Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes Doesn’t Think That Netflix Marks Doom For Media Providers

I guess it’s nice to know someone out there is a glass-half-full type of person.

According to an interview with the NY Times, Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes revealed that to him, Netflix doesn’t quite play the harbinger of doom when it comes to the overall world of media and media companies.

Netflix sees their stock shares sitting pretty at over $200 a share, and yet, according to Bewkes, it’s simply ‘like, is the Albanian army going to take over the world? I don’t think so.’

According to the CEO, much of Netflix’s success comes from their partnership with Starz, which in turn gave them rights to Sony and Disney films to stream online.   The deal ends next year, and has cost the company roughly $25 million a year.

‘This has been an era of experimentation, and I think it’s coming to a close.’

Or at least so says the man whose HBO is set to launch its very own streaming source, HBO Go.

Personally, while I don’t truly think that Netflix marks the end of viability for cable and media providers, it definitely changes the game.   As more and more TV and film content becomes available on the service, the less and less compelling a cable package sounds.   But also, with the frequency that content comes and subsequently leaves the streaming service, there are merits to using both.

What do you think?

Source: NYT