HBO and Max content CEO Casey Bloys has announced they are changing the delineation between what is defined as an HBO show versus a Max show. According to Variety, many Warner Bros. IP big-budget tentpoles are moving from Max to HBO.
Some of those series include the highly anticipated Harry Potter series. The It prequel series titled Welcome to Derry, as well as the Green Lanterns DC series that was just announced today titled Lanterns. These big-budget titles will all be branded as HBO Originals.
Bloys says that they wanted to create a clear distinction between what series fall under each banner. Big-budget series should get the HBO label, while Max should feature series that are more in the broadcast or traditional television stream. This would include series like the upcoming 15-episode medical drama The Pitt and the crime thriller Duster.
“What we talked about with John was specifically how you would approach a network show for a streamer. Typically, the production budget allows you to do more episodes. There’s closed-ended storytelling per episode, which is not typically what you would see in an HBO show.”
-Casey Bloys
Bloys did not give a ballpark number on what would be considered a Max or HBO budget. But it’s safe to assume that the higher the budget, the more likely it would fall under the HBO umbrella. They will also consider another qualification.
“For a show that feels big and cinematic, they already are going to make the assumption that it feels like an HBO show.”
-Casey Bloys
The split will allow certain projects to have more creative freedom and flexibility, as they will not be under the pressure of HBO expectations.
Interestingly enough, this shift in delineation will probably not be noticed by many people at home. All of the series will still stream on Max, but the HBO-branded series will now be guaranteed to run on the linear network as well, giving the network more programming for 2025.
The branding changes will officially take place with shows premiering next year. This means that shows like The Penguin and Dune: Prophecy, which premieres later this year, will still be Max Originals. One reason is that they have already been sold overseas with the Max label.
So, what do you think about this news for Max?
Source: Variety
