Growth Trouble Warner Bros. Post-merger Discovery and $3 billion austerity plan are weighing on its European programming strategy, reports Variety. And it’s especially difficult because HBO Max has grown like no other.
As the media conglomerate seeks to rethink its streaming priorities, will stop production of originals for HBO Max in the Nordic countries (Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland), Central Europe, the Netherlands and Turkey, and will remove some content from its platform.
“Our commitment to these markets has not changed. We will continue to order local content for Warner Bros. Discovery in these regions and will remain a major buyer of local third-party content.“, – they explain in a statement. Everything changes.
The news, shared with staff and production partners on Monday morning, was a blow to the European community as well as the HBO Max team in Europe. And Variety was the first to share it.
Some of the streaming service’s most popular international shows to date, including Swedish sex comedy Lust and Danish family drama Kamikaze.They come from northern countries.
While initial development will be halted immediately in the aforementioned territories, screenings already in production will continue. However, some of these shows may be sold to other platforms, giving WBD more rental opportunities.
As part of the restructuring some European and some American original series will also leave HBO Max worldwide.. The Hungarian drama The Informant, as well as Lust and Kamikaze, will be withdrawn from theaters.
The two territories that are not affected by the review are Spain and France, where the originals will not be affected. This is because Spanish language content works well on HBO Max, which has a large presence in Latin America and also caters to the US Latin American market.
The news is sure to resonate throughout Europe, where the manufacturing sector has taken advantage of the new opportunities. a custom announced by new streaming companies.
The HBO team in particular has earned the respect of local producers thanks to their long history of distributing European originals for the legacy brand.
Source: Computer Hoy
