Streaming platform HBO Max removed 36 movies and TV series by the end of the day on Friday, aiming to cut costs, pivot away from children's programming, and de-clutter the platform.
Content being removed includes teen drama Genera+ion, animated series Aquaman: King of Atlantis, and more than 200 episodes of Sesame Street, which HBO Max acquired in 2019.
Although none of the shows and movies being axed were drawing large audiences, the move will still save the company "tens of millions of dollars" in residual payments to cast, crew, and writers, two insiders told CNBC.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
HBO Max is also moving away from kids' programming, which has underperformed, and aiming to avoid deluging users with obscure content — what one executive described as the "Netflix problem."
This news comes as HBO Max prepares to merge with Discovery+. "As we work toward bringing our content catalogues together under one platform, we will be making changes to the content offering available on both" platforms, HBO Max said in a statement earlier this week. One such change was the cancelation of HBO Max original superhero flick Batgirl and the decision to take a tax write-off for the $90 million the streamer had dropped on the project.
Meanwhile, HBO Max is betting big on its Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon. According to Deadline, HBO Max spent $200 million making the show and another $100 million — HBO's biggest marketing campaign ever — promoting it. The series premieres Sunday.
-
Giorgio Armani obituary: designer revolutionised the business of fashionIn the Spotlight ‘King Giorgio’ came from humble beginnings to become a titan of the fashion industry and redefine 20th century clothing
-
Kim Jong Un’s triumph: the rise and rise of North Korea’s dictatorIn the Spotlight North Korean leader has strengthened ties with Russia and China, and recently revealed his ‘respected child’ to the world
-
Crossword: September 13, 2025The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
'The Office' spinoff, a 'Mare of Easttown' follow-up and the Guinness family royalty in September TVthe week recommends This month's new television releases include 'The Paper,' 'Task' and 'House of Guinness'
-
5 of the best platonic TV friendshipsthe week recommends Maintaining boundaries has proven tricky for all but the most committed of buddies on the small screen
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
'Actual poop': the messy ending of And Just Like That...Talking Point Reviewers have slammed the 'unfunny and hateful' finale to the Sex and the City reboot
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
The best limited series of all timethe week recommends Trading cliffhangers and endless renewals for narrative closure
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
