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    AT&T pulls “Friends” from Netflix for its HBO Max streaming service

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments1676 Views
    In this Sept. 22, 2002, file photo the cast of television's "Friends", from left: Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox Arquette, Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer appear during the 54th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian, File)

    By Tali Arbel, Technology Writer

    NEW YORK (AP) --

    AT&T is pulling "Friends" from Netflix to beef up its own upcoming streaming service. With new services launching, popular shows are splintering onto several different platforms.

    The wireless company, which owns the WarnerMedia entertainment business, also said Tuesday that its service will be called HBO Max. It will launch in spring of 2020. As the name suggests, it will contain HBO content, other video from the Warner Bros. studio — like "Friends" — and new series and movies that are exclusive to the service. AT&T has not announced a price.

    As more companies — Comcast, Apple, Disney — unveil their own streaming services, they're trying to make them more appealing with exclusive shows and deep libraries. Entertainment companies are pulling some of their stuff from Netflix to stock their own services. It's not clear, of course, how successful those services will be, and they are losing out on licensing revenue by pulling their content. It could also create a confusing and expensive situation for consumers, who have to decide which of all these existing and new video services is worth the cost.

    AT&T's decision follows Comcast's NBCUniversal saying last month it would keep "The Office," Netflix's most popular show, for itself starting in 2021. Its service debuts in 2020. Disney's upcoming service will be the exclusive streaming home for its big movies.

    Netflix for years has been playing up its original shows and movies, but much of its most popular video belongs to other companies. "Friends," for example, is the second-most watched show on Netflix, according to Nielsen. The company has said it isn't worried about the increased competition.

    Netflix said in a prepared statement Tuesday that it's sorry to see "Friends" go in the U.S. Viewing rights for other countries are not affected.

    AT&T also said Tuesday that the teen drama "Pretty Little Liars," currently on Netflix, will move to its service, and that it will be the exclusive streaming hub for "Fresh Prince of Bel Air," and Warner Bros. dramas made for The CW, the broadcast network it co-owns with CBS. It is also making original movies and series for the service, including a romantic comedy with Anna Kendrick and at least two movies produced by Reese Witherspoon.

    "I don't think any specific content matters at all" to Netflix, said Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter. The loss of "Friends" by itself isn't a big deal, he said. But over time, if Disney, AT&T and Comcast pull all their stuff from Netflix, that becomes a problem for the streaming pioneer.

    Tags:AT&TFriendsHBO MaxNetflix



    Ex-OpenAI engineer who raised legal concerns about the technology he helped build has died

    Saturday, December 21, 2024
    Suchir Balaji poses for a photo in Hawaii in 2018. Balaji was a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who died in November 2024. (Balaji Ramamurthy via AP)

    Suchir Balaji, a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who helped train the artificial intelligence systems behind ChatGPT and later said he believed those practices violated copyright law, has died, according to his parents and San Francisco officials. He was 26.

    Balaji worked at OpenAI for nearly four years before quitting in August. He was well-regarded by colleagues at the San Francisco company, where a co-founder this week called him one of OpenAI's strongest contributors who was essential to developing some of its products.

    "We are devastated to learn of this incredibly sad news and our hearts go out to Suchir's loved ones during this difficult time," said a statement from OpenAI.

    Balaji was found dead in his San Francisco apartment on Nov. 26 in what police said "appeared to be a suicide. No evidence of foul play was found during the initial investigation." The city's chief medical examiner's office confirmed the manner of death to be suicide.

    His parents Poornima Ramarao and Balaji Ramamurthy said they are still seeking answers, describing their son as a "happy, smart and brave young man" who loved to hike and recently returned from a trip with friends.

    Balaji grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and first arrived at the fledgling AI research lab for a 2018 summer internship while studying computer science at the University of California, Berkeley. He returned a few years later to work at OpenAI, where one of his first projects, called WebGPT, helped pave the way for ChatGPT.

    "Suchir's contributions to this project were essential, and it wouldn't have succeeded without him," said OpenAI co-founder John Schulman in a social media post memorializing Balaji. Schulman, who recruited Balaji to his team, said what... Read More

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