The ongoing identity crisis at Warner Bros. Discovery is taking another turn. Variety reports most big-budget projects coming to Max will be labeled as “HBO Originals.” When the service first launched, those streaming originals were called “Max Originals.”
Does this matter? Not really. The quality of the shows will matter far more than whatever label gets slapped on them.
HBO and Max content CEO Casey Bloys says the upcoming “Harry Potter” show, the “It” prequel series “Welcome to Derry” and the upcoming Green Lantern adaptation “Lanterns” will all get the HBO Originals tag.
Since “Potter” and “Lanterns” will be branded for HBO, they will air on linear HBO in addition to Max.
The change takes effect with shows launching in 2025, so this year’s “The Penguin” and “Dune: Prophecy,” are expected to remain as “Max originals.”
“It’s a confusing time in the business, consumers figuring out streaming and shows that were on linear and streaming and vice versa,” Bloys said. “We’re trying to adapt and figure out what is the best way to approach this in a world where streaming is dominant. So, there is going to be experimentation, there are going to be mistakes. Because this is all still relatively new in the history of television.”
When it comes to Warner Bros. Discovery, it’s best to take any moves with a large grain of salt. The company has been anything but predictable since CEO David Zaslav took over. Nearly two years ago, Zaslav announced WBD was building a free streaming service, but there’s been no news since. Max was supposed to start charging for the B/R Sports tier four months ago, but that never happened.
While company leaders tinker with labels, the race is on to hit profitability. Warner Bros. Discovery lost $3.1 billion in 2023. It still has $44.2 billion in gross debt.
In February, Zaslav bemoaned a constricted entertainment pipeline for Max’s sluggish growth. “The fact is the strikes really slowed down production, and we didn’t have as much content as we wanted for Max,” Zaslav said. “And we’re now moving forward with a great slate.”
That great slate is proving slow to arrive. The last new hit for the company was “The Last of Us,” which debuted more than a year ago. It’s estimated just over 1 million people tuned in.
Max
Max is a subscription video streaming service that gives access to the full HBO library, along with exclusive Max Originals. There are hubs for content from TLC, HGTV, Food Network, Discovery, TCM, Cartoon Network, Travel Channel, ID, and more. Watch hit series like “The Last of Us,” “House of the Dragon,” “Succession,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and more. Thanks to the B/R Sports add-on, users can watch NBA, MLB, NHL, March Madness, and NASCAR events.