Huh! WBD top brass dropped that quote the other week and I’m late to comment because I had to let the temper, no ire, subside before I commented because – I‘m an HBO purist. I’ll keep this rant to a short 300 words, I promise.
The quote, “the HBO name turns off many potential subscribers” is in relation to the declaration that WBD will be changing the name of the forthcoming new streaming service to something that will not have the name “HBO” attached to it. Okay, your little think tank did not want the new name to favor either HBO or Discovery, I get it so, something more neutral was in order. MAX [capital letters mine] seems to be the title everyone is latching onto, but no official word as of yet. Hey, have you ever heard of Cinemax?
Anyway, the quote is not a false statement. You thought I was totally going to disavow it, right? No, there are entertainment viewers that do not enjoy HBO content. They don’t go for the blood & skin HBO content often has in it. They are unsettled by the violence of GAME OF THRONES and the immorality in EUPHORIA, etc. because they want more wholesome content for their families. Understood. What I don’t like about the quote at issue here, is that the other side of the coin should be stated also. Since David Zaslav is not a WB loyalist but a Discovery one, he fails to see the other side of the coin.
Is not the following statement also true? “the Discovery name turns off many potential subscribers.” Yes, that too is a true statement. There are those not interested in home renovation and food shows. Me, for one! Yes, I know that Discovery is not part of the new site’s title, but Discovery content will be a very big part of it. Since there are those who are turned off by HBO content Discovery fans get to keep their own separate Discovery+ site if they so choose. But those turned off by Discovery content do not get a separate HBO site to enjoy they have to put up with content they don’t want. Well, I guess you can tell I don’t like that at all.
Thank goodness THE LAST OF US was another sensational HBO series; that SUCCESSION, BARRY and EUPHORIA each have great seasons ahead. Because if they didn’t the title “HBO Original” would seem to be short-lived with the way the new iteration appears to be going. Okay, breathe in, breathe out and done.
Oh, yes, there is a new pricing structure but I guess I couldn’t fit it in with my rant. Some other time.
