Warner Bros. Discovery: Max is distinguished by its variety of content and the strength of the platform

Max, available in the region since last Tuesday 27th, is distinguished by its content and platform strength. Fernando Medin, president and general director of Warner Bros. Discovery, told PRODU that Max will have about 37 thousand hours of programming with new content and genres. “To give you an idea, I would say that we have more or less double the number of hours of programming that HBO Max has. I don’t think many can use that number, and we are talking about all genres of programming: series, movies, novels, docuseries, live events – a big commitment for us -, animated content, both for kids and adults with the Adult Swim brand that we launched,” he noted. Additionally, they will offer sports in some territories, mainly Brazil and Mexico.

“It is a great commitment to content,” he said.

The other aspect that makes a difference is that it is a more robust platform, more customizable, considering the variety of content and the age groups to which that content appeals. “We had to create solid profiles, particularly in the parental control part,” he said.

“We have a 100-year-old studio with an incredible depth of content. One of the things we wanted to make sure was offering a content discovery experience. That was one of the details we had in the past: too much but difficult to find. Above all, recommendations and suggestions are something that we constantly try to improve. This platform brings the system to another level. Everything is a matter of iterating and improving, but we are starting from a point that is undoubtedly more refined,” he pointed out.

BRAND HUBS
One big difference about Max is its brands. “For lovers of HBO content, you will find it with a clear hub; if you only want to see HBO, you go in, and everything is there, but there will also be hubs for DC, Warner Bros., Discovery, Discovery Home & Health, ID, Cartoon Network, Discovery Kids and Adult Swim. I think those types of things will allow for much easier navigation,” he explained.

CAMPAIGN
The Max launch campaign has several objectives: to explain the brand and to be educational. “It tries to show who we are, all this variety that allows you to deliver content for each moment, mood, and each member of the family. It is like the heart of the proposal, reaching all audiences and age groups.”

30 YEARS WORKING WITH PARTNERS IN LATAM
Medin mentioned that one of the mistakes of this industry is treating streaming and direct-to-consumer as synonyms when one is a technology and the other is a business model. “Working through partners is a differential that we have. We have worked for over 30 years with traditional pay TV partners in the region, with telecommunication and broadband partners. We have thought about the product to reach where the consumer is,” he said.

He mentioned that they offer several options for those clients wanting to buy the service directly: with advertising, standard, or platinum.

“At the same time, within each option, you can pay it monthly or annually, with the novelty that the annual payment can be done in monthly installments. That has to do with one of the challenges in the region: limited pockets. If you want to reach the whole world, you must offer different options,” he emphasized.

He reminded that starting Tuesday 27th, the subscriber with linear HBO will be able to log in to Max (in an authenticated manner), enjoying streaming and linear TV for a single price.

Another option is to enter into a bundle with a commerce platform, with a broadband provider, with the data provider, with the carrier. “It is also possible and we have worked on it.”

He referred to the challenge of piracy. “It affects more countries than others. It affects us in everything; we are all fighting it individually, as a group, and across the industry, but it cannot be neglected.”

“I think that within this challenging system, we have strong brands, properties, and franchises that distinguish our product, plus quality content with an incredible variety. We believe it is a super solid proposal,” he stated.

He also referred to the impact on pay TV in the region, highlighting it is not the same in all instances. “The impact on linear TV is not the same. Some technologies have suffered more, such as DTH. In some territories, the cable  has not even decreased, is solid; in others, it suffers a little more.”

He expressed that they are looking for options with partners, far from one platform competing and taking away value from the other, but the opposite. “Finding a model in which we can make either a bundle or a combo, which allows you to have both platforms. Be on both, plus communicating things on both platforms, promoting programs.”

ORIGINAL CONTENTS
Among the original content that Max will offer is Como Agua para Chocolate, Ciudad de Dios and Chespirito, Sin Querer Queriendo, and Margarita by Cris Morena.

Medin noted that “the irrational exuberance of 2020,” in terms of original productions, ended. But one of the virtues of the Max platform is it will have a carousel that talks about the specific content of the subscriber’s region (Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, and Chile, among others).

“We look for big IPs, strong projects, and content that appeals to consumption and subscription. But we don’t stick to one genre of programming, which is a differential. From the world of animation –Mundo Bita, we have Los Hermanos Jorel; new seasons of Mini Beat Power Rockers, Cuquin, Rey Mysterio – original productions from the region -, and even Romario, Menem Junior, la Muerte del Hijo del Presidente. We are developing something in all genres,” he said.

Another bet is telenovelas. “They are a huge bet coming from our heart, but with the pocketbooks are the telenovelas; they are big bets of many episodes. We have Belleza Fatal and Dona Beija en Brasil and another one we will announce soon. We are very committed. We believe this genre is needed to have strength and reach all strata. We also have an output with Turkish novels,” he said.

He recalled that to be recognized as a destination for this type of melodrama, they launched the TNT Novelas brand t. “We have high expectations and are seeing its consumption on the platform itself.”

Another relevant bet is live content. “We want to be the home of awards ceremonies, such as the Oscars, the Latin Grammys, the Grammys, and even local awards. Live broadcast works great for us. And also live sports like the Champions League or the Paulista Championship in Brazil. These are great bets and differentiators for the platform,” he concluded.