TBT
Posted this on Twitter, and forgot to post it here, too!
This article from 2020 (so pre-Zaslav) is hilarious.
"The Numbers", "Too Violent", "Not Up for Awards", blah blah blah... we know that OFMD was canceled by WBD/Max for being Woke and Ghey, so this article from three and a half years ago about HBO setting the standard on inclusive media representation is a sharp fall from grace. Liiiike...
Although HBO has long led the pack, other worthy competitors have nipped at their heels in recent years—especially streaming platforms with a “more is more and something for everyone” approach to their programming. But there’s something fundamentally different about seeing representation delivered on a platform with history, reach, and prestige. While many of those rivals tailor their content to audiences already actively seeking inclusivity on their screens (read: younger, more woke viewers), HBO’s not just catering to their subscribers—they’ve also likely changed minds as they’ve spent decades paving the way for others to follow in their footsteps.
and
Rosenstein, in partnership with HBO's president of programming Casey Bloys, is responsible for bringing the six-episode We’re Here (recently renewed for a second season, halleloo!) to the small screen this year. Bloys also championed the queer-friendly Betty, a series based on documentary filmmaker Crystal Moselle’s beloved movie Skate Kitchen, which also ran for six episodes this spring and was also just picked up for a sophomore order. “Now more than ever, diverse representation of all kinds has a real power to impact on how people see themselves reflected in the world,” Bloys says of his run at the network. “We’re not looking to check a box, but to find the truth in each character’s journey. Everyone is more than their gender identity or sexual preference, and we hope that our characters have all kinds of traits that define them.”
Meanwhile, Bloys today is likely the "insider" in that Vulture article (look at the screenshots if you can, and don't give them clicks). We have an openly gay CEO switch from championing queer stories to desperately and pathetically trying to cover up why a successful queer show was canceled in just a few years. This merger was great!
Yep.
In my previous post, there is a source of Zaslav claiming
And while the third quarter subscriber numbers were impacted by one of our lightest original content schedules in years, in part due to the strike constraints that compelled us to delay some releases
while this Vulture article claims
This change in investor sentiment, combined with slowing subscriber growth at most streamers, was a big reason for the aforementioned 2022 content purge implemented by Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav.
The first gives an implication of (lighter original content schedule -> lower subscriber numbers) while the second gives an implication of (lower subscriber numbers -> lighter original content schedule), making it a biconditional statement... so the negations also imply one another (i.e., heavier original content schedule -> higher subscriber numbers), meaning the cancelations were bad business by their own admission?
Every sentence in that article is easily refuted drivel (they waited to January to announce to give the crew a stress free Christmas, really?). We know they're just saying anything to try to make themselves look good, but it's just sad. Just say it's Woke and Ghey and say that HBO quickly dumped that "Most Inclusive" mantle to make way for reality shows and exploitative true crime specials because they decided that LOTS AND LOTS money in the short term and company ruin in the long term is more important than stories that only make LOTS of money in a more stable environment.
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Graphic novel rec for the OFMD crew: Tiger, Tiger
I talked about it before and I'm not going to stop! Everyone should read this masterpiece, and the Our Flag Means Death crew especially will love it!
🌈 Woke and Ghey
💀 Hilarious
🏴☠️ Pirate(ish) found family
🐙 Scary sea God actually soft (and Ghey obviously)
Also a free webcomic!
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