Following weeks of upheaval, 70 jobs have now been cut at HBO Max.
As reported by Deadline, the job losses, which account for 14% of the company's staff, come in the wake of the 2021 merger between WarnerMedia and Discovery. The latest cost-cutting measures, which have been enacted by CEO David Zaslav, will see resources diminish in the reality programming and casting departments. International and acquisitions are also among the affected areas.
The cuts, which are part of a ploy to find $3 billion in post-merger savings, will facilitate the introduction of a new company structure that seeks to eliminate future staff redundancies. As part of the reshuffle, Sarah Aubrey will now take control of international programming while continuing to oversee original dramas; Amy Gravitt, the longtime head of comedy, will now take on HBO Max's original comedy in tandem with her original role.
The restructuring has reportedly occurred in order to preserve the bulk of HBO Max's scripted content, led by Casey Bloys. In a company-wide memo, the HBO Content Chief paid tribute to his staff, writing, "First, I want to thank and acknowledge all of you for the unparalleled, incredible work you’ve done across all of our programming efforts. This team has achieved successes over an unprecedented stretch of challenges -- from 140 Emmy nominations across our brand to the recent coverage celebrating HBO Max as one of the best streaming services in the market. I commend your focus and commitment to excellence through these very uncertain times."
Bloys, who began his latest role in 2020, also spoke of the volatile nature of streaming services in the modern world, writing, "Unfortunately, the environment in which we operate is changing rapidly, and it is up to us to continue to refine our model to chart a course for long term success." He went on to reference Warner Bros. Discovery's recent ill-fated earnings call. "As you heard from David Zaslav during our last earnings call, producing top-tier HBO/Max scripted content is crucial to WBD's future," Bloys wrote. "Part of this process involves an honest assessment of what we need moving forward."
The merger, which will see the HBO Max and Discovery+ platforms combine, has seen the company devise a new strategy, with Zaslav stating that the trend of expensive films going straight to streaming services made "no financial sense." This restructuring led to the cancellation of Batgirl, with Wonder Twins and Scoob! Holiday Haunt also being canned by the studio. The combined platform of HBO Max and Discovery+ is due in 2023, while further layoffs are expected at Warner Bros. Discovery in the coming months.
Source: Deadline