Deleted HBO Max Execs Reveal Warner Bros. Discovery ditches diversity and flirts with ‘Middle America’

fORMER HBO Max CEOs say Broadcasting Service Warner Bros. continues. Find out the current restructuring of the company.

platform It said Nearly 70 people have been laid off this month. That includes entire teams overseeing unscripted content, kids and family and international content, two HBO Max executives said on condition of anonymity.

These three divisions, which used to source shows from production companies and creators and work closely with them during production, are now completely gone.

According to one former employee, 13 people of color were responsible for creating programs like this before: Gordita records Documentary series in Spanish Minuto: Forever young This was dropped, which would affect future Green Lantern shows and movies. Among those fired were Jane Kim, an Asian woman who served as vice president of the international team, and Kayla Barnes, a black woman who served under Kim.

“I don’t think anyone knows what white employees are like,” one former executive told The Daily Beast.

Former employees at HBO Max say there are no non-whites in high-profile content, with Joey Chavez, executive vice president of drama, citing him as one of the few people of color there. With HBO Max and the original HBO channel operating somewhat independently, one former executive said, “There could be a black woman on the side of HBO. Maybe.”

Another former director told The Daily Beast that the layoffs “exacerbated the lack of diversity at HBO.” “HBO is a very homogenous part of this umbrella. Instead of trying to figure out some how.” [Max] HBO executives created this comprehensive clip with three categories: Kids, Family and International. Many blacks and blacks lost their jobs.

Since the merger with parent company Warner Bros. With Discovery earlier this year, the Warner staff did just that Struggling with the changing values ​​of a newly founded company. Discovery CEO David Zaslau helped Warner crawl out of a $50 billion hole. Came in like a wrecking ball, CNN+’s $300 million broadcasting service has been cut And this Warner’s news channel vows to rid itself of ‘biased’ journalism.

A lot has changed in the last two weeks.

It was announced earlier this month Bat GirlAfro-Latina actress Leslie Grace is slated for a $90 million film for HBO Max. Completely stopped in favor of tax exemption. Over the weekend, CNN media reporter and anchor Brian Stelter is a frequent target of right-wing criticism. He has since been removed from the network.

Former Warner employees believe the changes are as much about business as about reshaping the ideological feel of Warner’s properties. All of this points to the same goal, they say: rejecting leftist or overly diverse content in favor of more homogenous and friendly Middle American fare. Lack of diversity in the content group may facilitate this goal.

In a statement to The Daily Beast, HBO highlighted shows such as: TransAnd this Shh Rob! DAnd this Black girl drawing And this Las EspositosAll are led by different personalities.

“HBO and HBO Max have always demonstrated, and will continue to demonstrate, their commitment to diverse programming and storytelling,” the company said.

A race comparing viewers for Discovery+ and HBO Max showed a significant demographic difference between the two streaming devices. HBO Max is popular among diverse groups, individuals, and hybrid car drivers, while Discovery+ is popular among white and married people who drive SUVs, vans, and “mobile buses.” HBO Max viewers are on TikTok and Instagram, while Discovery+ viewers use social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, with an added caveat “when available.” HBO Max viewers don’t have kids. Discovery+ audiences are “empty nesters” or grandchildren. Discovery is trying to lure HBO into its orbit as it focuses on what it does best.

HBO Max’s reality shows are a clear deterrent for new chefs. Where Discovery properties like DLC and HGTV send out camera crews to film what they can find, HBO Max shows are more carefully crafted. They are sometimes supported by stars like Selena Gomez Or Steve CurryThose capable of commanding higher salaries are noticeably slimmer, adding to their budgets with smoother adjustments and advanced camera setups.

A former executive describes Discovery+ as “a very generic, non-private, public platform that HBO Max was designed for. I think Discovery is an ‘all’ audience, [they] “I don’t want to politicize, objectify things that alienate Middle America — and Chip and Joanna,” they said, referring to the home renovation show. Confirmation Top: Welcome Home Hosted by Chip and Joanna Gaines.

“If David Zaslau could handle it, he’d be programming Chip and Joanna all day,” the CEO said. “There was a huge number: ‘We don’t need you. You don’t provide the things we focus on.

A change in perspective may partly explain why Several titles have disappeared from HBO Max recently. Our sources agree that most of the moves are about money. A company can claim tax relief for expenses associated with certain programs as long as it promises to stop making a profit, meaning you have to eliminate them entirely.

“They take a lens of perspective that I don’t think about when I watch Discovery-branded shows,” said one former employee.

Speaking about the company’s plans to combine HBO Max and Discovery+ into one big streaming service in the future, the fired CEO said, “Don’t be surprised if the site has a new name.”

Overall, there’s a sense that HBO Max’s managers of color are just another casualty in the company’s quest to get out of debt, and the quality of the content is doomed.

“When it comes to how people reflect on themselves, whether it’s racial or homophobic, if you have different people, the lens that they’re in. [content] “That factors into things that my white colleagues don’t think about,” said one former executive.

Another said: “This is profound.” “What are they going to do with these overwhelmingly abandoned people of color? They must be replaced somehow. Or do they not care? That’s what we said, they don’t care.