Apple may be the biggest loser in the Netflix-Warner Bros deal

On Friday, Netflix announced that it has agreed to acquire Warner Bros in a deal worth a staggering $82.7 billion. The acquisition means that Netflix will have possession of the entire Warner Bros library and production studios, along with HBO and HBO Max. Briefly, that’s Batman, Harry Potter, Superman, and Scooby Doo, along with scores of other well-known characters. Netflix will have one of the biggest libraries of any video streaming service, if not the biggest. It also means Netflix has become a behemoth competitor to Apple TV.

The acquisition could also directly affect Apple TV content. Apple produces some shows, but many of the shows on Apple TV are produced by other studios, including Warner Bros, which most notably produces Ted Lasso and Shrinking. For now, those two shows and any other Warner Bros-produced shows on Apple TV will likely stay there–at least until the license for each show expires. When that happens, it could be in the best interest of Netflix to not renew the license with Apple so it can move the shows to its own service.

This could also mean that Apple will no longer license future Warner Bros content. The announcement implies that the studios for Netflix and Warner Bros will merge into one unit, which could mean that anything this studio produces will be made for the Netflix service. It could license out shows it no longer wants to be associated with for whatever reason–a rare occurrence that is an exception to the business model. In any case, Apple can no longer count on a major studio for content.

There could also be ramifications with Apple’s efforts into live sports broadcasts. HBO Max has been a major player in the live sports arena, with agreements with NASCAR, U.S. Soccer, NCAA March Madness, and Banana Ball, while Netflix has recently begun airing live boxing matches and, beginning next year, will exclusively stream the MLB Home Run Derby and several high-profile games. While Apple TV has MLS and F1, one of the major concerns with sports coverage is user access–Netflix’s subscriber base is several times larger than Apple TV’s. Netflix’s viewership numbers could be impossible to overcome, regardless of how much money Apple offers for the rights.

In October, Bloomberg reported on Warner Bros solicitation of bids, and cited anonymous sources who said that Apple has “expressed interest,” though it’s unclear how far Apple got in its bid. While it seems like a missed opportunity to make Apple TV a bigger and better service, it also provides insight as to how the company views the service.

Netflix paid an enormous sum for HBO. Despite its Services division generating growth revenue for several quarters in a row, Apple deems its hardware as its priority, and Apple TV is an ancillary product that continues to be a minor player in the streaming services market.