Is it time to shut down the DC Universe streaming service?

[Hybrid]

1. Doom Patrol only got renewed in a split deal with HBO Max.
2. Swamp Thing got cancelled because the taxes were too high for projected profits.
3. Harley Quinn episodes are being released on YouTube after the DCU debut.
4. Stargirl will now air on The CW a day after DCU.

Yet they (the guys running DCU's twitter anyways) are still trying to push the narrative that HBO Max is a "friend", and that DC Universe is just fine. I'm guessing it's because they can't just say "Oh no, we're getting shut down but we can't officially talk about it yet."

Not even Marvel, at what is currently the top of their game, dared to make their own Marvel streaming service. They knew it was best to wait until Disney+, to launch alongside a broad range of content and appeal to the widest possible audience, rather than be standalone. Because one brand of one genre just doesn't cut it. Furthermore, DC Universe is actually worse at being a DC hub than what HBO Max is shaping up to be. Figure that one. HBO Max will have DCEU, Arrowverse, Watchmen, Joker, probably Pennyworth, likely all the shows DCU already has, AND will have exclusive shows that DCU doesn't have starting with Green Lantern and Strange Adventures.

Another flaw with DC Universe is the sheer lack of original content. Even forgiving the points made above, don't forget that DCU can only keep one show going at a time, and only six were announced for it to last a year. It took another year just to get the announcement of one new show (BizarroTV). That's pathetic, and it's also bad for your customers. Streamers rely on a steady flow of content, and it's asinine to only have one show at a time with no talk of new content.

I mean, HBO Max hasn't even come out yet, and the number of originals announced just blows DCU out of the water.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...ted_by_HBO_Max

I've seen discussion of this elsewhere, a popular opinion even among DC fans is that DC Universe is basically just a money sink that's not worth investing in at this point. The popular idea is to simply fold DCU into Max. In fact, many are very meh of DCU. When your service made for die hard fans gets lukewarm reception by said die hard fans, there's a problem.

That's for good reason: DC Universe is a bad value. It's $8 a month just to get a smaller selection of comics than what you can find on Comixology, a collection shows and movies you can find elsewhere, a forum (which you can access anywhere, and there are many DC forums around the web anyways), and less DC content than the upcoming HBO Max. It's more expensive than Disney+, and that's ludicrous. Many have already cancelled, or are preparing to cancel, for when Max launches. I bet when it officially launches, DC Universe is going to see a mass exodus of their already small subscriber number, who decided to move to the much better service.

Speaking of which...

DCU sticking around wouldn't be an issue if it was successful. Everything indicates it isn't. The service is niche, it's only in the US, it's not available on all platforms (in fact, the Xbox One is the only platform besides PC/mobile that supports it and that came way later), and as such the amount of people actively paying for it don't amount to much especially for originals. It's an albatross around their necks, and it never should've supported original content. They absolutely jumped the gun with this service, and they should've just waited until HBO Max launched. It was great getting Young Justice back sooner, but overall it was a bad decision.

I can see it sticking around as a comic app, it's one real advantage. However, it's completely useless to try to keep it a streamer. I did want this to succeed, but it didn't. I held a sub once, but it wasn't worth the money. I'd rather wait to get more bang for my buck out of one big kickass service, than continuing to get a small amount of content from a so-so one. I feel like the clock will really be ticking after the HBO Max launch. Give it a year, two tops, and it's unlikely to remain its own platform. All the shows, including Titans and Young Justice, will probably make the full migration to being Max Originals. The reason being that keeping them exclusive to the ultra-niche DC Universe app instead of putting them on the main focus platform of all of Warner with an infinitely wider reach going forward would be beyond stupid.

Really, there's no harm in just folding everything over to Max. I doubt anyone will miss it. The fact that they're airing Stargirl on the CW and releasing Harley Quinn on YouTube for free with no backlash is proof enough that the audience isn't really there.

So what do you think, should they just fold all shows into HBO Max and make it a comics-only site? That's the best way to do it in my opinion.

[HunterX]

No

DC Universe is awesome.

But if they get absorbed by HBO max. Then they should have a clear DC Universe Division.

[Hybrid]

No

DC Universe is awesome.

But if they get absorbed by HBO max. Then they should have a clear DC Universe Division.

How is DC Universe awesome? I explained why it isn't, and I feel pretty sure saying that seeing as how I was once paying for the damn thing.

[Digifiend]

You just know Titans will end up on HBO Max too. Only reason it hasn't been announced yet is because it'd be a death flag for the DC Universe service. They should just make it DC's answer to Marvel Unlimited, comics only. That way, they'll also be able to roll it out internationally.

[HunterX]

How is DC Universe awesome? I explained why it isn't, and I feel pretty sure saying that seeing as how I was once paying for the damn thing.

Because I love the superhero shows they have produced. The DC superhero shows offered by broadcast network, just became so low quality and formulaic for me. Fine even if DCU moves to HBO Max, i still hope all the DC shows are grouped and branded together [DCU shows & HBO Max DC planned shows], showing a clear seperation from other HBO Max stuff.

[LP22]

If the tv shows and movies absorbed to HBO max then I hope DC will finally make a marvel unlimited like service.

[DragonPiece]

I'll be honest, I'm subscribed and have only used the service for reading comics. It was fun to watch some of the older cartoons, but the video library is just to small to stay interested. If they ever make a comics only sub plan, I'd definitely just do that.

[Flash Gordon]

DOOM PATROL and TITANS are great shows. HBOMax is going to most likely have a DCU tab, they just haven't announced it yet. That's why the DCU service has died down.

[Frontier]

I don't think it needs to be shut down, but it's probably due for some re-structuring.

[Green Goblin of Sector 2814]

How is DC Universe awesome? I explained why it isn't, and I feel pretty sure saying that seeing as how I was once paying for the damn thing.

And people have different opinions. For the most part, the DCU shows have been really great. Titans, Doom Patrol, and Swamp Thing were all released to rave reviews. Harley Quinn has been great so far. And regardless of what happened with Swamp Thing, none of these shows would have happened without DC Universe. On top of that, DC Universe now has such a wide collection of old back issues to read that it's worth keeping around if only to have as a Marvel Unlmited-style service for reading old comics, even if the DC Universe original shows all move to HBO Max.

[Noodle]

How is DC Universe awesome? I explained why it isn't, and I feel pretty sure saying that seeing as how I was once paying for the damn thing.

Why ask for people's opinions if you're only expecting people to agree with you? People are able to enjoy things for different reasons than you enjoy things. People who currently pay for it are still enjoying it, so your monetary investment doesn't somehow invalidate their opinions.

[dreamglide]

Without knowing anything about their subscriber count, the costs of operating the service, etc, I can't really make any statements about whether it should shut down from a business perspective.

That being said, I'm pretty happy with the service as is. The comic selection is solid, the library of past shows is good with regards to animation (though, slightly less so when it comes to live action due to rights issues and such), and the original content (including mini-docs like "Restoring Shazam!") have been largely very good.

At the end of the day, I pay $7.99 a month for DC Universe, two dollars less than I pay for Marvel Unlimited. As long as I can read random deep cut comics and watch the DCAU shows, I'm keeping my subscription.

[Hybrid]

And people have different opinions. For the most part, the DCU shows have been really great. Titans, Doom Patrol, and Swamp Thing were all released to rave reviews. Harley Quinn has been great so far. And regardless of what happened with Swamp Thing, none of these shows would have happened without DC Universe. On top of that, DC Universe now has such a wide collection of old back issues to read that it's worth keeping around if only to have as a Marvel Unlmited-style service for reading old comics, even if the DC Universe original shows all move to HBO Max.

The shows may be good, but doesn't make it work keeping around for. Just migrate all the shows to Max and be done.

In fact, I'm guessing this may be why they've been slow with announcing Titans on HBO Max. Titans was set up as being DCU's flagship show, and by announcing it as a Max Original, it'll be an admission of defeat. Might be a "wait until the time is right" thing.

[Jackalope89]

Honestly, I thought it would have been better all around for DCU to instead be part of a WB package thing since the beginning. Like having it as a subsection or something similar. It has some good shows (ending episode of Titans season 2 notwithstanding), but lacks badly in original content.

[Green Goblin of Sector 2814]

The shows may be good, but doesn't make it work keeping around for. Just migrate all the shows to Max and be done.

In fact, I'm guessing this may be why they've been slow with announcing Titans on HBO Max. Titans was set up as being DCU's flagship show, and by announcing it as a Max Original, it'll be an admission of defeat. Might be a "wait until the time is right" thing.

But again, as others have pointed, the DCU service might not be shut down but simply folded in as a “category” of HBO Max. And again, even if all the shows are migrated to HBO Max, it still has value as a service for reading comics. It has a looooooot of old back issues on it. So, WB would be wise to take advantage of that aspect of it.