Warner Bros. Discovery Just Confirmed HBO Max And Discovery+'s Futures
It's no secret that Warner Bros. has made some confusing decisions over the past several years, and things have only become more puzzling since the entertainment company was acquired by Discovery, leading to the creation of Warner Bros. Discovery. Making things even stranger is the fact that the unified company now owns two streaming services: HBO Max and Discovery+.
Today, Warner Bros. Discovery held its Q4 earnings call, which became the focus of much attention on social media, especially after the company's shocking decision to cancel the nearly-finished "Batgirl" movie on Tuesday. The focus of the meeting was on the company's future plans for streaming, a topic of remarkable uncertainty in the aftermath of Tuesday's announcement.
Not only have fans lamented the loss of the "Batgirl" film, but they have also openly worried about the possibility of additional cancelations. For example, reports warning that HBO Max is about to be gutted even prompted James Gunn to assure his fans that Peacemaker Season 2 is safe at HBO Max. Indeed, executives at Warner Bros. Discovery highlighted major upcoming changes during the call, and while many of the details remain uncertain, they laid out the broad strokes for the future of HBO Max and Discovery+.
HBO Max and Discovery+ will be a single brand with different focuses
During the Q4 earnings report for Warner Bros. Discovery, Looper learned that the conglomerate will roll HBO Max and Discovery+ into a single product. Executives emphasized that they believe each will have a "unique and complementary" focus.
Accompanied by a presentation slide that is already drawing widespread confusion on Twitter, Warner Bros. Discovery streaming CEO JB Perrette said that the company views HBO Max as having a "male skew" focused on scripted content such as prestige dramas, while Discovery+ has a "female skew" focused on unscripted content such as reality shows.
Additionally, as a single global brand, Perrette claimed the combined streaming network will be focused on revamping its technology and methodically increasing subscriber growth year-over-year. Content from CNN and live sports will also be folded into the platform. Among the franchises the company sees as its most valuable are DC, "Game of Thrones," "90 Day Fiance," and The Wizarding World. The upcoming "Game of Thrones" spin-off, "House of The Dragon," was repeatedly cited during the call as one of the platform's crown jewels.
The as-yet-unnamed streaming platform will also be adding an ad-supported pricing tier similar to Hulu, in addition to the ad-free experience subscribers are used to.