Why platforms like HBO Max are removing streaming TV shows

Planet Money

NPR

Business, News

4.6 • 29.8K Ratings

🗓️ 11 March 2023

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Over the past year, dozens of shows have been disappearing from streaming platforms like HBO Max and Showtime. Shows like Minx, Made for Love, FBoy Island, and even big budget hits like Westworld have been removed entirely.

So why did these platforms, after investing millions of dollars in creating original content, decide not just to cancel those shows, but to make them unavailable altogether?

We dive into the economics of the television industry looking for answers to a streaming mystery that has affected both fans and creatives. And we find out what happens when the stream runs dry.

This episode was produced by Willa Rubin with help from Emma Peaslee. It was edited by Keith Romer. Engineering by Josh Newell. Sierra Juarez checked the facts. Jess Jiang is our acting executive producer.

We want to hear your thoughts on the show! We have a short, anonymous survey we'd love for you to fill out: n.pr/pmsurvey

Help support Planet Money and get bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey everyone, a quick announcement before the show.
0:03.0	We want to check in with you to see what we are doing well and what we could improve.
0:07.5	So we've set up a short anonymous survey at n.pr slash pm survey.
0:13.6	It takes less than 10 minutes and you'd be doing all of us here at Planet Money,
0:17.4	a huge favor by filling it out.
0:19.6	That's n.pr slash pm survey.
0:23.3	You can also find the link in the episode notes. Thanks.
0:27.1	This is Planet Money from n.pr.
0:33.1	When it comes to sifting through the overwhelming amount of streaming TV shows these days,
0:38.5	M.Lund has a pretty simple strategy.
0:41.7	I don't watch things to the end if I don't like them.
0:45.4	If a show doesn't hold me for the first few episodes, I'm like, well, it's not for me.
0:50.4	You don't fall for the sunk costs fallacy.
0:53.0	No. Time is precious.
0:55.4	My attention is precious.
0:58.5	So last fall when she got hooked on a new HBO Mac show called Made for Love,
1:05.2	it was kind of a big deal.
1:06.5	The show is a sort of dystopian dark comedy about a woman trying to leave her tech billionaire
1:12.8	husband only to find out that he's implanted a chip in her brain.
1:17.6	A prototype for a chip he wants to sell to the public as a way to help couples sync up.
1:23.2	We've created your phones, your computers, your software, and now it's time for love to evolve too.
1:30.2	It's funny and it's also so dark and sad.
	...

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