Movie cancellation, layoffs and reality show: HBO Max may be nearing the end

The last few days have been hectic for HBO Max and things could get worse in the next few days, with rumors that the stream could end.

Since the announcement of the cancellation of the release of the movie “Batgirl”, which cost Warner Bros. and was already fully registered and in the post-production phase, the news about HBO Max has intensified, which could indicate the end of the platform of streaming as we know it. The animation “Scoob: Holiday Haunt” also suffered the same fate as “Batgirl”.

According to the company’s announcement, the move was the result of a “strategic shift in our leadership regarding the DC and HBO Max universe.”

Then, during discussions about the cancellation of “Batgirl”, a Reddit forum noted that some Max Originals movies, exclusive to Warner Bros. for streaming, simply started disappearing from the streaming catalog, without warning from the company, some a few months after launch.

However, according to CBR.com and The Wrap, all of these would be corporate measures to reduce costs. In addition to these measures, there is information that there will be a large wave of layoffs at HBO Max and that the strategy for Warner Bros. Discovery, the company born from the merger of two entertainment giants, HBO Max and Discovery +, is expected to merge to form a new platform.

The merger of the streams is nothing new and has been commented on since WarnerMedia and Discovery have finally teamed up. But no one knew, and no factual yet, how this will happen, or when.

According to The Verge, the idea of ​​David Zaslav, CEO of the company, could be to increase the number of programs such as reality shows, which usually result in high profits. According to recent estimates, HBO Max has approximately 76.8 million subscribers, while Discovery + has 22 million subscribers.

According to The Wrap, Warner Bros. Discovery will announce a major restructuring today at its second quarter budget meeting, which would result in staff cuts of up to 70% at HBO Max.

The idea would be that HBO would remain the flagship product of Warner Bros. Discovery, but that HBO Max, a streaming service that includes the catalogs of HBO and Warner Bros., in addition to the original programming, but HBO Max disappears, joining a new application which would include current content from it and Discovery +.

However, although company CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels said during the announcement of the upcoming merger of flows that there would be “very, very detailed and disciplined planning” to make the transition, things have been chaotic in recent days. . on HBO Max.

For now, it is not yet known what all this will mean for subscribers to the service, nor for successful original productions such as “Hacks”, “Harlequina” and “Nossa Bandeira è a Morte”.

The post Movie Cancellations, Layoffs, and Reality Show: HBO Max May Be Near the End first appeared on Olhar Digital.

Source: Olhar Digital

Emily

Emily Jhon is a product and service reviewer at Gossipify, known for her honest evaluations and thorough analysis. With a background in marketing and consumer research, she offers valuable insights to readers. She has been writing for Gossipify for several years and has a degree in Marketing and Consumer Research from the University of Oxford.