Bloomberg Surveillance · Thursday, July 16, 2026
One analyst drew a parallel between Netflix's current challenges and HBO's situation after the end of The Sopranos, suggesting that while engagement may be down, a future hit like Game of Thrones could emerge. This perspective frames Netflix's situation as cyclical rather than a fundamental crisis.
“I think that combined with making the bold move to try and go out and buy Warner Brothers Discovery and then, you know, at a certain point losing out to Paramount Sky Dance. Like that, those two things combined you get a narrative of, oh, what's wrong with Netflix?”
“You know, when HBO was at the top of the previous era of home entertainment two thousand and seven, when the Sopranos ended, everyone was like, oh my god, what's going to happen to HBO?”
“And then you know, a little bit time passes and long comes Game of Thrones, right, yeah, Richard Plepler, Yeah, And so it's like, you know, I think, you know, nothing's radically changed about Netflix's programming strategy.”