#save wbd

[gentle-baby-beard-bonnett]

I sent a few email to HBO customer support requesting they sell the show to another streamer. Very politely of course 😊. I know there is no chance of them doing so but still I think being vocal and consistent is really important.

[thepersianslipper]

WBD stocks today, after their big Max European push.

I just think it's neat.

[enteisabo]

not to be non-OP-related over here but i really hope people who are processing the news still about rooster teeth shutting down understand how much rooster teeth had nothing to do with that decision and that every person working there (people in my household included) were and are devastated and lost. now they have to beg WBD for their IPs back so they can maybe continue some of their passion projects.

[ragsandmuffins-ali]

Fax to Max

Just sent this Fax to Max. Feel free to copy it or use it as a basis for anything you write or say to them on the phone. I also included b/w images of one of the numbers we do know about and some of WBD's guiding principles.

Btw faxed for the first time yesterday. Very excited!

Dear Mr. Zaslav,

I am writing to you concerning some recent news about the WBD-owned streaming service Max.

I was saddened to hear of the cancellation of Our Flag Means Death last week. However, my sadness has since turned into confusion and outrage.

Our Flag Means Death has consistently outperformed many other Max properties that have been renewed for another season, such as The Gilded Age and And Just Like That. Our Flag Means Death has a huge and passionate fanbase, online engagement with related key words are massive, not to mention the show is a critical success. I would like to point out the 94% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes. Our Flag Means Death has also appeared on many year-end "Best of 2023" lists.

All this is despite the fact that Season 2 has not even aired in most parts of the world. Season 1 brought in another huge wave of viewers when it was released on the BBC and made available for purchase on YouTube.

Moreover, Max has promoted it as one of their "Biggest Hits" when one logs into one's account. Especially among young and queer audiences, the show enjoys immense popularity.

Our Flag Means Death is now the latest in a long line of queer-centered shows that have been cancelled prematurely. And quite frankly, queer audiences are getting sick of it. We are a big and active demographic and many of us have plenty of disposable income. Indeed, I spent some of mine to buy Our Flag Means Death on YouTube, even though I had already seen it on the BBC - which I also pay for.

To add insult to injury, yesterday Max CEO Casey Bloys made the following statement: "I need Gay Twitter to come out and support The Gilded Age." This truly felt like a slap in the face, considering "Gay Twitter" has been tweeting about our wishes for another season of Our Flag Means Death for over a week at this point.

Your company appears to have gravely misjudged what gay viewers want from their media. A show like The Gilded Age, which features only one major character who is queer, does not cut it. We are after rounded, diverse queer characters, like those in Our Flag Means Death, not one single rich, white, cis gay man in a sea of heterosexual characters.

On Our Flag Means Death, Bloys later added, "the numbers weren't there for a renewal." I am very curious as to which numbers he is referring to. Max do not release their

streaming stats. But the mass-exodus of Our Flag Means Death from Max is anything to go by, I highly doubt his statement is accurate!

At this point I would also like to quote one of Warner Bros. Discovery's own guiding principles: "Intentionally seek out diversity, remove barriers, and create space for all to share ideas and be heard. Actively listen and lead with empathy, integrity, and transparency."

Suffice it to say Our Flag Means Death's fans have made themselves heard - numerous news outlets and Max's social media managers can attest to that. What we are missing at this stage are your "empathy" (calling on gay viewers after cancelling a show beloved by gay people is frankly offensive), "integrity" (sticking to your principles on seeking out and empowering diversity), and "transparency" (Bloys claims the numbers aren't there we have no way of verifying his statement).

To sum up, I implore you to follow one of your other guiding principles: "acknowledge mistakes and learn from them." Cancelling Our Flag Means Death was a grave mistake that you have the power to undo.

Please do so.

I look forward to hearing the announcement of Our Flag Means Death Season 3 soon. Thank you for your consideration.

Yours sincerely,

[allthinky]

Why didn’t that journalist call him on it!????? So maddening!

first of all: "tHe NuMbErS wErEn'T tHeRe" wow LIAR

but second: ofmd is available to be bought/David Jenkins can shop it around at least so that is very very good news!! if you're a fan of a show called Final Space then you'd know that that netflix/WB didn't allow it to be bought by other networks so we have that going for us thankfully and ofmd isn't being forced to stay on max

[sarkos]

Such digital demolitions are becoming routine. For fans and scholars of pop culture, 2024 may go down as the year the internet shrank. Despite the immense archiving capabilities of the internet, we’re living through an age of mass deletion, a moment when entertainment and media corporations see themselves not as custodians of valuable cultural history, once freely available, but as ruthless maximisers of profit. Those of us who believe in the historical value of accessing media from the past are paying the price. Consider how much digital damage has been done in recent months. That same June, the archives of the now-defunct MTVNews.com, which served as a monument to nearly three decades of music journalism, went dark without warning. Then, in August, Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) scrubbed the contents of Cartoon Network’s video-heavy website, a portal of clips and show episodes that had existed since 1998 and that now redirects to Max (formerly HBO Max). For that last decision, we can thank WBD’s chief, David Zaslav, a man who personifies a generation of entertainment executives who don’t particularly seem to like movies or television, judging by how quickly they will shelve or delete the products of their studios, if it saves a few bucks.Under Zaslav, Max has removed several of its original movies, reportedly to access tax write-downs, as the studio reportedly faced debts of $3bn. And he has pioneered the dark art of shelving films instead of releasing them, a brave new world of Hollywood chicanery. This was the case with Batgirl, a movie that had already entered post-production when it was cancelled, to take advantage of a “purchase accounting” manoeuvre. Similarly, WBD opted to shelve Coyote vs Acme, a completed film that had performed well with test audiences, in order to claim a $30m tax write-off. There are fears that once such a project is shelved indefinitely, the studio may eventually destroy it.

Beware Hollywood’s digital demolition: it’s as if your favourite films and TV shows never existed | Zach Schonfeld | The Guardian

[inportant-spam-rsvp]

@manicplank, I invite you to co write this horror-show of a concept film. You named it The Sound of Sin, and so I submit a character design with a plot point to work with:

NTV Presents The Sound of Sin

An armsdealer and son of war is betrayed and left to die as his WBDs (Weapons of Badass Destruction) are stolen and pointed at innocents. Teaming up with the precocious and promiscuous queers that saved him, he arms them for a truly spectacular hellfire.

(There are several homoerotic scenes to be written if you see it fit, I just gave a stale slate-)

Your turn ^^

[midorikittykun]

So the story is still up and this was my response:

Would be cool to see a ton of responses to this question be Our Flag Means Death and a request to renew!

Oops wait I'm back to share this, everyone go reply on this Instagram story 🏴‍☠️

[buffyfan145]

Don't know how I didn't know this till today but A24 and "The Iron Claw" director Sean Durkin made a Zine that features so much about the real family and how they made the movie but also they have posters in each one of Zac, Harris, and Jeremy done in the style of posters that Kevin, David, and Kerry actually did for WCCW!!! 😀 They look so cool and similar to the ones my Dad saved as he's got a whole bunch of those old wrestling magazines he saved from back then. Sharing a few Tweets of the posters.

Also wanted to let those who watched the movie there's also an episode of "Dark Side of the Ring" that was all about the Von Erich's and it was first time Kevin opened up about it. I finally was able to watch and it went into so much detail and things that were left out or slightly changed in the movie. Also I've seen Kevin's sons Marshall and Ross wrestling lately on AEW/ROH but in this doc they were getting their start and realized how much his sons resemble his brothers, especially Marshall with David and Ross with Kerry (more so Ross clean shaven as he's got a beard lately). Which again I'm hoping AEW signs them soon and since they'll be back in Texas next month.

Also curious if Zac, Harris, Jeremy, and Stanley are going to show up on AEW too instead of WWE as I saw A24 signed a new deal with WBD so their movies will go to Max/HBO for streaming/TV and they own the networks AEW airs on and MJF played Lance (as did a few other AEW wrestlers as others in a few scenes too). So if they show up on a wrestling show it'd be there especially if they sign Marshall and Ross. 😏

[mccraecook99]

David Zaslav Vs. The Warner Bros. Mob

Ever since Warner Bros. Discovery has merged two years ago,David Zaslav’s horrible cost-cutting decisions and anti-animation views has badly impacted and severely hurt the company(not Warner Bros.,but Warner Bros. Discovery) since he managed to shut down Rooster Teeth,burlugeoned Cartoon Network’s reputation and legacy by shutting down it’s original headquarters building in Burbank last year,is now deleting many of CN’s most notable shows off Max(except for Powerpuff Girls and Courage),made CN less mainstream and gave some of it’s hours to Adult Swim,shut down it’s online website,and CN now airing few and farther between shows produced by CNS and WBA,imported shows(both original and preschool),shows produced by Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe,and reruns of past shows,threw a few projects/shows that were made or shelved (such as a few CN shows such as Infinity Train,Close Enough,and Victor and Valentino,Coyote Vs. ACME,Scoob:Holiday Haunt,Bye Bye Bunny,and The Cartoon Cartoons Program)in the WBD vaults and cancelled a lot of films and shows in production such as DC’s Batgirl,the Scooby-Doo Hex Girls Movie,Pibby:Apocolypse,and the DC animated Batman Beyond movie,has the company engage in tax write-offs and did a number of layoffs,doubled down on WB Games,mistreating animation and famous IP’s like Looney Tunes and Scooby-Doo,making CN and WB having weak anniversaries with CN’s 30th anniversary in 2022 and WB’s 100th Anniversary in 2023, made Cartoonito a one-hour block on CN now,purged a lot of shows off HBO Max back in Augest 2022,and other shakeups and decisions he’s made at the company.

Now,worse with Warner Bros. Discovery no longer renewing its deal with Sesame Workshop for any more new seasons of Sesame Street on HBO and Max and the long-running kids series is finding a new home now(at least it still had PBS) and Max now attempting to remove not only more CN shows off it’s service,but almost the rest of the animated shows off it’s service next year and 2026(such as classic Looney Tunes shorts,Tom & Jerry,Scooby-Doo,South Park,The Flintstones,Powerpuff Girls,and more),making Max more like Minimum than ever,my hatred for Zaslav has reached full infinity now that I decided to finally do this drawing.

Now,in this animated colored pic,here is David Zaslav,now in fear and holding his bag of money,now being chased by an angry mob of WB characters,who are now enraged at Zaslav for ruining the company’s reputation,ruining both Max as a streaming service and Cartoon Network as a channel, and nearly hurting and harming Warner Bros. as a studio and entertainment company that is meant to entertain the world since 2023,not be anti-art and cancel film projects(and the company isn’t the studio who does storytelling since other studios like Universal,Disney,MGM,Sony,20th Century Studios,A24,Netflix,and Paramount have done films and television as well). I hope Zaslav pays for what he had done and deserves to be beaten down and punished by the mob for good.

Also,to save Max and put a lot of cartoons on this streaming service,please support,sign,and share my petition to make it an animation heaven again and make Zaslav reconsider.

https://www.change.org/p/get-wbd-to-relaunch-cn-website-and-put-a-lot-of-cartoons-back-on-max-formally-on-hbo-max/dashboard?source_location=user_profile_started

at least The Day The World Blew Up:A Looney Tunes Movie is safe now with Ketchup Entertainment distributing it to theaters next year in February,DC is starting a new universe with James Gunn starting with 2025’s Superman launching it next year,I praise WB Animation/Cartoon Network Studios President,Sam Register for still being respectful to animation, and Bill Damaschke is bringing back Warner Animation Group,now as WB Pictures Animation on the big screen starting with an CG animation adaptation of Dr. Suess’ The Cat In The Hat releasing in 2026. Also,WB will have new plans for the Looney Tunes franchise in 2028,I hope more CN classics and originals will get complete series DVD releases in the future(including ones being brought out of the WBD vault like Infinity Train and Victor and Valentino)like they’re having with Regular Show next year in February,and Scooby-Doo is rebooting itself with Go Go Mystery Machine next year.

I hope by next year,I just wish David Zaslav would finally step down as CEO and leave the company for good,I can’t stand him running it anymore and making anymore bad decisions,since Disney CEO,Bob Iger is stepping down in 2026 and having a successor take his place.

[gentle-baby-beard-bonnett]

Anti-Warner Bros. Sentiment Grows as Major Boycott Gains Traction - Inside the Magic

[adoptourcrew]

While this may have started with the campaign to save #OurFlagMeansDeath, #DontStreamOnMax seeks to hold WBD and Max accountable and show those in power that we won’t back down or be silenced.

Read More:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kTrWiUJoWxLq4je8T-tEZg0zcyLUdAu4/view?usp=drivesdk

[amuseoffyre]

There is actual precedent for fan outcry saving a show. Probably loads of examples, but the one I know is "Being Human" (UK, the original). It started out as one of a group of six unrelated pilot episodes, of which one would be commissioned for a full series - and it wasn't chosen. A (well-organised, though I don't know the details) fan outcry - admittedly combined with a lack of good scripts for the winning series - convinced the BBC to change their minds. End result: five seasons (four good).

I'm treading on the side of caution with this, because I've seen it go both ways. I saw Pushing Daisies get snipped in its prime because of the strikes. I saw Sense8 cancelled and then given a film to give us an ending that shortchanged so many story arcs, but the most they could do with the time they were given. Firefly got Serenity and it... wasn't great. Gneil said that if he didn't get the okay for Good Omens S3, we would have got a book. From what I recall, DJ previously had a show that was cancelled before the third season and released a synopsis so the fans knew what would have happened anyway.

We'll see. We know the crew and cast all want to do it. We know that WBD is changing direction and are very unlikely to change their minds. We know some other networks will swoop in for an easy win and a show that will give them Big Numbers.

We will see.

[thowawayuntilfurthernotice]

David Zaslav cancelling Sesame Street to save money is the best example of how CEO’s are out of touch with reality.

Sesame Street was never about “making money”, it was always about teaching kids to become better people by understanding the world around them.

But Zaslav doesn’t value art, if something isn’t “making money” he’ll cancel it without hesitation. Which ironically enough ends up costing WBD even more money in lost revenue.

Every single thing this man touches either dies or turns into complete and utter shit.

[strqyr]

ftr it isn't rooster teeth that decides if rwby gets greenlit or not. it's hbo, their parent company, which is worse given how they love to fuck shows over mid-run.

last i checked, rwby is fully funded by rooster teeth, and gets no additional funding from warner bros discovery:

"Many folks assume that, given that RT is wholly owned by Warner Bros Discovery (WBD), that we have an endless pool of cash just laying around. You could not be further from the truth. While we are indeed owned by WBD and love being a part of the family, we typically tend to run RT as an independent business within the larger framework of the organization. Contrary to popular belief, we do not receive an annual bucket of money to fund the show." [source]

now, i'm not going to pretend i know exactly how all of this works so i could very well be wrong here, but i'm assuming that the entity that actually funds the show gets to decide whether more is made or not. if rooster teeth doesn't have the money to continue making rwby—let alone keep all the people who worked on it hired even during the interim—then they're obviously not going to force it and drive the whole company down while at it.

in the above source link they also talk about the exclusivity deal with crunchyroll and the reasons for it: that is, wanting to find a long-term home for rwby where it can continue to thrive and expand, implying that it cannot do it any longer on rooster teeth's own site.

in doing that, rooster teeth decided that instead of driving fans to watch it on their own site and using their subscription to watch the show legally, they sent fans to crunchyroll—which isn't to say they didn't get any money out of it, you don't give away exclusivity for free, but rooster teeth quite literally had a "i'm here just for rwby" option when prompted to give a reason why you won't continue with your first subscription; they know how important rwby was for first. they willingly tanked their own subscription in an attempt to ensure rwby would continue.

i mean. from what i've heard and understood (again, could be wrong here, or misremembering), the production during V9 went like: work on majority of V9 (funded by RT) -> work on jl x rwby movies (funded by WB, not RT, kept people employed) -> back working on the last couple episodes of V9 (funded by RT). and, like. i don't really see any reason to suddenly, mid-V9 production, to swerve to the crossover movies if they weren't having problems with funding V9 on their own—in the commentary they were literally talking about how they considered making the summer, tai, & raven scene in 2D instead of 3D as a money saving measure—, hence the exclusivity deal with crunchyroll.

and last i checked, crunchyroll isn't owned by WBD, it's owned by sony. yet, when it came to greenlighting V10, crwby were directing people towards crunchyroll, not WBD, and certainly not HBO, which as far as i know doesn't even have rwby on its streaming service and is also owned by WBD.

which doesn't sound like WBD or anyone else is holding rooster teeth back from greenlighting V10; if anything, RT is looking for someone to partner with them to cover some of the cost—in this case, most likely crunchyroll—and whatever discussions and negotiations they may or may not be having at the moment haven't bore fruit yet.

obviously most of this is speculation—i'm just a person on the internet with no inside knowledge, only able to make assumptions based on information that has been given by those actually in the know—so don't take it as a gospel. however, i don't think creating boogeymen out of other companies who have nothing to do with funding rwby is a way to go either; focus on the company actually making rwby, first.