NEW YORK—Discovery, Inc. has announced that its shareholders have approved various matters relating to the acquisition of WarnerMedia from AT&T to create Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.

The approvals set the stage for the $43 billion deal to close in Q2, 2022. 

Based on estimated preliminary voting results, Discovery said that during the Special Meeting of Discovery Stockholders, Discovery stockholders voted to approve the charter amendment proposals, share issuance proposal and the advisory (non-binding) compensation proposal. 

The approvals mark the completion of one of the few remaining closing conditions for the merger.  These preliminary voting results will be updated through the filing of a Current Report on Form 8-K to reflect the final certification of results from the Inspector of Election, the company said. 

The Boards of Directors of both AT&T and Discovery have approved the transaction.

ATLANTA—WarnerMedia has launched WM Inclusive as a hub for Equity + Inclusion initiatives and programming from the company’s roster of brands, content and programming. 

WM Inclusive will feature inclusive storytelling through a digital editorial hub, newsletters, exclusives, social media, events, partnerships, original content and other offerings, the company said. 

The hub’s motto, “When You See Us, You See You,” and the WM Inclusive effort are designed to help move conversations forward around representation and uniquely amplify the voices of brilliant and often underrepresented creators and talent, the company said. 

The hub will have a dedicated team and serve as a creative driver for corporate and brand-led communications on all digital-first platforms for evolving audiences – internally and externally, the company said. 

More information and access to the stories being covered at WM Inclusive is available at  https://www.wminclusive.com. Daily updates across all social platforms are available at @wminclusive.

NEW YORK—The proposed merger between Discovery and WarnerMedia has passed an important hurdle, with Discovery reporting that the proposed merger has passed U.S. regulatory review for possible antitrust violations. 

Discovery made the disclosure in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

The deal has already been approved by European regulators and only needs to be approved by shareholders to be finalized. Discovery and AT&T have said the $43 billion deal is expected to close in the second quarter of 2021. 

In the 425 Filing, Discovery told the SEC that: “As of February 9, 2022, Discovery, Inc. (“Discovery”) and AT&T Inc. (“AT&T”) have satisfied the closing condition in Section 9.1(d)(i)of the Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”), dated as of May 17, 2021, by and among Discovery, AT&T, DrakeSubsidiary, Inc. and Magallanes, Inc. (“Spinco”) relating to the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended(“HSR Act”). The HSR Act statutory waiting period has expired or otherwise been terminated, and any agreement not to consummate the transaction between the parties and the Federal Trade Commission or the Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice or any other applicable governmental entity, has also expired or otherwise been terminated.”

PHILADELPHIA & LOS ANGELES—Comcast Cable and WarnerMedia have renewed their carriage agreement to distribute WarnerMedia’s lineup of cable networks to Xfinity TV customers. The deal covers TBS, TNT, CNN, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, TCM, truTV, HLN and CNN en Español as well as on-demand and TV Everywhere content.

The new deal also includes the first distribution agreement for CNN+, which WarnerMedia is launching as a streaming subscription service in the first quarter of 2022. 

Comcast plans to make CNN+ available to its Xfinity customers via its Xfinity X1, Xfinity Flex, and XClass TV platforms later in 2022. 

“We’re so pleased to continue our longstanding relationship with Comcast and deliver best-in-class storytelling, essential news and premium sports to millions of customers,” said Scott Miller, executive vice president of business and legal affairs, WarnerMedia. “It’s an exciting time in our industry as we continue putting consumers at the center of where and how they are informed and entertained. Comcast’s position as both a pay TV provider and app platform complements our foundational business of linear TV and emerging streaming businesses.”

NEW YORK—In a notable and rare attempt by a major media company to provide some transparency and facts relating its diversity efforts, WarnerMedia has released new data showing some progress in its attempts to build a more diverse workforce and a more inclusive talent-base for its productions. 

WarnerMedia’s newly released, “The Power of Stories,” which offers the company’s findings from its “2020/21 Equity and Inclusion” (E&I) shows notable improvements in the percentage of women and people of color working behind the camera on its scripted TV and film productions but also found that the management is less diverse than it’s overall workforce or the U.S. population. 

The report found that in WarnerMedia’s U.S.-based scripted shows, the on-screen representation was 36% women, up 2% from 2019, and 29% for people of color, up 5% from 2019. In terms of behind-the-camera representation, 28% were women, up 5% from 2019 and 29% were people of color, up 6% from 2019.

The study found that Warner Bros. Pictures’ on-screen representation was 30% women, down 4% from 2019 while 29% were people of color, up 5% from 2019. Behind-the-camera, 27% women, up 4% from 2019 while 27% were people of color, up 4% from 2019.

Much better results were reported for animation: 54% of animated protagonists in development at Cartoon Network are female and 52% of lead characters in development at Warner Bros. Animation are female. 

In terms of the overall workforce, 54% were men and 46% were women among its global employees. 

The report found that In the U.S. workforce, 58% are White, 12% Asian American 12% Black, 11% Hispanic/Latinx, 3% two or more races, 0.3% Native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander, 0.1% Native American/Native Alaskan and 3% declined to state a race/ethnicity. 

But the report found that management-level positions were less diverse. The company’s management was 62% White, followed by Asian American 14%, Black 9%, Hispanic/Latinx 9%, "decline to state" 3%, two or more races 3%, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.4%, Native American/Native Alaskan 0.1%.

Things became even less diverse on the senior management level of executives with a title of vice-president or higher, with whites comprising 72%, followed by 10% Asian-American, 7% Black and 6% Hispanic. 

However, recent hiring and promotion data from 2020, showed movement towards more diversity, with 58% of the senior management hired or promoted in 2020 being white, followed by 14% Asian-American, 12% Black and 7% Hispanic. 

The report also outlined a host of programs and efforts to improve those figures and provides extensive detail into equity and inclusion efforts by WarnerMedia’s global portfolio of content and Brands (including Cartoon Network, CNN, DC, HBO, HBO Max, TNT and Warner Bros. Television and Pictures) as well as overall deals, business resource groups, employee experiences, social impact efforts, and pipeline programs. 

“Stories that deeply resonate can change how a person contextualizes the world,” said Jason Kilar, CEO at WarnerMedia.  “Not only do we get to work on this, but we get to work on this at scale. We are a missionary team of nearly 30,000 team members... inspired, passionate and, of course, with the potential to do far more. And that is a good thing given there is so much more to do. These were important steps towards making WarnerMedia more equitable and inclusive. And yet we all acknowledge that the bulk of the work is still in front of us.”

“I firmly believe that talent is distributed equally in the world we live in today, but opportunity is not always evenly distributed,” added Christy Haubegger, executive vice president of communications and chief inclusion officer at WarnerMedia. “That is why we have an Equity & Inclusion strategy that has been put into place to open those opportunities — across our workforce, our content, our pipeline programs, and the work we do within our communities. It is not about random acts of diversity. It’s about ongoing, measured and systemic change if we are going to achieve true equity for everyone.”

The report and a great deal of additional data can be found at the Equity and Inclusion Report Website.

ENGLEWOOD, Co.—Dish Network and WarnerMedia have ended a lengthy three year carriage dispute that will allow subscribers to access the HBO Max streaming service and will restore HBO and Cinemax to Dish TV’s channel line-up.

Dish is the last of the major operators to add HBO Max. HBO has not been available on Dish since 2018.

The deal means that subscribers can now access HBO Max streaming platform and HBO and Cinemax linear networks with a wide portfolio of on-demand content. Tied to the launch and for a limited time, Dish is also offering customers a 10-day free preview to access HBO and Cinemax. 

“Our number one priority at Dish is and always has been to provide our customers the best entertainment experience,” said Brian Neylon, group president, Dish TV. “Our customers now have greater choice in the content they can access. HBO Max and Cinemax offer iconic, beloved and acclaimed content that our customers will enjoy.”

Dish TV customers can subscribe to the HBO Max Ad Free plan for $12 per month for up to 12 months when they subscribe by October 27, 2021, a discount off its standard $14.99 per month pricing, the companies reported. The subscription includes access to the entire HBO service, DC’s iconic superheroes, exclusive Max Originals and major Warner Bros. movies.

“When we launched HBO Max, we set out to make it available to customers everywhere they chose to access premium content, and today’s launch with Dish is a key addition to our distribution strategy for the platform,” said Scott Miller, executive vice president of business & legal affairs for WarnerMedia. “We’re excited that Dish customers can now access all that HBO Max – as well as our premium linear networks –have to offer.”

On-demand HBO and Cinemax content requires an internet-connected Dish Hopper or Wally. Access to the HBO Max app requires a compatible streaming device and internet connection. The 10-day free preview runs from August 6 through August 15. 

BURBANK, Calif—Discovery CEO David Zaslav has announced that the combined Discovery, Warner Media assets will be officially known as “Warner Bros. Discovery.”

 “We love the new company’s name because it represents the combination of Warner Bros.’ fabled hundred year legacy of creative, authentic storytelling and taking bold risks to bring the most amazing stories to life, with Discovery’s global brand that has always stood brightly for integrity, innovation and inspiration,” Zaslav said in making the announcement.

Zaslav, who will lead the merged company, unveiled the new name to WarnerMedia employees at the Warner Bros. studio lot in Burbank.

The logo for the combined company includes a tag line, “the stuff that dreams are made of” from the classic Warner Bros. film “Maltese Falcon,” as an homage to the rich legacy of Warner Bros. and statement about the focus of proposed company, the company reported.  

In May, AT&T and Discovery reached a definitive agreement to combine WarnerMedia’s premium entertainment, sports and news assets with Discovery’s nonfiction and international entertainment and sports businesses to create a single company. The deal is expected to close in mid-2022.

BURBANK, Calif.—HBO Max is expanding its offerings to consumers, announcing it will launch an ad-supported (AVOD) version of the streaming service in the first week of June. The AVOD version of HBO Max will cost $9.99/month, $5 cheaper than the ad-free version of HBO Max.

Simply referred to as HBO Max with Ads by WarnerMedia in its official announcement, the AVOD version will offer nearly all of HBO Max’s content catalog, with the lone exception being the 2021 Warner Bros. movies that are premiering on the premium version of HBO Max the same day they debut in theaters.

User experience will also be identical for both the ad and premium versions, per WarnerMedia, including elements like personalization and customization, parental controls and kid experiences.

WarnerMedia shared the type of ad experiences that will be available on HBO Max with Ads. Available now is “brand block,” where brands own a block of content but that consumers experience with “limited commercial” interruptions. Other ad experiences that are expected to launch in the near future include “pause ads,” which allow for consumer engagement when they take a break from content, and “branded discovery,” with branding opportunities for when users are searching content.

AVOD services have been growing in popularity thanks in part to their discounted prices from ad-free streaming services. HBO Max now joins Peacock and Paramount+ with AVOD and ad-free subscription plans among some of the larger streaming services.

“HBO Max with Ads will bring our beloved entertainment brands and franchises to even more consumers at this new, lower price point-while, for the first time, elegantly connecting brands to the premium, iconic IP that defines this service,” said Tony Goncalves, executive vice president and chief revenue officer for WarnerMedia.

For more information, visit www.hbomax.com.  

DALLAS & NEW YORK—WarnerMedia, which is owned by AT&T, and Discovery Inc. have reached an agreement to form a standalone global entertainment company that will combine WarnerMedia’s entertainment, sports and news assets with Discovery’s nonfiction and international entertainment and sports business.

With the deal, WarnerMedia and Discovery will merge its leadership teams, content creators and content libraries, with nearly 200,000 hours of programming from brands like HBO, Warner Bros., Discovery, HGTV and more, the announcement detailed. It is also poised to help accelerate both companies’ plans for direct-to-consumer streaming services, which already are available via HBO Max and Discovery+.

“The new company will be able to invest in more original content for its streaming services, enhance the programming options across its global linear pay-TV and broadcast channels and offer more innovative video experiences and consumer choices,” the official press release said.

Discovery President and CEO David Zaslav has been tapped to lead the new company. Zaslav will also serve on the new company’s board of directors, which will consist of 13 members in total—seven appointed by AT&T, including the chairperson, and six, including Zaslav, from Discovery.

“This agreement unites two entertainment leaders with complementary content strengths and positions the new company to be one of the leading global direct-to-consumer streaming platforms,” said John Stankey, CEO of AT&T. “It will support the fantastic growth and international launch of HBO Max with Discovery’s global footprint and create efficiencies, which can be re-invested in producing more great content to give consumers what they want. For AT&T shareholders, this is an opportunity to unlock value and be one of the best capitalized broadband companies, focused on investing in 5G and fiber to meet substantial, long-term demand for connectivity. AT&T shareholders will retain their stake in our leading communications company that comes with an attractive dividend. Plus, they will get a stake in the new company, a global media leader that can build one of the top streaming platforms in the world.”

The deal has already been approved by AT&T’s and Discovery’s Board of Directors. Per the terms of the agreement, AT&T will receive $43 billion in a combination of cash, debt securities and WarnerMedia’s retention of certain debt. AT&T’s shareholders would receive stock representing 71% of the new company, while Discovery shareholders would own 29%.

AT&T and Discovery expect the deal to close in mid-2022, subject to approval by Discovery shareholders (no vote is required by AT&T shareholders) and other customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.

ATLANTA—Turner Sports is taking to the ice, announcing a seven-year broadcast and digital rights agreement with the NHL to bring hockey to its TNT and TBS networks, as well as HBO Max, starting with the 2021-2022 season.

Turner will make up the second half of NHL’s broadcast rights package, along with ESPN, which announced its deal with the league back in March.

The deal also officially signals the end of the NHL’s tenure on NBC, which had been the broadcast home of hockey since 2005.

The deal with Turner Sports, which is a division of WarnerMedia, will bring 72 exclusive national regular season games to its networks, half of the Stanley Cup Playoffs each year and exclusive coverage of the Stanley Cup Finals in three of the seven years of the deal; ESPN has the rights to the other years of Stanley Cup Finals and playoff games. In addition, TNT will exclusively present the NHL Winter Classic each year, as well as other live events.

Live game, studio coverage and other programming details will be announced in the months ahead.

In addition, the deal includes a multimedia agreement between Turner Sports and the NHL for live streaming and digital rights across WarnerMedia for mobile, web, tablets and connected devices. This will include live streaming and simulcasting rights for HBO Max; TV Everywhere rights; and expansive digital and highlight rights for its Bleacher Report platform, with plans to create ancillary programming, events and bespoke digital experiences.

Part of the NHL’s deal with ESPN also included streaming rights for its ESPN+ platform.

The NHL is the second major sport league to put a larger emphasis on digital streaming as part of a new broadcast rights package. The NFL announced that it had agreed to give Amazon Prime Video exclusive rights to Thursday Night Football in its new deal, as well as additional rights to CBS and NBC digital platforms.

No financial details on Turner Sports’ deal with the NHL was shared in the official announcement, but according to multiple reports, the deal is for $225 million a year. ESPN is paying $400 million per year for its share of the rights, per reports.

“Turner Sports is known for its outstanding sports coverage, quality and innovation and we are thrilled that this new partnership will provide our fans with the content they love on the platforms and devices of their choice,” said NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. “TNT is a proven and acclaimed destination for sports fans and we will also benefit from the deep connection Bleacher Report has with young digital-savvy fans. Having WarnerMedia join the NHL family as co-rightsholders for the next seven years gives us incredible reach, positions us well for the future as the media landscape continues to evolve, and will fuel continued growth for the NHL and our Clubs.”

NBC will continue to carry the NHL for the remainder of the 2020-2021 season and the NHL playoffs.

“What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?,” is not just an old song title. It was a daunting unknown objective for the ultra-organized project manager Lisa Pedrogo in mid-November. She has overseen major projects for CNN and Turner Broadcasting (prior to its merger into AT&T’s WarnerMedia), but didn’t yet know the plan for CNN’s live Times Square telecast on Dec. 31.  

Pedrogo supervised last year’s WarnerMedia development of its new 110,000 square-foot Hudson Yards facility and, 15 years earlier, managed the creation of CNN’s production venue in the then-new Time-Warner Center at Columbus Circle. The uncertainty about this year’s New Year’s Eve party was frustrating, although she felt able to handle whatever task ultimately evolved. 

Pedrogo manages the engineering team that supports news and sports production at Hudson Yards, including maintenance of all technical production equipment and facilities for CNN, plus desktop support for other WarnerMedia news, sports and entertainment groups.  

When she began her career, with a nontechnical degree, Pedrogo worked as a production assistant for CNN’s Business News and assigned to its flagship Lou Dobbs newscast. She moved up to an assignment editor and producer and eventually joined Dobbs when he launched Space.com. After the dotcom bubble burst, Pedrogo returned to CNN.  

At CNNfn, she oversaw the media management process during the conversion to Avid nonlinear editing.  CNN was a beta test site for Avid, she explained, which had only one other customer for the product. 

“The variety of formats that are out there and remain there,” is the major hurdle for today’s media industry, Pedrogo said, citing the strategic decisions that went into plans for WarnerMedia’s Hudson Yards studio, which supports multimedia content creation and other forward-vision features. “We are moving to software-based technologies.” 

IP is the next big thing, Pedrogo added. “Making it affordable for smaller networks is the challenge,” as is security.  

By mid-November, Pedrogo was still thinking about the New Year’s Eve telecast, knowing that whenever the production decision is made, her team will be up to the challenge.  

BURBANK, Calif.—Warner Bros. Pictures Group has announced that all of its 2021 slate of films will be made available on the HBO Max streaming platform the same day as the movies are scheduled to be released in theaters in the same distribution plan that it previously announced for “Wonder Woman 1984.”

Much anticipated films like “Matrix 4,” “Dune,” Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “In the Heights,” the Denzel Washington-starring “The Little Things” and the Lebron James-led “Space Jam” sequel will be available for free to subscribers on the WarnerMedia-owned HBO Max streaming service for 31 days, after which point they will play exclusively in theaters with customary distribution windows.

In its announcement, Warner Bros. called the move a “consumer-focused distribution model” made in light of the ongoing pandemic. However, the studio says that it only intends to adhere to the model for one-year as it believes that most U.S. theaters will continue to operate at a reduced capacity throughout 2021, even if/when a vaccine for COVID-19 becomes available.

“With this unique one-year plan, we can support our partners in exhibition with a steady pipeline of world-class films, while also giving moviegoers who may not have access to theaters or aren’t quite ready to go back to the movies the chance to see our amazing 2021 films,” said Ann Sarnoff, chair and CEO, WarnerMedia Studios and Networks Group.

WarnerMedia says that it will highlight “the unique opportunity to see our films domestically via HBO Max” in addition to what it says will be its traditional marketing campaigns for theatrical debuts.

While not directly mentioned in the announcement, another factor in this decision is the potential it has to bring in subscribers to HBO Max. The streaming service has gotten off to a slower start compared to some of its other streaming competitors, most notably Disney+. Disney adjusted some of its theatrical distribution plan in the last year—releasing a filmed stage production of the hit musical “Hamilton” free to subscribers and offering the anticipated “Mulan” live action film at a premium cost—that helped boost its subscriber numbers.

One factor in why HBO Max has had some early struggles is that it launched without being available on Amazon Fire and Roku devices. It has since become available on Amazon Fire, but is still not available on Roku.

HBO Max’s new strategy will kick off with the release of “Wonder Woman 1984” on Dec. 25.

DALLAS—Streaming can now be a road trip activity, as AT&T and WarnerMedia have announced a deal that will bring the WarnerMedia Ride in-car streaming service to General Motors vehicles, including Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac.

WarnerMedia Ride is a streaming platform that offers video content on personal smartphones or tablets connected to in-car Wi-Fi hotspots. Available content includes news, sports and entertainment programming from brands like Bleacher Report, Boomerang, Cartoon Network, CNN, TBS, TNT and more.

AT&T has also announced that starting in 2021, it will offer its HBO Max streaming service as a premium bundle for AT&T connected car data plan subscribers.

“We’ve long been committed to ensuring our customers can be connected and entertained just about anywhere,” said Sarita Rao, senior vice president, AT&T Business Marketing. “Bringing content from the WarnerMedia library across GM vehicle brands is another step toward keeping customers connected to the world around them and the content they love.”

WarnerMedia Ride will be available with AT&T unlimited data plans in connected cars at no additional cost across U.S. domestic brands. The WarnerMedia Ride app can be downloaded on the Apple App Store for iOS11+ devices and Google Play for Android 9+ devices. Users will be able to access content when the app senses the vehicle’s Wi-Fi hotspot.

LOS ANGELES—HBO Max, the streaming service created by WarnerMedia, is now available, adding a new platform for consumers’ seemingly constant expanding options of streaming services.

HBO Max offers content from WarnerMedia’s catalog—highlighted by “Friends,” “Game of Thrones,” “The West Wing” and “South Park”—as well as original content, which amounts to 10,000 hours of content, according to WarnerMedia. Other available content comes from HBO, Warner Bros. movies and TV shows, titles from New Line, DC, CNN, TNT, TBS, truTV, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Crunchyroll, Rooster Teeth, Looney Tunes Cartoons and a selection of classic films curated in partnership with Turner Classic Movies.

Product features include editorialized landing pages, premium trays of curated content, HBO Max hubs, genre and category pages. There are multi-user profiles as well as features like Continue Watching, My List and My Downloads. Additional features include parental controls and the ability to download content to watch offline.

“Today we are proud to introduce HBO Max—a dream that was created and nurtured by an incredible team of talented executives who dedicated the last year-and-a-half to making it a reality for consumers nationwide,” said Bob Greenblatt, chairman of WarnerMedia Entertainment and Direct-to-Consumer. “However, this is just the beginning of our journey. We will continue to innovate and evolve this one-of-a-kind platform that brings together beloved programming from across the WarnerMedia family and around the world, while also paving the way for the creative voices of tomorrow.”

HBO Max is automatically available to existing HBO and HBO Now subscribers at no extra cost; the HBO Now app will automatically update to HBO Max. Those interested in subscribing can do so through HBOMax.com, which also has the full list of providers. HBO Max is available for $14.99 a month.

However, consumers that have Roku and Amazon Fire TV will not be able to access HBO Max as of the launch, according to reports from TVT’s sister publication Next|TV.

HBO Max is the third new streaming service to launch this year, following Peacock and Quibi, and the fifth in the last year—Disney+ and Apple TV+ launched in 2019.

NEW YORK—Jason Kilar will soon head up WarnerMedia, as it was announced that Kilar will take over as the company’s CEO as of May 1.

Kilar was the founding CEO of Hulu from 2007 to 2013, before co-founding and serving as the CEO for the video streaming service Vessel. Prior to these positions, he spent nine years at Amazon, including time as the senior vice president of worldwide application software.

In his new role, Kilar will report to John Stankey, AT&T’s president and chief operating officer, who was the previous WarnerMedia CEO.

“Jason is a dynamic executive with the right skill set to lead WarnerMedia into the future,” said Stankey. “His experience in media and entertainment, direct-to-consumer video streaming and advertising is the perfect fit for WarnerMedia, and I am excited to have him lead the next chapter of WarnerMedia’s storied success.

Kilar will join the WarnerMedia team right as it will launch its new HBO Max streaming service in May.

“In partnership with this world-class team, I’m so excited for the opportunity to lean into the future at WarnerMedia,” said Kilar. “Stories well told have always mattered, and they matter even more in this challenging time for the world. It will be a privilege to invent, create and serve with so many talented people. May 1 can’t get here soon enough.”

LONDON—HBO Max is expected to launch to consumers in May, and WarnerMedia is making sure that it has plenty of content to fill its new streaming service, per a new report from Ampere Analysis. Inversely, as the number of titles commissioned for HBO Max increase, the number of shows approved for cable have begun to significantly trail behind.

In the fourth quarter of 2018, WarnerMedia commissioned 29 new titles; 27 of them were designated for its cable services, while only two were meant for streaming. Q1 and Q2 of 2019 saw small increases in the number of approved streaming titles, but cable still dominated. 

However, in Q3 2019, which was the same time period that WarnerMedia announced HBO Max, the dynamics began to change. It was a near 50/50 split between cable and streaming title commissioned during Q3 2019, with 23 approved for cable and 20 for streaming.

Q4 2019 was when streaming officially became the primary placement for newly commissioned WarnerMedia titles, with 46 developed specifically for streaming and 17 developed for cable. In a year’s time, cable went from having more than 90% of the commissioned titles to just more than one quarter of them.

Even with its declining numbers for cable titles, WarnerMedia’s cable properties were still among the top five U.S. cable network commissioners in each quarter of 2019.

“Warner’s pivot toward an increasingly HBO Max-first approach to commissioning is not only apparent in the number of new projects in development, but also in the types of content being commissioned,” noted Fred Black, analyst at Ampere. “Warner’s cable properties commissioned only four sci-fi & fantasy titles in 2019, all at HBO, while its streaming properties greenlit 12. This is the clearest sign yet that the home of the juggernaut “Game of Thrones” will in the future play second fiddle to HBO Max when it comes to some of Warner’s highest-profile genre commissions.”

For more information, visit www.ampereanalysis.com.  

WASHINGTON—WarnerMedia Entertainment Chairman Robert Greenblatt will take part in a keynote conversation Sunday, April 19, at the Wynn Las Vegas during the 2020 NAB Show Executive Leadership Summit (ELS).

Cynthia Littleton, business editor at Variety, will ask Greenblatt about the opportunities WarnerMedia has and the company’s plans for its newly aligned sister companies HBO, TNT, TBS, truTV, Otter Media and the soon-to-be-launched HBO Max, all of which are part of the company’s newly formed Direct-To-Consumer division.

The interview is intended to offer insight into the complex dynamics affecting media. Greenblatt will discuss how the company is expanding its offerings—such as HBO Max, which launches in May—to succeed with today’s audiences.

Besides serving as chairman of WarnerMedia Entertainment, Greenblatt is chairman of Direct-To-Consumer, overseeing a global workforce with responsibility for all creative and operating decisions across its portfolio.

As previously announced, the 2020 Executive Leadership Summit will return to the Encore at Wynn Las Vegas during the NAB Show. It is produced in partnership with Variety.

Attendance at ELS is invite-only. However, senior-level executives interested in attending can visit nabshow.com/els or contact ELSconcierge@nab.org to request an invitation. 

More information is available on the NAB Show website. 

BURBANK, Calif.—HBO Max, the anticipated streaming service from WarnerMedia, will be available for consumers in May 2020 at a monthly subscription price of $14.99. This is one of four new streaming services set to enter the market, joining Disney+ and Apple TV+, which are both launching in November of this year, and NBCU's Peacock in April 2020.

WarnerMedia made the launch date and pricing announcement during what it called WarnerMedia Day on the Warner Bros. Studio lot in Burbank, Calif.

At launch, AT&T will be offering HBO Max to its roughly 10 million HBO subscribers on AT&T distribution platforms for free. Other AT&T customers on premium video, mobile and broadband services will be offered bundles with HBO Max included at no additional charge. HBO Now direct-billed users who subscribe through HBONow.com will also be given access to HBO Max. WarnerMedia said it is in active discussions with other distributors to provide the HBO Max platform.

The goal for HBO Max, according to WarnerMedia, is 50 million domestic subscribers and 75 to 90 million premium subscribers by the end of 2025 throughout the U.S., Latin America and Europe; though it was revealed that international markets aren't expected to have access to HBO Max until 2021.

HBO Max plans to try and attract these subscribers through its content, including what it says is 10,000 hours of premium content that combines popular archival shows and movies, as well as original programming.

The library content is led by HBO’s popular titles of TV shows and movies, including “Game of Thrones” and the newly announced prequel series “House of the Dragon.” Other popular shows that will be featured on the service include “South Park,” “Rick and Morty,” “The Bachelor,” “The West Wing,” “Friends,” “Impractical Jokers,” “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown” and the libraries of The Looney Tunes, Merrie Melodies and Hannah Barbara.

Some of the original content includes a Green Lantern TV series, sci-fi show “Raised by Wolves” executive produced and directed by Ridley Scott, original shows from Mindy Kaling and Issa Rae, stand-up specials presented by Conan O’Brien and more. For its original programming, HBO Max has announced that like Disney+ and Apple TV+ it will rollout the shows every week rather than the bingeable launches of Netflix shows.

There are also plans to eventually schedule live, interactive and special event programming. The complete list of what will be available on HBO Max at launch can be seen here.

WarnerMedia also highlighted some of the features of the HBO Max service. These will include recommendations from talent and influencers, shared homepages that are designed for co-viewing habits, personalized profiles and homepages, kids’ profiles and parental PIN usage, content hubs and downloads for offline viewing.

WarnerMedia also announced that it expects to launch an AVOD option within its first year to offer flexible pricing packages.

Watch the promo video for HBO Max below:

NEW YORK—WarnerMedia is moving into the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, announcing that it will be constructing a new 20,000-square-foot facility WarnerMedia Innovation Lab that is set to be AT&T’s first permanent 5G experience center.

The lab, which is expected to open its doors in early 2020, will feature an immersive zone to showcase consumer-ready experiences to the public, flexible indoor and outdoor event spaces, dedicated R&D environments and an open, collaborative work space. The 5G workplace will enable a real-time virtualized collaboration ecosystem across WarnerMedia and AT&T locations in Los Angeles, Seattle and Atlanta.

“By working across AT&T, we’re able to combine the latest in 5G technology with immersive content experiences and cutting-edge advertising capabilities,” said David Christopher, president of AT&T Mobility and Entertainment.

Some of the first projects for the Innovation Lab will be based around advertising. Xandr, AT&T’s advanced advertising and analytics company, will provide consumer insights and technology to the lab as it continues to test and develop new advertising capabilities. Projects are expected to include MR/VR applications, 5G uses that enhance advertising capabilities and better UI/UX experiences for Make Advertising Matter.

Architectural design firm Design Republic will handle the project, which is expected to begin this summer.

NEW YORK--Four months after a federal judge approved an $80 billion merger with Time Warner, AT&T has announced plans to launch a new direct-to-consumer streaming service in the fourth quarter of 2019, according to company president John Stankey.

The service is expected to be centered around WarnerMedia’s (the new name of the merged media division of AT&T), HBO and offer a selection of WarnerMedia-owned movies, TV series and documentaries, but it won’t replace the current HBO Now streaming service, Stankey added.

“We are committed to launching a compelling and competitive product that will serve as a complement to our existing businesses and help us to expand our reach by offering a new choice for entertainment with the WarnerMedia collection of films, television series, libraries, documentaries and animation loved by consumers around the world,” Stankey said. “We expect to create such a compelling product that it will help distributors increase consumer penetration of their current packages and help us successfully reach more customers.”

The announcement is not a surprise, given that AT&T partly based its acquisition of Time Warner on the idea that it planned to enter the increasingly crowded OTT market dominated by Netflix, Amazon and Hulu and the proliferation of “skinny bundles,” lower-cost streaming packages designed to attract so-called “cord cutters.” Disney has announced plans to launch a streaming service and Apple is also planning on a new streaming service with original programming. Apple announced yesterday that it would make its original programming available for free to owners of Apple devices.

The federal government’s opposition to the merger was based on the idea that a telecommunications company owning a content company would violate antitrust laws. It has appealed the federal court’s June decision.