Discovery says will make it easier to explore the app and discover new things to watch. The new Max app features simplified navigation, which Warner Bros. Users will also receive personalized recommendations for movies and shows to watch based on their viewing habits. Perrette said in April that the new app will be able to load video 20% to 30% faster. Discovery has pledged that Max will deliver a much smoother streaming experience. Its reputation as a buggy, difficult to browse app hasn't gotten much better since. Of course, how effective the transformation of HBO Max into Max will be in realizing WBD’s goals of attracting and retaining a broader base of subscribers remains to be seen.When HBO Max first launched, it was infamously glitch-prone. Discovery also quickly announced it would reversed the move - made in the middle of the ongoing WGA’s writers strike - to lump together writers and directors in film listings on the new service. on Tuesday, May 23, with what appeared to be only minor technical issues, aside from many users (depending on device platform) needing to manually download and log in to the new Max app. And when frankly, we found ourselves talking about the service, the shorthand was always ‘Max.’ We never said even ‘HBO’ we would just say, ‘It’s on Max.'” But the flip side is that also made it very approachable and very easy. Yes, the risk was ultimately that it’s sort of maybe less ownable because it’s a common word. “And we just felt like, that was sort of not necessary. They did “look fairly briefly at various alternatives that could include Warner or include WB or could include the brand,” he told reporters last month. “If we can drive down the churn, the growth will be very substantial.”Īll the same, senior execs “heavily debated” the name change, Perrette revealed. “Driving that churn may be more important than driving the growth,” Zaslav said on the Q1 earnings call. cancelation rates) as people discover more shows they love to watch - instead of, say, signing up for one season of a buzzy series or one tentpole movie and then bailing. So the (untested) theory is that by massaging Discovery content into Max, the combo streamer will have lower churn (i.e. Zaslav also has said that Discovery+ churn rates are much lower than HBO Max. SEE ALSO: Max Launch: All the TV Shows, Movies Coming to Expanded Streaming Service “But it’s not exactly where parents would most eagerly drop off their kids… Not surprisingly, the category has not met his true potential on HBO Max.” The new Max includes a placeholder kids’ profile (which by default allows access only to content with PG and TV-PG ratings or lower) on the start screen for all new subscribers. “We all love HBO, and it’s a brand that has been built over five decades” to stand for “edgy, groundbreaking entertainment for adults,” WBD head of streaming JB Perrette said at the Max launch event in April. Discovery executives ultimately felt that the HBO name was somehow restricting HBO Max’s uptake among households with children. To make the flagship streamer look more “family friendly”: Warner Bros.And while HBO is no longer in the name of the service, it retains a prominent position on Max, including having its own spot on the top of the home screen alongside “series,” “movies” and “new & notable” categories. Anyway, the thinking was that the new Max name was needed to reflect that it’s a place where you can watch not only, say, “Euphoria” and “Barry” but also stuff like “90 Day Fiancé,” Jonathan and Drew Scott’s “Property Brothers” and Shark Week episodes. In a much-discussed slide from WBD’s Q2 2022 earnings report ( see below), when it first announced the plan to merge HBO Max and Discovery+, the company said HBO Max had a “male skew” with a focus on scripted, while Discovery+ had a “female skew” with unscripted content. The company’s goal is to let “every member of the household… see whatever they want at any given time,” CEO David Zaslav said in announcing the new name last month. With Max, WBD has stuffed in a slew of nonfiction programming from the legacy Discovery Communications side of the house - Max features 35,000-plus hours of content, more than doubling the lineup over HBO Max. To signal a broader programming mix: HBO Max was positioned as the successor to HBO, but from the beginning included more than just what was on HBO proper.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |