{"id":35690,"date":"2022-08-04T22:02:51","date_gmt":"2022-08-04T22:02:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/hbo-maxs-death-may-be-exaggerated-discovery-plus-merger-coming-summer-2023\/"},"modified":"2022-08-04T22:02:51","modified_gmt":"2022-08-04T22:02:51","slug":"hbo-maxs-death-may-be-exaggerated-discovery-plus-merger-coming-summer-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/hbo-maxs-death-may-be-exaggerated-discovery-plus-merger-coming-summer-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"HBO Max&#8217;s death may be exaggerated \u2014 Discovery Plus merger coming summer 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"article-body\">\n<p>If you love HBO Max like we do, you&#8217;ve probably been quite stressed.  This week has seen a nightmare situation emerge for the HBO Max and Discovery Plus merger.  But in the Warner Bros.  Discovery Q2 Earnings Call today (Thursday, Aug. 4), we got reason for measured optimism.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Editor&#8217;s note: This story has been updated per the Earnings Call.<\/strong><\/p>\n<aside class=\"hawk-nest\" data-render-type=\"fte\" data-skip=\"dealsy\" data-widget-type=\"seasonal\"\/>\n<p>Yes, in case you haven&#8217;t heard, the Discovery acquisition of WarnerMedia from AT&#038;T, which led to the mouthful of a new name Warner Bros.  Discovery, meant we&#8217;re going to be getting one service that combines the two.  Or so we thought.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"hbo-max-got-prominent-placement-in-the-warner-bros-discovery-q2-earnings-call\">HBO Max got prominent placement in the Warner Bros.  Discovery Q2 earnings call<\/h2>\n<p>After WBD CEO and president David Zaslav spoke to &#8220;combining the rich legacies&#8221; of Warner Bros.  and Discovery into a single company, he reiterated the intent to &#8220;bring HBO Max and Discovery Plus&#8221; into a single offering.  But the bigger moments came from JB Perrette, CEO and President of Global Streaming and Games. <\/p>\n<p>While Zaslav Perrette both explained that we&#8217;ll need to wait for the Investors Day event planned for the end of the year, Perrette and his slides pushed HBO Max far harder than you might expect given the concerns about HBO Max being shrunk down to a simple HBO.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout\" data-bordeaux-image-check=\"\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\" style=\"max-width:2874px;\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:56.09%;\"><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" alt=\"A slide previews a Global Product with HBO Max and Discovery Plus\" class=\" lazy-image-van\" onerror=\"if(this.src &amp;&amp; this.src.indexOf('missing-image.svg') !== -1){return true;};this.parentNode.replaceChild(window.missingImage(),this)\" data-normal=\"https:\/\/vanilla.futurecdn.net\/tomsguide\/media\/img\/missing-image.svg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/j5k8ZTuPJ2tr9czYw5XGXB-320-80.png.webp 320w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/j5k8ZTuPJ2tr9czYw5XGXB-480-80.png.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/j5k8ZTuPJ2tr9czYw5XGXB-650-80.png.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/j5k8ZTuPJ2tr9czYw5XGXB-970-80.png.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/j5k8ZTuPJ2tr9czYw5XGXB-1024-80.png.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/j5k8ZTuPJ2tr9czYw5XGXB-1200-80.png.webp 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/j5k8ZTuPJ2tr9czYw5XGXB.png\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/j5k8ZTuPJ2tr9czYw5XGXB.png\"\/><source type=\"image\/png\" alt=\"A slide previews a Global Product with HBO Max and Discovery Plus\" class=\" lazy-image-van\" onerror=\"if(this.src &amp;&amp; this.src.indexOf('missing-image.svg') !== -1){return true;};this.parentNode.replaceChild(window.missingImage(),this)\" data-normal=\"https:\/\/vanilla.futurecdn.net\/tomsguide\/media\/img\/missing-image.svg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/j5k8ZTuPJ2tr9czYw5XGXB-320-80.png 320w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/j5k8ZTuPJ2tr9czYw5XGXB-480-80.png 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/j5k8ZTuPJ2tr9czYw5XGXB-650-80.png 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/j5k8ZTuPJ2tr9czYw5XGXB-970-80.png 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/j5k8ZTuPJ2tr9czYw5XGXB-1024-80.png 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/j5k8ZTuPJ2tr9czYw5XGXB-1200-80.png 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/j5k8ZTuPJ2tr9czYw5XGXB.png\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/j5k8ZTuPJ2tr9czYw5XGXB.png\"\/><\/picture><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"caption description\" class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"credit\" itemprop=\"copyrightHolder\">(Image credit: Warner Bros. Discovery)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A slide for a Global Product showed large HBO Max and Discovery Plus logos, with bullets underneath declaring they will live under a &#8220;single global brand.&#8221;  Interestingly enough, the service will have both &#8220;On demand &#038; live&#8221; capabilities, as well as &#8220;Ad-free, Ad-lite and ad-only options.&#8221;  There will be multiple tiers, which apparently will add sports.<\/p>\n<p>Later on, one exec said they would be &#8220;doubling down&#8221; on HBO, another reason to think HBO Max has a strong future.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout\" data-bordeaux-image-check=\"\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\" style=\"max-width:2874px;\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:56.09%;\"><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" alt=\"A chart analyzing the schedule for the roll out of the global product that combines HBO Max and Discovery Plus\" class=\" lazy-image-van\" onerror=\"if(this.src &amp;&amp; this.src.indexOf('missing-image.svg') !== -1){return true;};this.parentNode.replaceChild(window.missingImage(),this)\" data-normal=\"https:\/\/vanilla.futurecdn.net\/tomsguide\/media\/img\/missing-image.svg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/V7XopJEy2fYDztwdeTY8ka-320-80.png.webp 320w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/V7XopJEy2fYDztwdeTY8ka-480-80.png.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/V7XopJEy2fYDztwdeTY8ka-650-80.png.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/V7XopJEy2fYDztwdeTY8ka-970-80.png.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/V7XopJEy2fYDztwdeTY8ka-1024-80.png.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/V7XopJEy2fYDztwdeTY8ka-1200-80.png.webp 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/V7XopJEy2fYDztwdeTY8ka.png\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/V7XopJEy2fYDztwdeTY8ka.png\"\/><source type=\"image\/png\" alt=\"A chart analyzing the schedule for the roll out of the global product that combines HBO Max and Discovery Plus\" class=\" lazy-image-van\" onerror=\"if(this.src &amp;&amp; this.src.indexOf('missing-image.svg') !== -1){return true;};this.parentNode.replaceChild(window.missingImage(),this)\" data-normal=\"https:\/\/vanilla.futurecdn.net\/tomsguide\/media\/img\/missing-image.svg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/V7XopJEy2fYDztwdeTY8ka-320-80.png 320w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/V7XopJEy2fYDztwdeTY8ka-480-80.png 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/V7XopJEy2fYDztwdeTY8ka-650-80.png 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/V7XopJEy2fYDztwdeTY8ka-970-80.png 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/V7XopJEy2fYDztwdeTY8ka-1024-80.png 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/V7XopJEy2fYDztwdeTY8ka-1200-80.png 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/V7XopJEy2fYDztwdeTY8ka.png\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/V7XopJEy2fYDztwdeTY8ka.png\"\/><img alt=\"A chart analyzing the schedule for the roll out of the global product that combines HBO Max and Discovery Plus\" class=\" lazy-image-van\" onerror=\"if(this.src &amp;&amp; this.src.indexOf('missing-image.svg') !== -1){return true;};this.parentNode.replaceChild(window.missingImage(),this)\" data-normal=\"https:\/\/vanilla.futurecdn.net\/tomsguide\/media\/img\/missing-image.svg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/V7XopJEy2fYDztwdeTY8ka-320-80.png 320w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/V7XopJEy2fYDztwdeTY8ka-480-80.png 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/V7XopJEy2fYDztwdeTY8ka-650-80.png 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/V7XopJEy2fYDztwdeTY8ka-970-80.png 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/V7XopJEy2fYDztwdeTY8ka-1024-80.png 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/V7XopJEy2fYDztwdeTY8ka-1200-80.png 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/V7XopJEy2fYDztwdeTY8ka.png?ssl=1\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/V7XopJEy2fYDztwdeTY8ka.png?ssl=1\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"\/><\/picture><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"caption description\" class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"credit\" itemprop=\"copyrightHolder\">(Image credit: Warner Bros. Discovery)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Then, another slide showed WBD&#8217;s schedule for both services, explaining that the US will get the service first, in summer 2023. It will debut in Latin America that fall, in Europe in early 2024 and in the Asia-Pacific markets in the middle of 2024.<\/p>\n<p>All of the prominent HBO Max branding placement in this presentation suggests that the HBO Max brand and service will survive into this new service \u2014 even if it&#8217;s under the Discovery Plus branding.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"explaining-the-hbo-max-concerns\">Explaining the HBO Max concerns<\/h2>\n<p>So, why were we worried about HBO Max (which we still believe is the best streaming service)?  In the midst of plenty of chaos on Tuesday (August 2), with HBO Max&#8217;s Batgirl movie being canceled after Warner put $90 million into it and the news that six HBO Max original films have disappeared from the service, other shoes started to drop.<\/p>\n<p>Tony Maglio at IndieWire<span class=\"sr-only\"> (opens in new tab)<\/span> then reported there were more cuts to come, and it&#8217;s all because of the want to cut costs as they merge HBO Max and Discovery Plus.  The question, of course is <em>how<\/em> are they going to merge these two services? <\/p>\n<p>Then, on Wednesday afternoon, The Wrap<span class=\"sr-only\"> (opens in new tab)<\/span> dropped a shocking new report stating &#8220;HBO Max development is expected to be especially hard hit with layoffs with two sources placing the amount of dev staff cuts at 70%.&#8221;  An insider told The Wrap that HBO&#8217;s &#8220;employees are &#8216;all freaking out&#8217; and that &#8216;all I know is they&#8217;re folding HBO Max into HBO, and there will be redundancies.'&#8221; <\/p>\n<p><strong>Some of that could still happen, but we&#8217;ve got less confidence in that report than ever.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Prior to this, all we had heard was a rumor from Beyond The Trailer YouTuber Grace Randolph.  Randolph is credited as insider by some<span class=\"sr-only\"> (opens in new tab)<\/span>while <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JamesGunn\/status\/1548376536625033220\" target=\"_blank\" data-url=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JamesGunn\/status\/1548376536625033220\">James Gunn<\/a><span class=\"sr-only\">  (opens in new tab)<\/span> doesn&#8217;t seem to trust her, to put it politely.  And her rumor now seems more true than ever.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"the-nightmare-scenario-for-hbo-max-fans\">The nightmare scenario for HBO Max fans<\/h2>\n<p>Ahead of Warner Bros.  Discovery&#8217;s Q2 earnings on Thursday (August 4), <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GraceRandolph\/status\/1554556706839052289\" target=\"_blank\" data-url=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GraceRandolph\/status\/1554556706839052289\">Randolph tweeted<\/a><span class=\"sr-only\">  (opens in new tab)<\/span> a list of ideas that were &#8220;RUMOR re the #WBD presentation.&#8221;  None of these ideas were presented. <\/p>\n<p>Randolph argued that HBO Max would become a part of Discovery Plus, &#8220;probably as #HBO tab&#8221; and that the new service would be &#8220;getting rid of #HBOMax scripted, overall streaming focusing on unscripted.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout\" data-bordeaux-image-check=\"\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\" style=\"max-width:4032px;\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:56.25%;\"><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" alt=\"The new HBO Max app, tested on an Apple TV 4K\" class=\" lazy-image-van\" onerror=\"if(this.src &amp;&amp; this.src.indexOf('missing-image.svg') !== -1){return true;};this.parentNode.replaceChild(window.missingImage(),this)\" data-normal=\"https:\/\/vanilla.futurecdn.net\/tomsguide\/media\/img\/missing-image.svg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/KYsTcTSZLqkpyENVoy64Gc-320-80.jpg.webp 320w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/KYsTcTSZLqkpyENVoy64Gc-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/KYsTcTSZLqkpyENVoy64Gc-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/KYsTcTSZLqkpyENVoy64Gc-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/KYsTcTSZLqkpyENVoy64Gc-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/KYsTcTSZLqkpyENVoy64Gc-1200-80.jpg.webp 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/KYsTcTSZLqkpyENVoy64Gc.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/KYsTcTSZLqkpyENVoy64Gc.jpg\"\/><source type=\"image\/jpeg\" alt=\"The new HBO Max app, tested on an Apple TV 4K\" class=\" lazy-image-van\" onerror=\"if(this.src &amp;&amp; this.src.indexOf('missing-image.svg') !== -1){return true;};this.parentNode.replaceChild(window.missingImage(),this)\" data-normal=\"https:\/\/vanilla.futurecdn.net\/tomsguide\/media\/img\/missing-image.svg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/KYsTcTSZLqkpyENVoy64Gc-320-80.jpg 320w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/KYsTcTSZLqkpyENVoy64Gc-480-80.jpg 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/KYsTcTSZLqkpyENVoy64Gc-650-80.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/KYsTcTSZLqkpyENVoy64Gc-970-80.jpg 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/KYsTcTSZLqkpyENVoy64Gc-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/KYsTcTSZLqkpyENVoy64Gc-1200-80.jpg 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/KYsTcTSZLqkpyENVoy64Gc.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/KYsTcTSZLqkpyENVoy64Gc.jpg\"\/><img alt=\"The new HBO Max app, tested on an Apple TV 4K\" class=\" lazy-image-van\" onerror=\"if(this.src &amp;&amp; this.src.indexOf('missing-image.svg') !== -1){return true;};this.parentNode.replaceChild(window.missingImage(),this)\" data-normal=\"https:\/\/vanilla.futurecdn.net\/tomsguide\/media\/img\/missing-image.svg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/KYsTcTSZLqkpyENVoy64Gc-320-80.jpg 320w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/KYsTcTSZLqkpyENVoy64Gc-480-80.jpg 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/KYsTcTSZLqkpyENVoy64Gc-650-80.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/KYsTcTSZLqkpyENVoy64Gc-970-80.jpg 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/KYsTcTSZLqkpyENVoy64Gc-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/KYsTcTSZLqkpyENVoy64Gc-1200-80.jpg 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/KYsTcTSZLqkpyENVoy64Gc.jpg?ssl=1\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/KYsTcTSZLqkpyENVoy64Gc.jpg?ssl=1\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"\/><\/picture><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"caption description\" class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">Peacemaker is as confused as we are. <\/span><span class=\"credit\" itemprop=\"copyrightHolder\">(Image credit: Tom&#8217;s Guide\/Henry T. Casey)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This would basically force loyal HBO Max subscribers to buy into a new (likely more expensive) streaming service to keep getting access to the shows and movies they like, while possibly getting less of that content they prefer.<\/p>\n<p>This also doesn&#8217;t speak to where the licensed HBO Max content \u2014 seasons of Friends, the Studio Ghibli movies and much more \u2014 would wind up.  Inside that new &#8220;HBO&#8221; tab?  Considering that HBO Max&#8217;s branding is strong at WBD, it feels like that would be the moniker on such a tab.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"hbo-max-becomes-a-section-in-a-new-app\">HBO Max becomes a section in a new app?<\/h2>\n<p>What would happen next?  The Wrap quotes a Hollywood agent with knowledge of the plans as saying &#8220;HBO is very safe. If this was &#8216;Game of Thrones,&#8217; Casey Bloys won.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Yes, HBO Max just re-invested in the man behind its content: Casey Bloys, HBO and HBO Max&#8217;s chief content officer.  A Variety<span class=\"sr-only\"> (opens in new tab)<\/span> report from July 2022 states that Bloys signed a new five-year contract with Warner Bros.  discovery.  But just think like a cost-cutting executive and look at his split titles.  Why have him run both HBO and HBO Max&#8217;s content, when he could just run one?<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout\" data-bordeaux-image-check=\"\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\" style=\"max-width:1920px;\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:56.25%;\"><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" alt=\"Cristin Milioti as Hazel Green and Billy Magnussen as Byron Gogol in Made for Love season 2\" class=\" lazy-image-van\" onerror=\"if(this.src &amp;&amp; this.src.indexOf('missing-image.svg') !== -1){return true;};this.parentNode.replaceChild(window.missingImage(),this)\" data-normal=\"https:\/\/vanilla.futurecdn.net\/tomsguide\/media\/img\/missing-image.svg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tMT6gMxKSNMzFXZvoETYpJ-320-80.jpg.webp 320w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tMT6gMxKSNMzFXZvoETYpJ-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tMT6gMxKSNMzFXZvoETYpJ-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tMT6gMxKSNMzFXZvoETYpJ-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tMT6gMxKSNMzFXZvoETYpJ-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tMT6gMxKSNMzFXZvoETYpJ-1200-80.jpg.webp 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tMT6gMxKSNMzFXZvoETYpJ.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tMT6gMxKSNMzFXZvoETYpJ.jpg\"\/><source type=\"image\/jpeg\" alt=\"Cristin Milioti as Hazel Green and Billy Magnussen as Byron Gogol in Made for Love season 2\" class=\" lazy-image-van\" onerror=\"if(this.src &amp;&amp; this.src.indexOf('missing-image.svg') !== -1){return true;};this.parentNode.replaceChild(window.missingImage(),this)\" data-normal=\"https:\/\/vanilla.futurecdn.net\/tomsguide\/media\/img\/missing-image.svg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tMT6gMxKSNMzFXZvoETYpJ-320-80.jpg 320w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tMT6gMxKSNMzFXZvoETYpJ-480-80.jpg 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tMT6gMxKSNMzFXZvoETYpJ-650-80.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tMT6gMxKSNMzFXZvoETYpJ-970-80.jpg 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tMT6gMxKSNMzFXZvoETYpJ-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tMT6gMxKSNMzFXZvoETYpJ-1200-80.jpg 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tMT6gMxKSNMzFXZvoETYpJ.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tMT6gMxKSNMzFXZvoETYpJ.jpg\"\/><img alt=\"Cristin Milioti as Hazel Green and Billy Magnussen as Byron Gogol in Made for Love season 2\" class=\" lazy-image-van\" onerror=\"if(this.src &amp;&amp; this.src.indexOf('missing-image.svg') !== -1){return true;};this.parentNode.replaceChild(window.missingImage(),this)\" data-normal=\"https:\/\/vanilla.futurecdn.net\/tomsguide\/media\/img\/missing-image.svg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tMT6gMxKSNMzFXZvoETYpJ-320-80.jpg 320w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tMT6gMxKSNMzFXZvoETYpJ-480-80.jpg 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tMT6gMxKSNMzFXZvoETYpJ-650-80.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tMT6gMxKSNMzFXZvoETYpJ-970-80.jpg 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tMT6gMxKSNMzFXZvoETYpJ-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tMT6gMxKSNMzFXZvoETYpJ-1200-80.jpg 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tMT6gMxKSNMzFXZvoETYpJ.jpg?ssl=1\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tMT6gMxKSNMzFXZvoETYpJ.jpg?ssl=1\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"\/><\/picture><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"caption description\" class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">Made For Love, a recently axed HBO Max show, starred Cristin Milioti as Hazel Green and Billy Magnussen as Byron Gogol. <\/span><span class=\"credit\" itemprop=\"copyrightHolder\">(Image credit: Beth Dubber\/HBO Max)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>So it seems like Bloys is coming back to run a single team with a likely smaller budget.  WBD has been swinging the cancelation ax on a lot of scripted programming, including TNT&#8217;s Snowpiercer, TBS&#8217; The Last OG and HBO Max&#8217;s Made For Love.<\/p>\n<p>Some HBO Max shows could stick around under the HBO brand, as Bloys has publicly said The Flight Attendant season 3 is definitely possible.  We&#8217;re hoping Peacemaker, Harley Quinn, Our Flag Means Death and Hacks are among the shows that survive. <\/p>\n<p>After the presentation we&#8217;re more likely to believe that the HBO Max brand is still valuable.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"outlook-what-happens-next\">Outlook: What happens next<\/h2>\n<p>The big question that Warner Bros.  Discovery execs are likely toying with is &#8220;which streaming service is more important?&#8221;  Now that Warner Bros.  Discovery has made its Q2 presentation, we get the impression that it values \u200b\u200bboth streaming service highly.<\/p>\n<p>Comparing HBO Max and Discovery Plus is admittedly like comparing apples and pineapples.  The former is predominantly made up of scripted programming, and the latter is mostly unscripted content. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout\" data-bordeaux-image-check=\"\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\" style=\"max-width:4000px;\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:64.03%;\"><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" alt=\"HBO Max\" class=\" lazy-image-van\" onerror=\"if(this.src &amp;&amp; this.src.indexOf('missing-image.svg') !== -1){return true;};this.parentNode.replaceChild(window.missingImage(),this)\" data-normal=\"https:\/\/vanilla.futurecdn.net\/tomsguide\/media\/img\/missing-image.svg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/FAfbv9pCMLVADHFPtjaCwh-320-80.jpg.webp 320w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/FAfbv9pCMLVADHFPtjaCwh-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/FAfbv9pCMLVADHFPtjaCwh-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/FAfbv9pCMLVADHFPtjaCwh-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/FAfbv9pCMLVADHFPtjaCwh-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/FAfbv9pCMLVADHFPtjaCwh-1200-80.jpg.webp 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/FAfbv9pCMLVADHFPtjaCwh.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/FAfbv9pCMLVADHFPtjaCwh.jpg\"\/><source type=\"image\/jpeg\" alt=\"HBO Max\" class=\" lazy-image-van\" onerror=\"if(this.src &amp;&amp; this.src.indexOf('missing-image.svg') !== -1){return true;};this.parentNode.replaceChild(window.missingImage(),this)\" data-normal=\"https:\/\/vanilla.futurecdn.net\/tomsguide\/media\/img\/missing-image.svg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/FAfbv9pCMLVADHFPtjaCwh-320-80.jpg 320w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/FAfbv9pCMLVADHFPtjaCwh-480-80.jpg 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/FAfbv9pCMLVADHFPtjaCwh-650-80.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/FAfbv9pCMLVADHFPtjaCwh-970-80.jpg 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/FAfbv9pCMLVADHFPtjaCwh-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/FAfbv9pCMLVADHFPtjaCwh-1200-80.jpg 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/FAfbv9pCMLVADHFPtjaCwh.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/FAfbv9pCMLVADHFPtjaCwh.jpg\"\/><img alt=\"HBO Max\" class=\" lazy-image-van\" onerror=\"if(this.src &amp;&amp; this.src.indexOf('missing-image.svg') !== -1){return true;};this.parentNode.replaceChild(window.missingImage(),this)\" data-normal=\"https:\/\/vanilla.futurecdn.net\/tomsguide\/media\/img\/missing-image.svg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/FAfbv9pCMLVADHFPtjaCwh-320-80.jpg 320w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/FAfbv9pCMLVADHFPtjaCwh-480-80.jpg 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/FAfbv9pCMLVADHFPtjaCwh-650-80.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/FAfbv9pCMLVADHFPtjaCwh-970-80.jpg 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/FAfbv9pCMLVADHFPtjaCwh-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/FAfbv9pCMLVADHFPtjaCwh-1200-80.jpg 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/FAfbv9pCMLVADHFPtjaCwh.jpg?ssl=1\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/FAfbv9pCMLVADHFPtjaCwh.jpg?ssl=1\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"\/><\/picture><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"caption description\" class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"credit\" itemprop=\"copyrightHolder\">(Image credit: Shutterstock)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>At the end of the day, this is Discovery&#8217;s company now.  And it&#8217;s hard to envision them wanting to make their service a tab inside someone else&#8217;s app.  That said, we&#8217;d much rather see a Discovery Plus hub in HBO Max than a HBO tab in the Discovery Plus app.  HBO Max seems like a brand that could fit Discovery inside of it, right?<\/p>\n<p>As we knew, a single, new streaming service will be coming to contain both Discovery Plus and HBO Max.  The question about which side &#8220;wins&#8221; will be argued, but for now, it feels like HBO Max is a brand with a future.  But this is all optics.  What matters more is how much this new service costs (a price hike seems inevitable).<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Next:<\/strong><\/em><em> <\/em><em>Lady Gaga just confirmed for Joker 2 cast<\/em><em>  \u2014 we&#8217;re not joking. <\/em><em>Bodies Bodies Bodies hits 98% on Rotten Tomatoes<\/em><em>looking like a must-see horror movie. <\/em><em>Industry is the adrenaline rush you need<\/em><em>  if you&#8217;re missing The Bear<\/em><\/p>\n<aside class=\"hawk-nest\" data-model-name=\"Streaming boxes\" data-widget-type=\"review\" data-render-type=\"editorial\">\n<div class=\"hawk-main-editorialized\">\n<p>Today&#8217;s best Streaming boxes deals<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you love HBO Max like we do, you&#8217;ve probably been quite stressed. This week has seen a nightmare situation emerge for the HBO Max and Discovery Plus merger. But in the Warner Bros. Discovery Q2 Earnings Call today (Thursday, Aug. 4), we got reason for measured optimism. Editor&#8217;s note: This story has been updated &hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"> <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/hbo-maxs-death-may-be-exaggerated-discovery-plus-merger-coming-summer-2023\/\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">HBO Max&#8217;s death may be exaggerated \u2014 Discovery Plus merger coming summer 2023<\/span> Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":36272,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/warner-bros-discovery-to-merge-hbo-max-discovery-plus-services\/","url_meta":{"origin":35690,"position":0},"title":"Warner Bros.  Discovery to merge HBO Max, Discovery Plus services","date":"August 5, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Comment on this storyCommentWarner Bros. Discovery will merge its HBO Max and Discovery Plus services into a single streaming platform, as part of a plan to hit 130 million paying subscribers by 2025 in the highly competitive market.The streaming merger, announced Thursday by the recently formed media conglomerate's chief executive,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Entertainment&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":35969,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/hbo-max-and-discovery-to-combine-into-one-streaming-platform-in-2023\/","url_meta":{"origin":35690,"position":1},"title":"HBO Max and Discovery+ to combine into one streaming platform in 2023","date":"August 5, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"HBO Max as we know it will soon be no more. At its first earnings call since the two media properties merged earlier this year, Warner Bros. Discovery announced it is planning on combining HBOMax and Discovery+ into a single streaming service \u2014 set to debut in the summer of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Entertainment&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":36084,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/genredoms-male-skew-and-other-dumb-stuff-from-todays-hbo-max-discovery-merger\/","url_meta":{"origin":35690,"position":2},"title":"&#8220;Genredoms,&#8221; &#8220;male skew,&#8221; and other dumb stuff from today&#8217;s HBO Max\/Discovery+ merger","date":"August 5, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Image: Warner Bros. DiscoveryAfter days of taking precision hatchet shots to the library of his own streaming service, HBO Max, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav went in for the kill today. Talking to investors, Zaslav revealed on a Q2 earnings call his plans to smoosh together HBO Max and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Entertainment&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":35715,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/the-merging-streaming-services-explained\/","url_meta":{"origin":35690,"position":3},"title":"The merging streaming services, explained","date":"August 4, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"What the heck is going on at HBO Max? What does it have to do with Discovery+?HBO Max, the home of prestigious HBO TV shows, Warner Bros. and DC Comics films, along with original series like \"Sex and the City\" revival \"And Just Like That,\" is going through some major\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Entertainment&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2022\/07\/12\/USAT\/730686b7-422d-4b92-83fa-5b9928bbf357-gilligans_island.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":38576,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/will-your-favorite-hbo-max-shows-and-movies-survive-warner-bros-discoverys-new-world-order\/","url_meta":{"origin":35690,"position":4},"title":"Will your favorite HBO Max shows and movies survive Warner Bros.  Discovery&#8217;s new world order?","date":"August 7, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Corporate megamergers do not usually concern the average person. Companies devour each other on the regular, and most of us are none the wiser about the fallout such events produce until the products or services you assumed would always be there for you suddenly vanish without explanation, become more expensive\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Entertainment&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":35476,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/magnolia-network-shows-go-to-hbo-max-and-cnn-originals-go-to-discovery-as-warner-bros-discovery-keeps-streaming-services-separate-for-now\/","url_meta":{"origin":35690,"position":5},"title":"Magnolia Network Shows Go to HBO Max and CNN Originals Go to Discovery+ as Warner Bros.  Discovery Keeps Streaming Services Separate, For Now","date":"August 4, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Warner Bros. Discovery ultimately plans to launch a unified streaming service, one that will carry the full breadth and depth of content from the likes of HBO, Warner Bros., and Discovery Inc. For now, though, the company's existing streaming services HBO Max and Discovery+ will remain their own products, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Entertainment&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/KbrFc8Gq7ErQx6X2dY8TpT-1200-80.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35690"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35690"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35690\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35690"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35690"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35690"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}