HBO Originals Going To Other Streaming Services
Warner Bros. Discovery is looking to bolster their budget by licensing out HBO Originals instead of keeping them on HBO Max.
There seems to be a lot of recent unintended drama off-screen regarding HBO Max and Warner Bros. Discovery, with the parent company removing titles from the streaming catalog at almost a daily rate. With hit television shows like Minx, that was initially renewed for a second season only to be canceled this week and removed from streaming on HBO Max, audiences are understandably confused as to where some HBO Original shows are going to end up. Now, The Hollywood Reporter reports that Warner Bros. Discovery will be shipping some HBO Originals to other streaming services, where television shows like Westworld and The Nevers will be licensed to appear on third-party streamers.
The Hollywood Reporter further notes that Warner Bros. Discovery is writing off much of their content on HBO Max and Discovery+ to the tune of $1 billion, a move that the company hopes will sustain its other entities in the long run. Warner Bros. Discovery will eventually combine HBO Max and its other subscription streaming platform, Discovery+, into one streamer that will be available to consumers. This new streamer will most likely be called “Max” and will contain many of the television shows and original programming already available on both streamers.
However, HBO Max’s catalog has been purged in recent months by Warner Bros. Discovery after the company canceled several series, like Westworld, and removed many of their well-known titles from even being accessed on the streamer. The Mindy Kaling series Sex Lives of College Girls was surprisingly renewed recently for a third season prior to the current second season concluding its episodes on HBO Max, but industry experts might be fearing that even a renewal by Warner Bros. Discovery doesn’t solidify the show’s place on the streamer in the future.
The recent moves by Warner Bros. Discovery come at a time when new DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran are readying their proposals to develop the DC Universe into a new expansion project for the company. Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman 3 was the most recent casualty of Warner Bros. Discovery’s decisions to not focus on established characters of the DC Universe, and there are rumors on social media that Black Adam’s substandard performance at the box office has resulted in actor Henry Cavill not returning as Superman in future movies as well. Black Adam ended up grossing roughly $389 million at the international box office against a budget of $230 million, dashing Warner Bros. Discovery’s hopes of Dwayne Johnson’s star power launching a new vehicle for the DC Universe.
With many changes happening at Warner Bros. Discovery at a rapid pace, it will be interesting to see what third-party streaming services end up taking HBO Originals and putting them onto their platforms. The most recent cancellations at HBO, in addition to Minx and Westworld, have included The Gordita Chronicles, Love Life, and Made for Love. Cost cutting at the company might result in more titles disappearing from HBO Max’s catalog, especially when the streamer combines next year with Discovery+.
