Warner Bros. Discovery Combo Streaming Offering to Start in Spring

Warner Bros. Discovery's joint streaming service combining HBO Max and Discovery+ will launch in spring 2023 rather than the summer, CEO David Zaslav said last week as the company announced Q3 results. The programmer at the same time will focus less on being streaming-primary, he said. He said the strategy of focusing on subscriber numbers at the expense of theatrical and linear TV results "and spend[ing] money with abandon, while making a fraction in return in the service of growing sub numbers, has ultimately proven to be deeply flawed." Discovery said ad revenue was down 11% globally year over year, partly due to macroeconomic conditions. Shares closed Friday at $10.41, down 13%.