Warner Bros. Discovery finally revealed the plans (and confirmed the long-rumored name) for its new streaming service, Max, which will combine offerings from HBO Max and Discovery+ into one product, during a splashy press presentation on the Warner Bros. Studio lot Wednesday.
The event kicked off at 10 a.m. at the iconic Burbank location, presided over by WBD CEO David Zaslav, president and CEO of global streaming and games JB Perrette, HBO and HBO Max CEO and chairman Casey Bloys (who now also has oversight of Chip and Joanna Gaines’ Magnolia Network), and U.S. networks group chairman and chief content officer Kathleen Finch.
Variety is on the scene, ready to fill you in on all the details about the new streamer, Warner Bros. Discovery’s direct-to-consumer strategy, the future of HBO and the standalone version of Discovery+.
“Max is the one to watch,” Zaslav said Wednesday, revealing the name and slogan of the merged streamer at the top of the event.
First announced in August 2022 — just a few months after the merger between WarnerMedia and Discovery officially closed — the combined product was originally not supposed to rollout until this summer, but in November, WBD moved up the timeline to a spring launch.
Warner Bros. Discovery then spent several months emphasizing how many resources were being devoted to building this new platform from the ground up, with CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels saying at a conference in January that the current HBO Max was a “subpar” offering.
Follow along with this live blog, which will be updated in real time with announcements breaking out of the WBD streaming event at Warner Bros.’ Stage 14 in Burbank.
*First up, CEO David Zaslav confirmed the name of the combined service to be Max.
*WBD streaming chief JB Perrette revealed the launch date for Max is May 23.
*Perrette noted the importance of removing HBO from the HBO Max name: “HBO is not TV. HBO is HBO, it needs to stay that way, which is why we will privilege it in the product experience and also not push it to the breaking point by forcing it to take on the full breadth of this content proposition, had we kept the brand in the service name.”
*HBO and Max CEO and chairman Casey Bloys kicked off the list of updates on Max original programming with announcements in the DC universe, beginning with the first look at Matt Reeves’ “The Penguin” starring Colin Farrell.
*Bloys announced a new “The Big Bang Theory” series is in the works at Max, as well as a show set in “The Conjuring” universe, “The Devil Made Me Do It.”
*Bloys revealed a first look at Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes’ “Smartless” docuseries based on their podcast of the same name and “How to Be a Bookie.” He also teased upcoming unscripted series featuring Shaun White and Robert Downey Jr.
*Bloys shared a first look at Chip and Joanna Gaines’ latest Magnolia Network project, “Fixer Upper: The Hotel,” which Variety reported on exclusively in a cover story last October.
*Bloys introduced new footage from DC’s upcoming “The Flash” film, which will debut on Max after its theatrical run.
*US networks group chief Kathleen Finch spoke about the importance of WBD’s linear channels to Max, with content coming to the platform after first airing on Food Network, TLC, HGTV, Discovery, ID, TNT, Adult Swim, TBS and more.
*Finch revealed a first look at new “90 Day Fiance” franchise series, “Love & Translation,” and showed a teaser for HGTV’s “Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge,” which Variety first reported on as a priority for the company ahead of the summer release of Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” movie.
*Max and Cartoon Network are making an animated “Peter & the Wolf,” featuring music and narration by Gavin Friday and artwork based on illustrations by Bono.
*Long-gestating Max original series “Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai” sets May 23 premiere date, the same day as the launch of the rebranded Max.
*”HBO has not and is not changing course at all,” Bloys said, in reference to HBO being removed from the streamer’s name, but not from the company’s priorities.
*Bloys rolled the trailers for “True Detective: Night Country,” the HBO series’ fourth installment, Kate Winslet’s “The Regime,” and Robert Downey Jr. “The Sympathizer.”
*Perrette returned to the stage to give details about the new Max streaming user interface, explaining ways he plans to enhance retention and improve “voluntary” churn.
More to come.
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