If a packed NEM crowd wanted the low-down on what the Warner Bros. Discovery split means for the international biz, it was slim pickings as WBD execs took the stage. There was, however, clarity on the rollout and programming strategy for HBO Max.
Warner Bros. Discovery is splitting into two publicly traded entities, Streaming & Studios and Global Networks. Here at the NEM confab in Dubrovnik, meanwhile, WBD execs were keen to focus on the HBO Max international rollout and programming strategy. They announced that HBO Max will launch in a dozen more countries in July, including in Cyprus and several in the Baltics, meaning it will be in 89 territories.
Jamie Cooke, EVP & GM Central Eastern Europe, MEA, Warner Bros. Discovery noted a partnership deal with OSN in the Middle East and said teaming up with pay-TV operators and telcos is increasingly important as the streamer launches in cluttered international markets.
“We’re going live in another 12 markets in July, and a lot of these markets are going to be very reliant on partners, because the direct-to-consumer opportunity is probably a little bit smaller,” he said. “If we were to launch on our own, we’re entering into a really crowded marketplace, and for the consumer, I don’t think that’s great,” Cooke told NEM. “There’s just too many products and they probably won’t all survive.”
Cooke and Deniz Şaşmaz Oflaz, VP of Local Original Productions, Local Channels and Streaming Operations, and Lead, Turkey, WBD, explained that some international markets, such as Turkey, can sustain local production, while others cannot.
If Turkey can sustain investment in local shows, the same is not true for all of the HBO Max territories, Cooke said, adding that the juggernaut global shows such as House Of The Dragon and The Last Of Us, as well as movies, remain top performers.
“We’re always looking for stories,” he said. “What we’re looking for is, yes
to work in a local market, but it also needs to have the chance to have a life outside of that market, which is particularly true for Central Europe.”
The NEM Dubrovnik session was entitled ‘One Size Does Not Fit All: Max Is Going Local’. HBO has previously ramped up local production, notably in the CEE region and Scandinavia, but then dramatically pulled back, with production staff let go.
Cooke said: “The markets I’m responsible for, it’s very hard to make those programs profitable, frankly, because if they don’t travel, you’ve got a very limited audience.”
Addressing the move to bring back the HBO brand – by changing ‘Max’ back to ‘HBO Max’ – the WBD exec asked the NEM crowd for their take on whether that was a good move, with a show of hands. The NEM delegates seemingly thought having the HBO moniker was a good thing. “Okay, I think we’ve answered the question,” Cooke concluded.
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