The Streaming Purge: Behind The Wave Of Library Content Removals & Its Impact On The Creative Community
14.02.2023 - 18:51
/ deadline.com
Only 10 episodes of The Gordita Chronicles were produced before HBO Max canceled the comedy last summer amid a pullback on live-action kids and family programming. But at least creator Claudia Forestieri felt good knowing that new viewers could still find the show on the streamer.
“I got several DMs from people who saw it in-flight on American Airlines, where a few episodes are still available, and they ended up finishing the season on HBO Max,” Forestieri told Deadline.
But the consolation prize of keeping the show on the platform was short-lived: less than five months after The Gordita Chronicles was canceled, all 10 episodes were removed as part of a library purge that impacted dozens of programs on HBO Max.
At least Forestieri wasn’t alone in getting the boot. In the last few months, scores of shows have been yanked from various platforms, including Westworld, Raised By Wolves, The Time Traveler’s Wife, FBoy Island, The Nevers, Love Life, Minx and Gordita Chronicles by HBO Max; Dangerous Liaisons, Becoming Elizabeth and Step Up by Starz, and Jordan Peele’s reboot of The Twilight Zone, along with Real World: Homecoming, Interrogation, Coyote, No Activity, Guilty Party, Kidding, Super Pumped, On Becoming A God In Central Florida, American Rust and The Harper House by Showtime and Pantheon, 61st Street and Moonhaven by AMC+.
The library content slim-down is probably not over yet; speculation is that Disney could be next. Just last week, CEO Bob Iger said Disney is targeting $5.5 billion in cost savings, including $3 billion in non-sports related content. It is unclear whether the $3 billion would involve removing library titles on Disney+ or Disney-controlled Hulu, but that’s considered a possibility.
Netflix may