Warner Bros. Discovery closes multiple cable, streaming channels

It's sad when a family-friendly channel goes away.

But in this case, there's a long story behind this shocking move.

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In 2022, Warner Media and Discovery, Inc. merged to become a massive multinational media and entertainment company known as Warner Bros. Discovery, with multiple subsidiaries, including Warner Bros., CNN, Cartoon Network, and HBO Max, to name a few.

Since creating this new conglomerate, HBO Max has undergone multiple, somewhat perplexing changes.

HBO Max was consolidated into a single streaming platform in 2023 and rebranded to “Max,” launching an entirely new app and logo to emphasize this significant shift.

However, the change did more damage than good, negatively impacting its subscriber engagement.

A family-friendly channel formerly offered the popular children's show “Sesame Street.”

Image source: Shutterstock

A major rebranding leads to subscriber confusion

Despite heavy investment in its Max rebranding, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) announced it will revert to its HBO Max name starting May 2025.

This decision comes as an effort to reverse declining subscriber numbers and regain the market share lost during its initial rebrand.

But that's not all. The company also revealed plans to restructure its business by separating its streaming and studios divisions. This will allow each area to operate with a more focused strategy, improving overall profitability.

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As part of this shift, Warner Bros. Discovery will also shut down HBO Family, ThrillerMax, MovieMax, and OuterMax on August 15.

Walt Disney's (DIS) streaming service, Disney+, recently emailed all subscribers of its HBO Max bundles, notifying them that HBO Family will soon be removed from the offering.

However, some users thought the email provided insufficient explanation, leaving them confused and frustrated.

HBO Max subscribers react to the ‘uninformative' email

Subscribers went on to Reddit in search of answers, which sparked discussion and speculation regarding the confusing email.

A user commented, “This is the most uninformative email I’ve ever received. I don’t even know what is included with HBO Family.”

Another user stated, “I was confused by this email because I have no idea what HBO Family even means or what shows it covers.”

Some users have tried to contact the companies' support teams, but there has been no response.

“I tried contacting both HBO and Hulu to find out what shows are part of HBO Family, since there's no way to actually look that up on either service. Apparently there isn't a way for their support teams to find that info either, at least not right now,” a user claimed.

Many subscribers even thought this meant they could no longer watch any HBO Max content, with a user commenting, “I didn't know HBO Family was something that existed. I figured by ‘Family' they meant all the HBO offerings.”

HBO launched HBO Family in 1996, an extension of the streamer with kid- and family-friendly content. With the termination of this extension, subscribers will continue to have access to the broader HBO Max library, but programming from HBO Family will no longer be available.