By Nsan Neji
NEW YORK (CONVERSEER) – According to a report by Kotaku on Friday, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarando believes that the streaming giant is not a negative force in the film industry, and he is more convinced that Netflix can play a role similar to a “saviour”.
Netflix announced on Thursday that it would acquire Warner Bros. for $82 billion. If regulatory approvals go smoothly, the streaming giant will become a “king-level” media giant with a massive amount of film and television content. At the same time, it will also gain access to various IPs under Warner Bros., such as the Lego series of games, Mortal Kombat, and Batman: Arkham.
In fact, Ted Sarando had already expressed his views. In an interview with Generation magazine in the middle of this year, the host asked a rather pointed question: “Have you destroyed Hollywood?”
The co-CEO replied, “No, we’re saving Hollywood.” He expressed scepticism about the future role of cinemas in the film industry, noting that while Netflix still needs to release some films in theatres to win awards, Sarando believes most people simply can’t afford to go to the cinema.
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He then explained, “ If you live in Manhattan, New York, you can indeed find a bunch of movie theatres just a few steps away. But most people simply don’t have that kind of access .”
However, the industry remains concerned about Netflix’s acquisition of Warner Bros. According to A Shot, the DGA organisation, led by director Christopher Nolan (whose representative works include Interstellar), is preparing to meet with Netflix to express its “major concerns”.
