HBO Max is slowly morphing into a shell of its former self. Image: Presley Ann (Getty Images)
The world is currently mourning the unclear future of one of the major streaming services – HBO Max – amid its ongoing merger with Discovery+. This week, HBO Max is reportedly removing 36 titles from the streaming service, including 20 of its own productions, in the biggest dump in recent history.
HBO Max is widely regarded as a streaming service with a portfolio of exceptional quality content – check out series like Our Flag Means Death, Euphoria and Peacemaker, for example. When Warner Bros. Discovery head David Zaslav announced earlier this month that HBO Max would be merging with Discovery+, fans were rightly concerned about what might happen to some of their most popular content. The bloodbath of axed content began a few weeks ago when shows like Snowpiercer and movies like Moonshot were removed from HBO Max, and this week the streamer is dumping 36 titles — the biggest purge we’ve seen yet — according to a report from Variety .
“As we work to bring our content catalogs together on one platform, we will be making changes to the content offering available on both HBO Max and Discovery+,” says HBO Max, as quoted by Variety. “This will include the removal of some content from both platforms.”
20 of those titles are HBO Max Originals and are primarily unscripted reality/talk shows or animated series. HBO Max removing its own content is a bit of a paradox, as it won’t be available on the platform it’s made for, with no clear where it’s going – if at all. This has understandably angered some series creators, like Summer Camp Island creator Julia Pott, who tweeted: “Animation is not nothing!”
When Gizmodo asked HBO Max why the service was removing its own content, they explained in a statement: “[W]We’re already starting to bring our content catalogs together, like the launch of the new CNN Originals Hub on Discovery+ and a curated collection of Magnolia Network content coming to HBO Max soon.” It’s a promising quote indicating that this content likely moving to a new service, but in the meantime those shows are in limbo. Until they find a new home, here’s a list of some of the HBO Max kills that hurt the most, followed by all 36 titles being removed from the service.
While the drag of these shows isn’t good news for their loyal viewers, it seems the streaming service wants to keep viewership numbers high. On Thursday, HBO Max introduced a limited-time discount for new and returning customers. The offer would mean savings of over 40% if they prepay for an annual subscription by October 30th.