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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

Warner Bros. Library to Fuel New HBO Max

WarnerMedia is taking HBO to the max when it comes to online streaming. HBO Max is the name of its new streaming service that will cater to families with young children to adults of all ages with classic shows like “Friends” and others from Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank. The service, which will launch next spring and initially have 10,000 hours of premium content, will also add new original programming. Robert Greenblatt, chairman of WarnerMedia Entertainment, said HBO Max will bring together the diverse riches of WarnerMedia to create programming and a user experience not seen before in a streaming platform. “HBO’s world-class programming leads the way, the quality of which will be the guiding principle for our new array of Max Originals, our exciting acquisitions and the very best of the Warner Bros. libraries,” Greenblatt said in a statement. Casey Bloys, programming president of HBO, will continue to oversee content on HBO Max. Kevin Reilly, president of Warner Media Entertainment Networks, will serve as chief content officer of the new streaming service, overseeing the Max Originals and library content. Tony Goncalves and Andy Forssell, both of Otter Media, will handle duties as head of development and general manager, respectively. “Under the leadership of two of the strongest creative visionaries – Bloys and Reilly – and two of the most experienced digital experts – Goncalves and Forssell – I have no doubt they and their dedicated teams will deliver the world’s best storytelling to audiences of all ages wherever and whenever they want it,” Greenblatt continued in his statement. Among HBO Max’s content are the exclusive streaming rights to all 236 episodes of “Friends” that aired for 10 seasons on NBC from 1994 to 2004; the exclusive streaming rights to fan favorites “Pretty Little Liars” and “Fresh Prince of Bel Air,” that made a star out of its lead Will Smith; exclusive streaming rights to new dramas produced by Warner Bros. for the CW; and exclusive movie deals with Greg Berlanti, producer of such shows as “Supergirl,” “The Flash” and “Riverdale.” Berlanti said that what he likes about creating shows that connect with a young audience is that the fans grow up with the programs and remember them for the rest of their lives. “Now I get to do even more of that for HBO Max, where viewers will be able to discover shows on their own time, in their own way,” Berlanti said in a statement. “Like any great novel, these shows will be there waiting for you.” Original programs streaming on the service will include “The Flight Attendant,” a one-hour thriller series based on the novel by Chris Bohjalian and starring Kaley Cuoco (“The Big Bang Theory”), who is executive producing alongside Berlanti; “Love Life,” a 10-episode half-hour romantic comedy anthology series starring “Pitch Perfect” star Anna Kendrick; “Station Eleven,” a postapocalyptic limited series based on Emily St. John Mandel’s international bestseller; and “Gremlins,” an animated series from Warner Bros. Animation and Amblin Entertainment based on the original movie.

Mark Madler
Mark Madler
Mark R. Madler covers aviation & aerospace, manufacturing, technology, automotive & transportation, media & entertainment and the Antelope Valley. He joined the company in February 2006. Madler previously worked as a reporter for the Burbank Leader. Before that, he was a reporter for the City News Bureau of Chicago and several daily newspapers in the suburban Chicago area. He has a bachelor’s of science degree in journalism from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

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