Warner Bros. Discovery has been removing tons of movie and television titles, especially kid-friendly content, marking a shift in strategy. With that in the backdrop, the company is offering new and existing customers a big limited-time offer.
According to Deadline, any consumer willing to buy a full-year plan will pay $104.99 for the ad-free option and $69.99 for the ad-supported tier, compared to the original price of $149.99 and $99.99 respectively, a 42% saving. The deal ends Oct. 30 and can be used for only one year.
Why is HBO offering the big discount?
The report notes that this offer coincides with the launch of HBO’s long-awaited “Game of Thrones” prequel “House of the Dragon” on Aug. 21. It may also be a play to hold on to subscribers who usually cancel their membership right after streaming big-budget releases.
(“House of Dragon” reportedly cost $23 million per episode.)
This offer could also indicate HBO’s desire to bolster revenue amid all the changes the company has instituted as of late, according to Vulture.
What are the changes going on in Warner Bros. Discovery?
Earlier this week, the company laid off 70 HBO and HBO Max employees from its unscripted division. Warner Bros. Discovery has also been purging its content, removing titles without warning and canceling finished movies like “Batgirl.”
“As we work toward bringing our content catalogs under one platform, we will be making changes to the content offering available on both HBO Max and Discovery+. That will include the removal of some content from both platforms,” an HBO Max spokesman said in a statement, per CNBC News.
Most of the content removed was either unscripted or catering to kids and families, including shows like “Generation, Infinity Train,” “12 Dates of Christmas” and “Sesame Street” spin off “The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo,” according to a running list published by Variety.
During the second quarter earnings call in early August, the company revealed that HBO Max and Discovery+ will become one platform.
Warner Bros Discovery categorized HBO Max as skewed towards men, featuring more scripted content and fandom-related media, while Discovery+ leans toward women, with unscripted shows and comfort-viewing programming, becoming home to “genredoms.”
Instead of trying to compete in a niche it doesn’t specialize in, the parent company wants to focus on adult-only content only, according to CNBC.