Paramount/Comcast JV SkyShowtime Snaps Up HBO Max, Disney Execs To Lead Strategy & Legal

At the end of a day that saw about 70 (14%) staffers in his divisions getting laid off, Casey Bloys, Chief Content Officer for HBO & HBO Max, just sent an email to his team about the cuts as well as his new (old) senior HBO/Max scripted executive team of Amy Gravitt, Francesca Orsi and Sarah Aubrey which includes new responsibilities for Gravitt and Aubrey.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeAfter weeks of speculation, Warner Bros. Discovery is ready to reveal some of the changes that will take place at HBO Max, in advance of next year’s anticipated combination of the HBO Max and Discovery+ streaming services. And as expected, HBO Max will downsize its reality programming department.

The dreaded post-merger Warner Bros. Discovery layoffs have reached the programming operation overseen by HBO and HBO Max Chief Content Officer Casey Bloys.

It was announced last week that Warner Bros. Discovery would indeed be combining streaming services Discovery+ and HBO Max into a single app that will launch in the United States next summer.

After a few days of mass uncertainty, with folks on social media wondering what is going on at one of the biggest studios in Hollywood, Warner Bros. Discovery has shed some light on the company’s future.

HBO Max and Discovery+ will merge to become one streaming service next year.In a second quarter earnings call on Thursday (August 4), Warner Bros. Discovery’s CEO David Zaslav announced that the merged streamer will launch in the summer of 2023 in the US, with Latin America, Europe and other territories to follow soon after. The combined streaming service will be released with ad-free, ad-light and ad-only options.As reported by Entertainment Weekly, Zaslav addressed concerns that the merger would result in less emphasis on original programmes.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorWarner Bros. Discovery is not going to say how many HBO and HBO Max customers it has.In the second quarter, the media conglomerate said HBO Max, HBO and Discovery+ subscribers combined were 92.1 million, up about 1.6 million from 90.4 million the prior quarter. That’s up 22% 75.8 million on a pro-forma basis versus a year earlier.However, WBD’s streaming businesses lost subscribers domestically in Q2, dropping 300,000 — falling from 53.3 million in the first quarter to 53.0 million as of June 30.For Q1, AT&T — the prior owner of WarnerMedia and HBO Max — had reported 76.8 million total HBO and HBO Max subscribers worldwide, including 48.6 million domestically.

EXCLUSIVE: Ellen won’t be growing up on HBO Max.

There are some interesting, somewhat odd things happening over at Warner Bros. Discovery, huh? Obviously, we have yesterday’s news that “Batgirl” and the new “Scoob!” films are both being shelved even though they were seemingly close to being finished.

Six hit Warner Bros. movies were quietly removed from HBO Max and fans are not happy.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorWarner Bros. Discovery has been quietly culling content from HBO Max — including several Warner Bros.

Why did Warner Bros scrap Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt?

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentJennifer Lopez is on the Italian island of Capri where she’s set to perform on Saturday at a Ukraine-focused charity gala for UNICEF.After being sighted earlier this week in Paris with newly married husband Ben Affleck, Lopez disembarked late Thursday on Capri, alone, ahead of Saturday’s exclusive event.Expected guests at the gala, which is called LuisaViaRoma for UNICEF, include Leonardo DiCaprio and Jamie Foxx — who have been spotted by Italian paparazzi together earlier this week in a Capri night club — as well as Elon Musk’s mother, the supermodel Maye Musk, Naomi Campbell, Jared Leto, and Vanessa Hudgens.The intimate Capri charity event will take place in the island’s Certosa di San Giacomo, a 14th-century monastery with a large grassy cloister area and a stunning view of the Mediterranean. Lopez will be the main musical act at the exclusive gala, where the hit-making DJ Diplo and actor and singer Sofia Carson, who are both from the U.S., as well as Switzerland’s DJ Cruz, are among other artists that are expected to take the stage, Italy’s La Repubblica reported.Past editions of the charity concert have been complemented with performances by the likes of John Legend, Katy Perry and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, as well as Rita Ora, Ricky Martin and Ellie Goulding, according to Variety sister publication Women’s Wear Daily, which broke the news in May that Lopez would headline the Capri gala.After kicking off with musical entertainment, the event will be followed by a lavish dinner and a charity auction.The guest list also includes Dutch supermodel and actor Lara Stone; U.S.

Hey, Upper East Siders! Gossip Girl is coming back for a second season — and there may be another cameo from one of the original cast members.

Mark Dacascos (Hawaii Five-O) and Chelsea Muirhead (Slo Pitch) are set as series regulars on the upcoming third season of martial arts crime drama Warrior on HBO Max.