gordon have teamed with writer Tze Chun on an adaptation of the dirty, dirty, dirty comic book Sex Criminals for Prime Video. The original comic was created by handsome perverts matt fraction and Chip Zdarsky. Read: Deadline
Damon Lindeloff (Lost, Watchmen, The Leftovers) has a new HBO show on the way after striking a deal for The Chain. Based on an Adrian McKinty 2019 novel, it’s about a kidnapping scheme where parents are able to secure the release of their own child by kidnapping another. Read: THR
Marissa Long is the latest cast member to be announced for the new season of The White Lotus. The rumoured casting of Helena Bonham Carter and Chris Messina has been confirmed. Read: Deadline
Adult Swim has promoted Cameron Tang to lead development and current series. Doesn’t he just look exactly like the guy that should be leading development at Adult Swim? Read: THR
Apple TV has acquired the rights to Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere literary fantasy universe. Sanderson will be the architect of the universe, which will have him writing, producing, and consulting. Apparently it comprises of 24 novels, several series, graphic novels, short stories and novellas. Read: THR
Comcast has posted its quarterly results, revealing Peacock lost $552m this past quarter, compared with $372m in the same quarter last year. Read: THR
HBO reports that high-sticking drama Heated Rivalry is averaging 9 million viewers per episode in the US, but it isn’t being reported in Nielsen’s streaming charts because it is an acquired show from Canada’s Crave. Read: THR
McDonald’s in Australia has launched a Friends meal, which comes with a little Friends character collectable. Read: Nine
While there are calls for the UK’s Freeview service to be shut off within the decade, there are concerns it will leave around 1.8m homes without TV - these households are said to be “more likely to be disabled, older, living alone, female, and geographically in the north of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.” Read: The Guardian
Wonder Man writer Andrew Guest says there was talk midway through production that the Marvel show may have been a tax write-off when the show was shut down during the 2023 strikes, Read: Dark Horizons
Bowl Cuts
The Pepsi Super Bowl ad has the Coca Cola polar bear mascot facing a crisis after choosing Pepsi after taking the Pepsi Challenge. Funny.
Trailer Park
The final season of Outlander debuts on Starz March 6.
The Audacity debuts on AMC April 12.
Set inside the bubble of Silicon Valley, The Audacity takes on the warped dreams, outsized egos, and ethical lapses of the self-styled inventors of the future. In a world of jaded billionaires, psychiatrist-gurus, bio-hacked tech bros, AI labs and disillusioned teens being optimized in elite private schools, an audacious data-mining CEO (Billy Magnussen) strives to turn insight and influence into profit and power. The darkly comedic drama confronts reality, privacy, and the delusions fueling our ever-changing world.
Chef’s Kiss debuts on Roku Channel Feb 10.
Kohrra returns to Netflix for season 2 Feb 11.
Agents of Mystery is back for season 2 on Netflix Feb 27.
That’s the newsletter for the today.
Consider becoming a paid supporter of Always Be Watching.
Connect with Dan on Bluesky. Connect with Dan on Letterboxd. Connect with Dan on Linkedin. Email Dan @ alwaysbewatching.com or just reply to this email.
