Warner Bros Discovery Inc. (WBD.O) will find out if mixing critically acclaimed dramas with “guilty pleasure” reality shows would increase subscribers when HBO Max relaunches on Tuesday as “Max.”
“Max” will combine HBO’s high-end scripted programming like “Succession” and Warner Bros films with Discovery’s food, home, and lifestyle content, including “Fixer Upper: Welcome Home,” to broaden HBO Max’s appeal and reduce monthly cancellations. It will also expand its children’s content.
Warner Bros. Discovery announced the revisions on April 12.
The 2022 WarnerMedia-Discovery media venture hopes Discovery content to keep HBO Max subscribers who sign up to watch a season of their favorite show and then cancel after the finale.
Discovery+ worked in Poland and the Nordic nations. JB Perrette, Warner Bros Discovery’s president and chief executive of global streaming, said HBO viewers “as only living in an ivory tower of HBO, the reality is we all have guilty pleasures.”
With a “Harry Potter” series, a “Game of Thrones” prequel, and Colin Farrell’s “The Penguin,” Max will exploit the media company’s rich entertainment assets. Perrette added the corporation is also considering sports streaming.
Warner Bros. Discovery reported $50 million in adjusted pretax earnings from its streaming subsidiary, HBO Max and Discovery+, in its first-quarter results earlier this month. 1.6 million signed up.
“Our U.S. streaming business is no longer a bleeder,” CEO David Zaslav said on a post-earnings teleconference.
That was a milestone for a losing segment trying to attract subscribers and a footing in the industry’s digital future. Zaslav stated HBO Max had unacceptable churn. According to Antenna, 6.5% of HBO Max members canceled in April, twice the rate of Netflix Inc (NFLX.O).
Discovery+ will stay independent, but Max will carry its most popular series.
Max has three tiers: a $10 ad-supported version, a $16 ad-free edition that can stream on two devices and a $20 ad-free version that can stream on four.