HBO Max doing an all or nothing collapse of original content going forward saying "no more scripted shows" is definitely gonna hurt them going forward in memberships for HBO (cable) and Discovery+
I don't really think so, especially as the better Max Originals (Hacks, etc.) did get renewed. And really... as cable dies, HBO content basically is Max streaming exclusive content for 90% of under-40s. Nothing really changes there as long as the content continues hitting it out of the park, and Zaslav is keeping HBO mostly intact from the previous regime.
What's changing is:
- Less/no feature films for streaming, instead increasing theatrical output and using the 45 day window to boost Max (a good move, as it should increase theatrical diversity beyond just blockbusters and comic flicks... here's hoping)
- Just like when DC Universe died and most of its shows got renewed on HBO Max (Titans, Harley Quinn, Doom Patrol, etc.), the same is gonna happen with HBO Max Originals (which most consumers didn't know was different from HBO proper anyways)
- Warner's reality slate is getting axed for Discovery's (I don't care, and anecdotally, people prefer Discovery); same with streaming-exclusive Euro/EMEA content I think, as Discovery+ has a bigger worldwide headstart
- Discovery+ and HBO Max will be merged, theoretically it will use the better of the two's tech stacks and be a one-stop hub for all WBD content (HBO, Cartoon Network/Adult Swim, CNN, Ghibli license, HGTV, Food Network, New Line, Rooster Teeth, etc.), which... not sure how anyone could complain about that -- I don't think they'll raise prices for another year or two (could be wrong)
- The line last year was
$20 bil on content spend in 2022, compared to
Netflix's $18 bil; it may shrink or stay flat in 2023+ but that's still leading the pack so the idea that "consumers are losing out on a lot of quality content" isn't really well-founded and won't even be clear for months at the earliest IMO (Batgirl is the first first thing, and who was really looking forward to that?)
$WBD stockholder, AMA