HBO may change considerably in the future, as its new owners at AT&T stress the importance of competing with streaming giants like Netflix — including increasing the number of shows the network offers to subscribers.
"We need hours a day," Stankey said, according to the New York Times. "It's not hours a week, and it's not hours a month. We need hours a day. You are competing with devices that sit in people's hands that capture their attention every 15 minutes."
Stankey's remarks were met with concern from Richard Plepler, HBO's chief executive, who reiterated that HBO has always favored quality over quantity. Giving the makers of shows like Game of Thrones, Westworld and Big Little Lies more time to create award-winning and prestigious television is more important to the network than quantity, Pleper said, though he acknowledged that the company's business model needed to change.
"I've said, 'More is not better, only better is better,' because that was the hand we had," Pleper said to Stankey. "I've switched that, now that you're here, to: 'More isn't better, only better is better — but we need a lot more to be even better.'"
Stankey noted that AT&T's new strategy means that HBO's employees should expect to have a "tough year" ahead of them.
"I suspect if we're in a situation where we're going to be investing heavier, that means that there's going to be more work for all of you to do — and you're going to be working a little bit harder," Stankey said.
