HBO Max cuts 14 of staff or 70 employees mostly

HBO Max cuts 14% of staff, or 70 employees, mostly in casting, acquisitions and reality TV

Warner Bros. Discovery President and CEO David Zaslav speaks to the media as he arrives at the Sun Valley Resort for the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference July 5, 2022 in Sun Valley, Idaho.

Kevin Dietsch | Getty Images

According to people familiar with the matter, Warner Bros. Discovery is cutting 70 jobs at HBO Max, primarily in the division’s reality, casting and acquisitions departments.

The downsizing, which accounts for 14% of the streamer’s workforce, is part of a larger effort at Warner Bros. Discovery to eliminate duplication as HBO Max and Discovery+ merge into one streaming service. Discovery completed its $43 billion acquisition of WarnerMedia in April. Chief Executive Officer David Zaslav has promised $3 billion in synergies from the merger.

Many of the employees who lost their jobs were members of teams led by former HBO Max chief content officer Kevin Reilly and no longer fit into Warner Bros. Discovery’s new structure, two of the people said. Reilly left the company in 2020.

Zaslav is combining HBO Max and Discovery+ into a new streaming service that will launch in the US in mid-2023. Discovery will provide the reality programming for this product, eliminating the need for HBO Max’s reality division, people said. HBO also often works directly with casting directors rather than using in-house staff, and has phased out many of its so-called pay-one deals in which it acquires licensed films — work done by its acquisitions division.

Other affected departments are business affairs, programming and production, one of the people said.

No shows will be canceled as part of the job cuts, the people said. The job cuts are not targeting HBO Max’s scripted series or films.

A spokesman for HBO Max declined to comment.

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