HBO has started licensing some of its past TV shows to Netflix, a move that will make Warner Bros. Discovery some money and, hopefully, get some attention for titles that have been off the air a little while. The shows are still available on WBD’s Max streaming service, but a select group is being added to Netflix as well. The move started in July with the debut of Insecure on Netflix. Now, more than a month later, Ballers has made the jump.
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Starring and produced by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Ballers is a series that follows a couple of high profile sports agents in Miami, as well as the athletes they represent. The series ran for five seasons from 2015-2019, and helped introduce the world to John David Washington. On Tuesday morning, all five seasons of the series were added to Netflix’s streaming lineup.
There are more HBO shows set to follow Insecure and Ballers to Netflix in the near future, but their Netflix debut dates haven’t been announced just yet. Six Feet Under, Band of Brothers, and The Pacific are all going to be added to Netflix at some point.
Other Shows Leaving Max
Through a series of “cost-saving measures,” Max has lost several original and HBO titles in recent months. While a couple of these titles have seemingly disappeared for the time being, most have made their way to FAST (free ad-supported streaming television) services. Westworld, Raised by Wolves, Lovecraft Country, and The Nevers all ended up on services like Tubi and Roku, which are free for anyone to access.
Making acclaimed shows like Insecure available on Netflix could give those titles (and HBO as a whole) a big boost. If they’re not being actively viewed by a wide audience on Max at the moment, seeing them added to Netflix could bring in a much bigger audience that had previously missed the show as it aired.
Netflix Won’t Sell Its Own Originals to Other Streamers
Warner Bros. Discovery may be looking to add money by licensing HBO and Max originals to rival services, but Netflix has no plans to do the same. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos was asked about the strategy during an earnings call last month.
“We’ve always have found that we offer this content to our members in an unbelievable value on Netflix as now,” Sarandos said. “And then, almost anywhere else we put it, there’s either a crossover, and they otherwise have Netflix account or have a much smaller viewing base. We think we’re taking the right course in terms of offering the content to our members and having it around even after its original run on Netflix.”
