Warner Bros discovers it can’t be everything
Large media conglomerates attempt to be every kind of entertainment company at once, but then struggle to do much of it particularly well
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IN WHAT is quickly becoming a pattern, Warner Bros Discovery is making headlines for taking a mulligan. Less than a month after reversing its inexplicable 2023 decision to drop the valuable HBO branding from its streaming service, HBO Max, the entertainment conglomerate is following up on its three-year-old merger of two separate companies by...splitting them into two separate companies.
The specifics of this and similar recent shake-ups make clear a troubling trend: Media giants attempt to be every kind of entertainment company at once, and then struggle to do much of it particularly well. Ultimately, the audience is left with the short end of the stick.
To be fair, the split isn’t quite a full-blown reversal like the HBO Max to Max back to HBO Max branding backflip. The 2022 merger brought together WarnerMedia’s assets (including Warner Bros, DC Entertainment HBO, CNN and TNT) with Discovery’s holdings (Discovery Channel, TLC, Discovery+ to name a few). The new proposal will separate Warner Bros Discovery’s offerings into two companies: one for its streaming assets and film studios, and another for its legacy cable TV channels.
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