Latest news with #JoseMariaCaro
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
In Spain, Warner Exec Explains the HBO Max Rebrand
Warner Bros. Discovery's decision to return to the HBO Max brand for its streaming service was the elephant in the room that Jose Maria Caro, director of Max Local Original Production at WBD, Spain, addressed right at the start of his appearance at the Conecta Fiction & Entertainment in Cuenca, Spain on Tuesday. 'Many of you are asking what has happened,' he said, addressing the industry audience directly, showing a slide with an advertising message with the slogan 'Max becomes HBO Max.' More from The Hollywood Reporter Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey and 'Jurassic World Rebirth' Cast Stun London at World Premiere Eurovision Drama and 'The Nameless': Movistar Plus+ Exec Touts Focus on Event Programming Lewis Hamilton Signed Off on Brad Pitt and Damson Idris' Driving in 'F1: The Movie' 'What does it mean? In terms of the content, we can't lose the value of HBO,' the top executive explained. 'It contributes much value.'Caro highlighted that the brand also represents the core 'editorial line' and focus areas for the company when greenlighting original content. 'The creator is the pillar from which we begin a project,' he shared, emphasizing that ideally that a creator is 'someone with great ambition who can make a difference in the market.' Developing appealing original characters is also in focus for his team, he shared. 'We are also looking for new characters,' the exec said. Highlighting that HBO Max is about quality rather than volume of original fare, Caro also reiterated WBD's commitment to local originals. 'Without local productions, we are not going to reach the local spectators,' he explained. If they also travel, that is a wonderful bonus, he added. Originally, the WBD streaming service launched as HBO Max in 2020. Then, in 2023, the company controversially changed the name to simply Max — ditching the venerable network brand name. Ahead the company's mid-May upfront presentation in New York at Madison Square Garden, WBD president and CEO David Zaslav unveiled though that the name will be changed back to HBO Max. The powerful growth we have seen in our global streaming service is built around the quality of our programming,' he said in a statement back then. 'Today, we are bringing back HBO, the brand that represents the highest quality in media, to further accelerate that growth in the years ahead.' Best of The Hollywood Reporter How the Warner Brothers Got Their Film Business Started Meet the World Builders: Hollywood's Top Physical Production Executives of 2023 Men in Blazers, Hollywood's Favorite Soccer Podcast, Aims for a Global Empire
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Wonder Woman' Video Game Scrapped, Three Studios Shut Down In Latest 'Strategic Change' For Warner Bros Games
In what it called 'a strategic change of direction,' Warner Bros Games is scrapping a planned Wonder Woman game and also closing three development studios. The Warner Bros Discovery division confirmed the moves to Deadline in a statement Tuesday. More from Deadline Warner Bros Discovery Names Jose Maria Caro As Scripted Originals Chief At Max Spain 'South Park' Streaming Brawl: Trial Looms As Paramount Loses Motion To Dismiss Unjust-Enrichment Claim - Update Why Warner Bros Shook Up Its Feature Exec Ranks As It Braces For An Auteur-Driven 2025 Slate 'We have had to make some very difficult decisions to structure our development studios and investments around building the best games possible with our key franchises – Harry Potter, Mortal Kombat, DC and Game of Thrones,' the statement said. 'After careful consideration, we are closing three of our development studios – Monolith Productions, Player First Games and Warner Bros Games San Diego.' Monolith had been developing the Wonder Woman game, which will no longer move forward. The division described the collection of moves as 'a strategic change in direction and not a reflection of these teams or the talent that consists within them.' For Wonder Woman, the goal had been to 'give players and fans the highest quality experience possible for the iconic character, and unfortunately this is no longer possible within our strategic priorities.' Given Monolith's 'storied history,' the shutdown is 'another tough decision,' as we recognize Monolith's storied history of delivering epic fan experiences through amazing games,' the statement continued. 'We greatly admire the passion of the three teams and thank every employee for their contributions. As difficult as today is, we remain focused on and excited about getting back to producing high-quality games for our passionate fans and developed by our world class studios and getting our Games business back to profitability and growth in 2025 and beyond.' The gaming unit has hit a particularly rocky period after releasing top-selling title Hogwarts Legacy in 2023. Last month, the company said David Haddad was stepping down from his post as president after a 12-year run. Developing properties in-house, as Netflix and other newer gaming entrants have discovered, is often an expensive and time-consuming process. Many media companies have opted to license their franchises to third-party gaming specialists. In its quarterly earnings report last November, the company announced it was taking a $100 million impairment charge for underperforming releases like MultiVersus. The division needs to 'deliver more consistency,' CEO David Zaslav said during an earnings call with Wall Street analysts. Zaslav also said last year that there has been 'a lot of interest among others in coming to take advantage of' the company's IP, 'which we're looking at.' WBD is set to report fourth-quarter earnings Thursday. Bloomberg had the first report of the game studio closures. Best of Deadline How Jon Gries' Return To 'The White Lotus' Could Shape Season 3 Which Colleen Hoover Books Are Becoming Movies? 'Verity,' 'Reminders Of Him' & 'Regretting You' Will Join 'It Ends With Us' 'The White Lotus' Season 3 Release Schedule: When Do New Episodes Arrive On Max? Sign in to access your portfolio
