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The intrigue surrounding the secret merger plans of Warner Bros. Discovery’s flagship streaming services HBO Max and Discovery+ has certainly made the dog days of summer more interesting for industry pundits, trade publications like us, and the entertainment business.
After WBD confirmed its plans to combine services in April, about speculation why This comes as fever pitches in the weeks leading up to Thursday’s (August 4) Q2 earnings report and the accompanying investor call. Some rumors have predicted a fast and furious buzz from the HBO Max team, which is under the microscope especially trained in the streaming department, as it is the unscripted focus of Discovery+. For a while, it was the hottest topic in the business.
and then Buttiger It happened.
A near-completed film that has already grossed $90 million — the decision to shelve a very loyal and vocal fan base has taken the industry’s eye off the HBO Max/Discovery+ merger ball quite a bit. moments. But even in the days leading up to yesterday’s news, according to most cited (unnamed) sources, the forecast was dire for HBO Max.
As we see now, the truth is a little different. While there’s still a lot that’s murky, strategy elements set during the earnings call with WDD VP David Zaslav and head of streaming JB Perrette provided clarity on the combined streaming launch timeline and more. Aspects of the game plan. While not much has been returned, here are some of the key takeaways from yesterday’s events related to the unscripted content business, with more details promised on an investor call at the end of the year.
The death of HBO Max was greatly exaggerated…
Judging by some of the press speculation leading up to the Q2 report, one would be forgiven for thinking there was a plug. This Closer to pulling on HBO Max, as if la CNN+. But news broke earlier yesterday of plans to move content from the Magnolia network — the JV between Lifestyle and Joanna Gaines and Discovery now under HBO/HBO Max chief content officer Casey Bloys — to HBO Max in a special “Spotlight Page” over the next few months. It shows that no serious action is in the cards. The Magnolia content still appears on Discovery+, and the latest version of the Fixer upper The franchise will launch on both platforms, but bringing Gaines’ train to HBO Max perhaps suggests more gradual efforts at the integration of WBD’s streaming brands.
However, the fact remains that what subscribers currently see as HBO Max and Discovery+ will be a different animal once the combined service rolls out. During the investor call, Perrette laid out a timeline for the launch of the as-yet-unnamed service, which will focus on markets where HBO Max has launched — leaving territories like the UK, Germany and Italy out of the picture until 2025. The US launch is scheduled for winter 2023, with Latham to follow and European territories as well as Asia Pacific markets set for 2024.
“There’s a lot of work to be done in the coming months, from redefining the technology platform to enabling the right content and metadata to be imported around the world and ensuring seamless customer migration,” Perrette said. There’s a lot to do, and we’re committed to fixing it, which will take some time.
… But what will the new service look like, and who will be there?
Perrette (pictured above) also added that WBD expects “significant EBITDA losses in the DTC segment this year in 2022 in the areas of technology, personnel and integration as we continue our efforts to restart the project from next summer.”
This is where some of the brutality that is most important to the manufacturing community remains, especially in the personnel area. Discussing WBD’s “unmatched depth and breadth of content; [which] It gives us an opportunity to offer something for everyone,” Perrette said of the focus between HBO Max’s scripted offerings and Discovery+’s “real-life entertainment,” highlighting the “unique and complementary” elements of both streamers. When it came to highlighting the “Leading Unscripted Program” from WDD, Discovery+ content was – 90 day engagement And Fixer upper – He got the brass noise from the top.
Based on the content sharing strategy seen in the Magnolia Network/HBO Max news on Thursday — and a parallel to yesterday’s announced closing of CNN Originals to Discovery+ — will HBO Max unscripted originals and docs make their way to Discovery+ in the coming months to introduce Discovery+ viewers to HBO Max’s unique nonfiction offerings? And, amid reports of a “pause” in acquisitions and uncertainty over growth, when will the two streams be affected, when will the foot come off the brakes, and who will buy the development and efforts?
“Most people on Casey [Bloys]”The team is closed,” Zaslav said of the “remarkable success” that HBO and HBO Max are currently experiencing. “Casey is here for the next five years, and hopefully more.”
Linear is still important.
While much of the attention has been directed toward WBD’s streaming and theatrical models, there has been a lot of activity for the company on the linear front, with the departure of a top executive from the WBD network portfolio prompting similar questions about what it looks like to be unscripted at WBD. Cable list. During the earnings call, Zaslav stated that getting the balance of content right on liner networks is an ever-higher priority.
“We think it’s very difficult to predict, but we expect it to be a very important source of income for us and a very good business for us for many, many years,” Zaslav said of WBD’s online offering. The breadth and scope of libraries under the WBD umbrella, a content sharing strategy for cable and premium pay TV, will also be explored.
“We haven’t started implementing our existing libraries of content. [like] Put old documentaries on HBO, Crime and ID, or take programs from the library and move them to individual cable channels or vice versa,” Zaslav said.
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