HBO has begun to shed staff as part of a series of cost cutting measures at the combined Warner Bros. Discovery.
Wall Street Journal, quoting people familiar with the matter, said of the 70 jobs being cut the majority are at newly launched streaming service HBO Max. The units responsible for reality shows, documentaries and family entertainment will take the brunt of the cuts.
Since taking up his post in April, Chief Executive David Zaslav has overseen the closure of streaming service CNN+ just days after its launch and dropped movies already in production including Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt, both of which were destined for HBO Max.
HBO Max and Discovery+ will be merged into a single platform that will bring together the 22 million subscribers to Discovery+ with the 73.8 million on HBO Max and the established HBO premium channel.
Earlier this month it was announced the dual service would launch in the United States next summer, followed by Latin America later in the year. Europe, which has seen a reduction in local production and where many markets are yet to see HBO Max launch, will follow in Early 2024.
Discovery is also facing a reduction in its original programming.