HBO Max will no longer produce original content in the Nordic region, Central Europe, the Netherlands and Turkey. The streamer will also remove some content from the platform in order to free up licensing deals with third parties.
The news was broken to staff on Monday and subsequently reported by Variety. It’s anticipated that a number of jobs will be lost.
It comes as the newly merged Warner Bros. Discovery seeks to reach a $3 billion savings target.
In a statement released to the publication HBO said: “As we continue to work on combining HBO Max and discovery+ into one global streaming service showcasing the breadth of content across Warner Bros. Discovery, we are reviewing our current content proposition on the existing services. As part of this process, we have decided to remove a limited amount of original programming from HBO Max, as well as ceasing our original programming efforts for HBO Max in the Nordics and Central Europe. We have also ceased our nascent development activities in the newer territories of Netherlands and Turkey, which had commenced over the past year.
It added that the company would continue to commission content for its linear channels on the region and would remain “substantial acquirers” of local third-party content for use on its streaming services.
Danish drama Kamikaze and the Norwegian Beforeigners are among the platforms most popular shows locally.
Programmes already in production will go ahead as will others that have received the green light will still continue to be made.