WBD’s Bloys & Perrette on UK expansion and Netflix ‘noise’

HBO and HBO Max will continue working with UK broadcasters despite the streamer’s imminent launch in the country, but Warner Bros Discovery top brass have admitted deals could be “a bit more complicated” to strike. 

Casey Bloys, chairman and chief exec of HBO and Max content, told Broadcast International that the launch of the streamer in the UK could affect rights discussions but said he wanted to remain flexible. 

“Streaming rights may become a bit more complicated, but we’ve always been fairly flexible and creative in how we make deals with UK talent and UK coproduction partners. I wouldn’t say no to anything.”  

Bloys pointed to BBC drama Half Man, from Banijay’s Mam Tor Productions, and Sky’s upcoming drama War, from All3Media’s New Pictures, as examples of upcoming copros on HBO’s slate. 

JB Perrette, chief exec and president of global streaming and games for WBD, suggested the presence of HBO Max in the UK would prompt a broader discussion over rights but said he would be “open to experimenting” on models. 

“A lot of what we’ve done very successfully, and there’s a fair amount of it as Casey has highlighted, is coproductions with UK members where they’re retaining UK rights and we’re getting non-UK rights, global or multi-territory. 

“There’s no reason that can’t continue. But the question, given that we’ll have a service in the market, is do we also want access to the rights in the UK?  

“The reality is, we won’t have a one-size fits all approach. We will continue to do shows [like Half Man and War] if Casey decides he wants access to them, but if we can’t find a model that works, then that’s fine.  

“We may also be more open to experimenting or doing other things in the market once the service is available. We’re going to be open to all sorts of different ideas.” 

Netflix and UK originals 

Bloys and Perrette, who were speaking to Broadcast International at the launch of HBO Max in Germany last week, added that it was business as usual despite the ongoing merger talks between parent WBD and Netflix. 

“We try and keep our blinders on as much as possible,” Perette said. “We’re not in [those talks] on a day-to-day basis and we can’t influence them, so while it occupies about 10% of every conversation, we don’t really have any insights to add to it, nor any say in the process.” 

Bloys added: “Obviously, we’re all aware of it, but the reality is nobody knows how things are going to play out. The only thing you can do is continue to focus the teams on doing their job, which is to make great shows. In any outcome, that’s what you want.” 

And while HBO Max has unveiled a flurry of local originals in Germany and Italy over recent weeks to tie in with the streamer’s launch in the countries, a different strategy has been applied in the UK because of the nuance of the market – namely a high audience affinity for US shows and domestically produced series travelling back to the States. 

“We’re fortunate in that the majority of the [HBO] stuff that we produce… tends to work in the UK,” Bloys said, adding that his UK slate was bolstered by HBO first-look deals with UK talent such as Sharon Horgan  and Michaela Cole. 

Perrette agreed that “the UK is unique — probably in the world” in the sense that many US-commissioned shows are produced in the country, with Bloys highlighting series such as House of the Dragon, the upcoming Harry Potter series and Succession as content that straddles both. 

Such “creative collaborations” will continue, Bloys said, “whether it’s us producing a show in the UK or some sort of coproduction”. He added: “From a business point of view, it comes down to do we like the show. and can we figure it out?” 

Perrette continued: “What’s clear is that we will be open for business [in the UK] and we’ll have lots of conversations. We’re cognisant that the world is changing and a lot of the broadcasters, in particular, are looking for other ways to finance great storytelling.”