HBO Max’s Content Head Is Programming the Service Like a Cable Bundle

Don’t think of HBO Max as just a streaming service. HBO and HBO Max chief content officer Casey Bloys certainly isn’t. Instead, the programming chief, who oversees original content for both the premium cable network and year-old streamer, sees HBO Max as the next-generation version of a television bundle—and he’s programming it accordingly. “The way I think about it is HBO Max the platform is kind of like our own cable bundle,” Bloys said Tuesday at a New York press event, where he previewed upcoming programming for both platforms. “Within that, HBO is in there, DC shows are in there, library content is in there. The cable bundle, as it declines—we all see the trend lines there—the way I think about HBO Max is just our own cable bundle, and within that bundle there are programming services like HBO.” Bloys, who has worked at HBO for nearly 20 years and has overseen programming at the cable and streaming brand since 2016, took over as chief content officer amid an executive shake-up last August—just months after HBO Max's launch—and has drawn a distinction between HBO originals and HBO Max programming. “You know what an HBO show is,” Bloys told reporters. “The idea with HBO Max originals is to broaden out the appeal to a broader demographic.” That broader demographic can be broken down into three buckets, which are becoming easier to define now that the year-old streamer is growing its originals slate. Shows that appeal to a younger and more female audience (including dramas like Kaley Cuoco-led The Flight Attendant and the upcoming Julia Child project, Julia), comprise one programming focus, while series that attract young adult viewers (like the soon-to-premiere Gossip Girl reboot) make up another. A third focus is building out the DC Comics franchise, which Warner Bros.’ film arm has done with varying levels of success, with original series like Peacemaker, a Suicide Squad spinoff starring John Cena that will be the first television series set in the DC Extended Universe when it debuts early next year. HBO 'has not changed' HBO’s programming mission, meanwhile, “has not changed,” Bloys said, even as anticipation builds around the effects of a planned merger between a spun-out WarnerMedia and Discovery that is aimed at creating a potential streaming powerhouse. “The kinds of shows that we’re looking for, no one has asked us to change that at any way.” The debut of HBO Max With Ads earlier this month has also had no effect on Bloys' HBO strategy. "I am glad they have a choice, and it’s really up to them whether they want to have ads or not,” he said of the month-old tier, which costs $9.99 per month, $5 less than the $14.99 ad-free tier. “I don’t have a preference. As long as a subscriber is in there and has access to all of our programming, that’s good for me.” With all that said, the line between what makes an HBO and an HBO Max show can sometimes get blurry. The acclaimed series Hacks, starring Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder, premiered as an HBO Max original, but it could just as easily been an HBO series, Bloys admitted: “The dramas are more distinctive, the comedies are probably less so." As Bloys executes the balancing act between HBO and HBO Max, he is also focusing on the right mix of limited series like Mare of Easttown and returning series like Succession, both of which can help satiate viewers coming in with different programming appetites. “The nice thing with an ongoing series is you don’t have to introduce viewers to it every year and you have a built-in fanbase, so that is great when you have one working,” Bloys said. “With a limited series, because it’s not ongoing, you tend to have actors who are not looking to be tied up for five years. The other nice thing about limited series, especially in a really crowded environment from a viewer’s point of view, is you’re signing on for seven or eight hours. The media landscape has gotten so crowded—I would not want a service that is ongoing series, and I would not want a service that is only limited series.” HBO and HBO Max’s programming teams are full-steam ahead after facing a year of pandemic-related production delays. HBO previously rolled out about 100 hours of new programming per year, a number that in 2019 jumped to 150 hours. More Succession, Game of Thrones prequel on the way New series in the works also include The Gilded Age from Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes, Mindy Kaling’s The Sex Lives of College Girls and an untitled project focused on the Los Angeles Lakers from Adam McKay, along with second seasons of comedy The Righteous Gemstones and drama Euphoria. The Emmy-award-winning Succession, which last aired in 2019, will return this fall for its third season. Bloys said it will premiere some time between Halloween and Christmas, but he's not sure exactly when due to continued Covid-19 uncertainties. “There's still positive tests on shows and we still have to take precautions,” Bloys said. “I would give you a date, but you still don’t know. Things still can get derailed. It’s still something that we're still dealing with on shows.” The programming stakes are higher now that HBO Max is also looking to attract international audiences. The streamer today is launching in Latin America and the Caribbean, the streamer’s first of many international expansion plans, and Bloys is focused on identifying the kinds of shows that travel best to international audiences. Historically, big franchises and dramas translate better than comedies do—and foreign-made shows can also pique U.S. viewers’ interest. “The international content works both ways,” Bloys said, pointing to HBO Europe productions like Beartown and 30 Coins that have performed well domestically. One of those big franchises that HBO is placing its domestic and international hopes on is House of Dragons, a Game of Thrones spinoff prequel slated for a 2022 premiere, and has other spinoffs in development. Bloys said that as that programming hours climb, there have been internal debates at HBO about the kind of budget necessary to execute the company's content plans. With that said, he says the budget he is working with is OK for now, and he has enough money to compete with streaming's heaviest-hitters, including Netflix and Disney+. “Right now, we’ve got the money to do the programming we need to do, but there will always be debates about what is the right amount,” Bloys said. “What is the right amount of programming to reach subscribers? I don’t know. I’m not sure anybody has the exact right answer. Some of it is always going to be trial and error." We Spent a Day Watching HBO Max With Ads—and Here’s What We Found