Is HBO Max Disappearing? Here’s What Warner Bros has Planned for HBO Max and Discovery +
HBO Max has a collection of impressive original and contracted content. So it may surprise some to discover that the
Ivy Griffith
HBO Max has a collection of impressive original and contracted content.
So it may surprise some to discover that the HBO Max as we know it will cease to exist in 2023. But it's not a bad thing. Warner Bros has plans for the streaming platform, and it involves their recent acquisition of Discovery +.
HBO, Meet Discovery
Starting in 2023 in the United States, Warner Bros will be combining HBO Max with Discovery +.
This will combine content from Food Network, HGTV, Magnolia Network, TLC, Discovery Channel, TBS, TNT, CNN, the Warner Bros movie studios, HBO TV shows, Warner Bros. and DC Comics films, along with original series like "Sex and the City" revival "And Just Like That."
But why? It's all the result of a 2021 business deal that's giving Warner Bros studios a chance at a second life as their DC Universe heaves with turmoil.
USA Today explains, "HBO Max is the streaming service started by the company formerly known as WarnerMedia, which included premium cable channel HBO, but also programming from cable networks including TBS, TNT and CNN and the Warner Bros. film studio. WarnerMedia was formerly owned by AT&T, but the conglomerate announced in 2021 that it would spin off WarnerMedia and merge it with Discovery, a company that includes networks like Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, and streaming service Discovery+. The merger became official in April, and the new company is now called Warner Bros. Discovery.
The deal put HBO Max under new management, with its own ideas about what HBO Max should be. CEO David Zaslav confirmed what leadership has said previously in an earnings call with investors on Thursday: Warner Bros. Discovery plans to eventually combine HBO Max and Discovery+ into one."
Our main priority is launching an integrated (streaming) service.
More specific details will be released in the upcoming months as the company decides what will end up where and where to keep placing their bets.
For now, subscribers will notice some content crossing between Discovery + and HBO Max.
Warner Bros – an Entertainment Staple that Seems to be in Trouble
Although it hasn't been mentioned in the move, it's possible that the DC Universe curse may be a part of why Warner Bros is combining for a more efficient platform reach.
With the cancellation of the $90M Batgirl movie, turmoil over The Flash from Ezra Miller's shady dealings, and lackluster performances in the box office for movies like Batman vs Superman, The Justice League and more, Warner Bros may be cleaning house and locking it down to stop spending money in areas that aren't lucrative.
Streaming services aren't seeing the surge they saw during the pandemic, for understandable reasons – after all, people aren't locked at home anymore.
But that doesn't mean they can't make money for a savvy company. Amazon Prime and Disney Plus, after all, are doing quite well in the new landscape – and competitors like Netflix, HBO Max and others are scrambling to keep up.