Gunnar Wiedenfels told an investors conference 'there’s a lot more openness to discuss the options' ahead for additional industry consolidation in a disruptive streaming era.
“What really differentiates us, what really swings the needle when it comes to growth momentum is quality. It’s the quality content that we can produce in a way that nobody else can,” Wiedenfels said of popular HBO series underpinning Max during an appearance at the MoffettNathanson Media, Internet and Communications Conference.
HBO Max launched in 2020 as home to a host of popular HBO shows, and first became Max in 2023. That’s as WBD looked to broaden the streamer with a more mainstream content offering. “There was a lot of everything-for-everyone in the market. And we obviously came out of the gate with a combined portfolio, with our Discovery Networks and HBO.”But Wiedenfels told investors Max was now moving from a more-is-better to a better-is-better approach to content as consumers appear to covet unique content in an increasingly crowded streaming space. “The market has spoken here, and quality is the real differentiator,” he said. Wiedenfels also addressed the possibility of WBD doing a major split of company in the wake a disruptive streaming era. “There’s a lot more openness to discuss the options, opportunities, and we’re just going to make sure that we are in a position to take advantage of whatever opportunity arises,” Wiedenfels said of major Hollywood players possibly positioning themselves for what many see as another round of industry mergers and acquisitions on the horizon.the studio was considering a split of the company to follow Comcast with its cable TV channels spinoff. Faber talked about WB studios being paired with Max and the Discovery linear cable channels being spun off into a separate company. WBD has already begun to reorganize the company with an eye to a possible spinoff of its legacy TV assets. In Dec. 2024, the studio said it had reworked its corporate structure into a global linear TV division, separate from its streaming and studios division. WBD added it had begun the early steps leading toward the new corporate reorganization, with a completion set for mid-2025. Asked about the timeline for “strategic action” at the company to better reveal the underlying value of studio assets, Wiedenfels didn’t bring out his crystal ball. “I can’t give a specific timeline, and there is no specific timeline. But we definitely share the view that our current share price is not reflecting the underlying the value of our company,” he said. But he insisted the recent company reorganization gave WBD “a lot of flexibility,” and greater transparency for the studio’s linear TV, studios and streaming businesses.Disney Debuts New ‘Lilo & Stitch’ Merch Ahead of Live-Action Remake — Get A Sneak Peek at the Adorable Toys, Clothing and More Decor Site Society6 Teams With HGTV’s ‘Love It or List It’ on a Curation Fit for Father’s Day and Beyond. We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. // This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the GoogleTom Cruise Shuts Down Tariffs Talk at ‘Mission: Impossible’ Press Event: “We’d Rather Answer Questions About the Movie”The Hollywood Reporter is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2025 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Israel TV Giant Reshet 13 Completes Buyout Deal, Cutting Warner Bros. Discovery’s StakeManagement of the Israeli TV giant has emerged with a 74 percent stake, while Access Industries and and Warners retain a 26 percent holding as part of an ownership change.
Read more »
Warner Bros. Discovery starts Max password-sharing crackdownPriced at $7.99 a month, the friend or family member of the primary account owner gets their own stand-alone account under the same subscription.
Read more »
Warner Bros. Discovery's Max joins the password-sharing crackdownThe streaming service known for 'Hacks' and 'The Pitt' has introduced a paid sharing feature to crack down on freeloaders.
Read more »
Warner Bros. Discovery Beats Lawsuit Over Superman RightsThe lawsuit from estate of Superman co-creator Joseph Shuster threatened 'Superman's' rollout in several countries ahead of its release. The court found that the case doesn't belong in federal court.
Read more »
Superman Movie Lawsuit Dismissed, Warner Bros. Discovery Gives StatementA lawsuit attempting to block the release of James Gunn's DCU Superman movie in certain markets has been dismissed.
Read more »
Sounds Like Warner Bros. Discovery Will Have Its Own SpinCo in the “Not-Too-Distant” FutureCNBC’s David Faber reports that a spinoff of Warners’ cable channels is imminent.
Read more »