HBO’s relationship with AT&T may bring life to Westworld
By Ariba Bhuvad
Will AT&T’s relationship with HBO bring the narrative of Westworld season two to life?
Westworld had an interesting plot twist in the second season when viewers learned that guest data was being stored for a larger purpose. Under AT&T, HBO’s new corporate owner, it appears the network may be used as a means to store data as well. Sound familiar, anyone?
John Stankey, AT&T’s executive, spoke at a town hall meeting recently about how they would like to increase the number of subscribers on HBO along with the amount of time those subscribers watch their shows. Stankey oversees WarnerMedia, the HBO parent, and is determined to create more content and operate outside of just their usual Sunday night airings.
More from Winter is Coming
- For All Mankind finally gives us information in Episode 405, “Goldilocks”
- Watch a stunning VFX breakdown of The Wheel of Time season 2
- Of course Steve Toussaint (Corlys Velaryon) thinks Eve Best (Rhaenys Targaryen) should rule Westeros
- Confirmed: The Last of Us season 2 will air in 2025
- Final season of Star Trek: Discovery will have “a lot of action, a lot of adventure, a lot of fun”
According to an article on AdAge, Stankey wants to accomplish the above because AT&T’s mission is to become just as big as Facebook and Google when it comes to storing data and advertising. He also explained why he wants “more hours of engagement” according to an article in the Times:
"“Why are more hours of engagement important? Because you get more data and information about a customer that then allows you to do things like monetize through alternate models of advertising as well as subscriptions, which I think is very important to play in tomorrow’s world.”"
Compared to the thought process of HBO’s CEO, Richard Plepler, who believes “More isn’t better, only better is better”, Stankey’s goals are a stark difference and may bring some major changes to the network. And perhaps to compete with the likes of Netflix, Stankey plans to spend $8 billion in content this year versus the $2 billion spent last year. Yowza.
Everything above sounds oddly similar to the plot of season 2 of Westworld, and if Stankey succeeds, HBO could be a means for AT&T to get loads of data.
What are your thoughts on this? Share your comments below!