HBO Max Had “Flawless” Launch, AT&T CEO John Stankey Says, Drawing 4.1 Million Signups, Dwarfing HBO Now Engagement

Dade Hayes Finance EditorAT&T CFO John Stephens said the layoffs currently affecting WarnerMedia should not be seen as a course correction after the May launch of HBO Max, but rather as a “refocusing” of the company.The executive discussed the reductions of about 600 WarnerMedia staffers and many other topics during an online appearance Tuesday at the Oppenheimer Technology, Internet & Communications Conference.Starting Friday and continuing into this week, the restructuring was punctuated by

Nellie Andreeva Co-Editor-in-Chief, TVWarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar shook up the top ranks at the AT&T-owned media company today, consolidating all film, TV and streaming content under Warner Bros.’ Ann Sarnoff. The sweeping restructuring includes expanded responsibilities for HBO Max’s Andy Forssell and HBO’s Casey Bloys and the exit of top WarnerMedia/HBO Max executives Bob Greenblatt, Kevin Reilly and Keith Cocozza.Like with any major consolidation, there will be a ripple effect.

Elaine Low Senior TV WriterWarnerMedia sprung the news Friday of a major internal reshuffling, which translated to the departures of WarnerMedia Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt and HBO Max chief content officer Kevin Reilly, and the elevations of Warner Bros. chief Ann Sarnoff and HBO programming guru Casey Bloys.

Who needs to read books for creative inspiration anymore? That’s so 20th century. We’re in 2020 now and if we need inspiration for a new TV series, you have to look at Twitter, obviously.

In the ever-growing Streaming Wars, where platforms aim to destroy each other for the coveted subscriber dollars, content is the ammunition. If you have lots of ammo and a few big guns, you can do a lot of damage.

Opinions of Ridley Scott’s “Prometheus” normally fall into one of two camps. The first camp, which is the seeming majority of people, despise the film and don’t even acknowledge the project’s connection to the “Alien” franchise.

It’s easy to forget among the noise of toxicity, cultural division, polarized memes, and bad blood, that the people bringing us 24/7 news are just that, people. The new CNN Films documentary “On The Trail: Inside The 2020 Primaries” silences the rhetoric to reveal what it really takes for lead political reporters to deliver stories.

Well, isn’t this a pickle??

Jill Goldsmith Co-Business EditorThe current throwdown between Amazon and HBO Max got pulled into a tech titan hearing on Capitol Hill Thursday.A member of a House subcommittee wondered why the Jeff Bezos company couldn’t rightfully be accused of a “structural conflict of interest” in negotiating terms as a video gatekeeper and a video competitor to the new streaming service.“I’m not familiar with the details of those negotiations. As you said, they’re underway right now.

Also Read: 'Ellen DeGeneres Show' Under Investigation by WarnerMedia for Workplace Harassment“Linda is an unstoppable force who has cast some of the most iconic and longest lasting programs, not only changing television, but also having a ripple effect on our culture at large,” said HBO Max boss Kevin Reilly.

delayed due to the coronavirus.In perhaps more surprising news, the streamer says its “No. 2 performing show” is Anna Kendrick original “Love Life.” “Friends” is supposedly “closely followed” by the comedy, which was picked up for a second season last month, despite mixed reviews.According to HBO Max, “The Big Bang Theory” is currently in the number three slot, and the streamer touts that eight of its originals are in the top 25 series since launch.

Dade Hayes Finance EditorAs expected, Friends appears to be delivering the goods for HBO Max, with WarnerMedia revealing that it is the top show on the platform since its launch on May 27.The disclosure follows AT&T’s earnings call last week, when CEO John Stankey said the service has attracted 4.1 new signups, including through direct outreach and AT&T wireless offers.

The slate of programming available on the new streaming service HBO Max continues to expand in unexpected ways, though this recent announcement might be their most peculiar yet. According to Variety, the young streaming service has commissioned a 10-episode run of a new series titled “A World of Calm” which promises to combine “mesmeric imagery with narration by A-list stars” with figures Mahershala Ali, Nicole Kidman and Keanu Reeves already signed on to the new health and wellness show.

Anthony D'Alessandro Editorial Director/Box Office EditorEXCLUSIVE: Creep franchise filmmaker and HBO Room 104 director Patrick Brice has boarded The Wild at HBO Max and Warner Max, a project he’ll direct and adapt from the Owen Laukkanen young female suspense novel.The Wild, from Underlined Paperbacks, centers around Dawn. She’s not a bad person – she’s just made some bad choices: wrong guy, wrong friends, wrong everything.

Also Read: AT&T Tops Tempered Q2 Earnings Expectations but Misses on Revenue as Warner Bros, Turner Feel COVID Impact“I think I said last quarter that I fully expected coming out of COVID that I would be surprised if the industry as a whole didn’t see some adjustment in the theatrical construct,” the AT&T CEO said. “And I also made the point that, look, I think theatrical still has an absolute important role moving forward.

Jill Goldsmith, Dade Hayes With earnings season well under way, AT&T Thursday kicks off a spate of financial reports by media and entertainment companies that will give investors the first close-up look at a quarter dominated by COVID-19.The April-to-June period is likely to see a startling amount of red ink, especially for any players with exposure to theatrical movie releasing, live sports and theme parks.

HBO Max is already saying goodbye one of its biggest franchises. On Aug. 25, all eight films will depart the recently launched streaming service, meaning if you've been putting off signing up for HBO Max and still want to watch while you still can, now is the time, before the movies fly away on their Nimbus 2000.Alongside and the Studio Ghibli films, is one of several mega-popular properties on HBO Max.

Also Read: Summer TV 2020: Premiere Dates for New and Returning Shows (Photos)Per HBO Max, “With exclusive access to CNN’s political correspondents and embedded campaign journalists, the film reveals a 360⁰, rare view of the intensity and determination essential to pushing through challenges on the road, and manage demands at home.

During these turbulent times, HBO Max wants you to just … relax. The streamer has ordered “A World of Calm,” a series based on the popular app and narrated by a slew of big names.The 10-episode order co-produced by Calm and Nutopia is HBO Max’s first brush with the health and wellness space.

Also Read: Michael Che to Star in Sketch Comedy Series at HBO MaxHere’s how HBO Max describes the series:A timely antidote for our modern lives, each half-hour episode takes audiences on an immersive visual journey into another world. Building on the record-breaking success of Calm’s Sleep Stories – bedtime stories for grown ups with over 250m listens – each relaxing tale is designed to transform how you feel.