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Warner Bros. to Replace HBO Max With New 'Max' Streaming Service
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They can't both not own and and own it at the same time.
AT&T does not own either Warner or the new company.
AT&T stockholders ( who are NOT AT&T) got WarnerDiscover shares. The shareholders own it. The corporation, AT&T, does not. [ Similar hoo-haw as to how Apple has Trillion $ . Apple does not; it isn't even close. ]
" ...
- AT&T shareholders will own 71% of the new Warner Bros. Discovery company and will receive 0.24 shares of Warner Bros. Discovery for each AT&T share they own.
- AT&T will pay a dividend of $1.11 per share, down from $2.08 per share
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/01/att...dia-in-43-billion-discovery-media-merger.html
I suspect you may be thinking of DirectTV where AT&T still holds some ownership in the new entity but are not running strategic or tactical decisions.
" ...
Last month, AT&T announced a deal TPG Capital to establish a new company named DirecTV that will own and operate DirecTV, AT&T TV, and U-verse. The deal implies an enterprise value of $16.25 billion for the new company, of which AT&T will own 70% of the common equity ..."
https://www.fiercevideo.com/video/at-t-cfo-breaks-down-economic-benefits-directv-spinoff
AT&T still hoping someone with lots of money will buy them out at a profit while client base is milked as a cash cow.
That doesn't seem likely. If TPG Cap gets to a point that they are paying their leveraged buy out costs very well then some of the 'flow' out of AT&T 70% cut could be applied to gradually buying AT&T out ( drop to 60% , 50% , 40% , etc. ) over time.
or apply it to being about to hand out perks.
" ... AT&T will also still be able to bundle video products with its broadband and wireless services, Stephens said. ..."
P.S. The reason why Discovery+ is sticking around as an independent service is because it is profitable. HBO Max isn't. Unless AT&T allocates more money to buying subscriptions to give away , it could disappear. Discovery was a smaller fish trying to consume a much bigger fish here. They are leveraged pretty high. Kind of unlikely they are going to give away free stuff to AT&T. AT&T may get a huge bulk discount because it makes the subscriber numbers look high, but highly doubtful WBDiscovery is going to treat this as a helpful loss-leader and dig a deeper borrowed money hole.
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This actually works out for me since I pay $15.99 for HBO Max and now I will get Discovery as well. As for the "MAX" name, it feels very generic and it will be up to Warner to market the heck out of if so people understand it contains HBO and Discovery shows.
So dumb, and now everyone is going with tiered subscriptions. I think I'm about to cancel all my subscriptions and start reading books.
I bet someone got paid a lot of money to come up with that name.
The whole internet will - rightly so - tear this decision apart and come up with a better business and branding strategy for this than the people at Warner Bros who are actually paid to do this sort of thing. 🤷♂️
The whole internet will - rightly so - tear this decision apart and come up with a better business and branding strategy for this than the people at Warner Bros who are actually paid to do this sort of thing. 🤷♂️
Regardless of the owner and what goes on behind the scenes consumers associate HBO with shows like Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, The White Lotus and The Last of Us, and since 3 of those aired within the last year I don't think the brand has lost its shine yet.
This was like when Pizza Hut was going to rename itself "The Hut".
This was always the obvious core problem with this merger. Folks who like Discovery's reality TV are probably not watching many HBO dramas, and the other way around. They exist, sure, but most fall in one camp or the other.
Given Discovery+ living on to serve that market, I think you'll find a lot of unhappiness from the HBO-liking folks that they're now forced to pay extra for reality shows they don't care about. It's a problem for Discovery, because they couldn't just launch a third combined service (see above: small market).
So we end up with this garbage no one is happy about, and Discover+ viewers are ambivalent about because it doesn't affec them.
in the fine print it says that current subscribers will keep their existing HBO MAX plan features for at least 6 months...after that who knows.
Jokes on them, I’ll just upscale the 1080 stream to 4k ahahahaha
Warner Bros. today announced plans to launch a new streaming service that will merge HBO Max and Discovery+ content. The HBO brand will be eliminated, and the streaming service will be called just "Max."
HBO has undergone several different rebranding efforts over the years, as there were previously HBO GO and HBO Now streaming services that were merged into HBO Max in 2020. The "Max" rebrand that drops the HBO name comes after a 2022 merger between Discovery and WarnerMedia. At the time of the merger, the newly formed Warner Bros. Discovery company made it clear that HBO Max would eventually be combined with Discovery+, and rumors in December hinted at the "Max" naming.
Abandoning the HBO branding is a curious decision as the HBO Max streaming service is known for some very popular shows, such as Succession, Game of Thrones, Euphoria, The White Lotus, and The Last of Us. The Max streaming service will have three different price points available:
Warner Bros. says that existing HBO Max subscribers that subscribe through HBO will have access to Max at the same price as their HBO Max subscription, with more information available on the HBO Max website. Those who subscribe through a TV, mobile, or wireless provider will be informed of any price or plan changes.
- Max Ad-Lite: $9.99/month or $99.99/year. Includes 2 concurrent streams, 1080p resolution, no offline downloads, and 5.1 surround sound quality. Supported by ads.
- Max Ad Free: $15.99/month or $149.99/year. Includes 2 concurrent streams, 1080p resolution, 30 offline downloads, and 5.1 surround sound quality.
- Max Ultimate Ad Free: $19.99/month or $199.99/year. Includes 4 concurrent streams, up to 4K UHD resolution, 100 offline downloads, and Dolby Atmos sound quality.
"Max" is set to launch on May 23, and it will include HBO Max content and Discovery TV content such as HGTV, the Food Network, ID, TLC, and more. Alongside the launch of the service, Warner Bros. also announced a new Harry Potter television series as well as another Game of Thrones prequel show.
On some platforms, the HBO Max app will automatically be updated to the Max app, and on others, users will be prompted to download the Max app when attempting to open the HBO Max app. Discovery+ customers can sign up as new Max customers, as those subscriptions will not transition. Discovery+ will continue to be available as a standalone service.
Article Link: Warner Bros. to Replace HBO Max With New 'Max' Streaming Service
Well, it's not much worse than [Apple] Mail, or [Apple] Messages, or, still my favorite, The New iPad.
I currently get HBO Max for free with my Xfinity plan. Really hope it remains as is but if they decide to charge me then I’m out.
I'm here to say the same thing. I would be warming up the lawyers if I were Cinemax.
Same. I get mine through AT&T for free. If that goes away, I'm out.
think I'll just cancel all my services, it is getting to be too much. perhaps stick with eye $23/month Philo and that's it. sign up for services as shows come out and then cancel again.
Streaming has come full circle with piracy being the easier choice.