“We are allowing the brand to expand, in the sense of incorporating new brands and new hours of content, and reaching new audiences, who perhaps were not so friendly to HBO. HBO means, something we are very proud of, that it is all about quality and stripping away boundaries. But, also, for some genres that are not associated with the brand, a name like Max “It made it much easier for us,” he explained. Mariano Cesar, Senior Vice President of General Entertainment Content and Programming Strategy, Warner Bros. Discovery, Latin America and US Hispanic, in dialogue with NEWS.
As of February 27, in 39 territories in Latin America and the Caribbean, HBO Max will become Max, the entertainment destination that will bring together the Latin American audience around an incomparable catalog of fan-favorite content, iconic brands and exclusive new productions. The new catalog will have more than 37,000 hours of content, more than double the amount currently found on the streaming platform.
The expansion of iconic brands Warner Bros Discovery, among which stand HBO, Warner Bros., the DC Universe, Discovery, Discovery Home & Health, Investigation Discovery, Cartoon Network, Discovery Kids, and Adult Swim, comes alongside the line’s most successful franchises, such as Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, The Big Bang Theory, Looney Tunes, Rick & Morty, among other. In addition, the platform’s content proposal will include the first exhibition sale of films from major studios such as Sony Pictures and NBCUniversalas well as live events, including the “Awards Season”.
“MAX is going to reach larger segments of the audience. The change allows us to incorporate more hours of content, there is an increase of more than 50 percent in the catalog and with many more brands joining. Within which, HBO will continue to have a preponderant and leading value,” explained Cesar, who started in recognized signals of the regional television spectrum such as TNT, Retro, ISAT, Space and Uniseries. He also had a step in the production of original series, such as “A rooster for Aesculapius”directed by Bruno Stagnaro. In 2021, Cesar assumed a new role as Programming and Content Strategy Leader for streaming.
“There are global audience phenomena, in which we Latin Americans and Argentines are no strangers, the biggest hits of HBO like Euphoria or The Last of Us, they have been around the world. Among the most anticipated contents is the second season of House of the Dragon. They are the most consumed content everywhere. Not to mention, without going to the premieres, the bookstore contents like Friends or The Big Bang Theory, Every day there are millions of hours that are consumed,” clarified the director of Warner Bros Discovery.
However, certain particularities of the Latin American audience make it a unique type of viewer. Mariano Cesar stated: “Novels are clearly a Latin American peculiarity. Although, until now, we have had it with Turkish novels that we have acquired and they have been very successful. In the world of streaming, I think no one had invested as aggressively as us and we knew that in Latin America this was going to make a difference. There is a large segment of the audience that would also find a way to consume novels through streaming. That brings us to the original production in Latin America, there are already two in production in Brazil and a third production in Mexico will be announced soon.”
“Series that are sophisticated, complex or for a more adult audience, that are not so friendly for everyone and that do not always travel as much, in Argentina we see that they generate much more interest than other countries in the region,” said Cesar and specified: “True Detective It is working very well. In many countries, they are starting with season 1, although they are all independent seasons, and evidently it was not known. In Argentina, they are already starting the new season, so people already knew what that meant. ‘Succession’, is another example. The other thing is content based on real events or biographies, beyond that they are a trend throughout the world, but in Argentina they were mega successful productions. one was ‘The crime of María Marta‘ and another was about Bilardo. Argentine cinema has shown that it has traveled more than productions from other countries, such as ‘Extortion’ and ‘Almost Dead’.
As a preview, the brand new MAX platform is in full development of new original productions made in Latin America. In Brazil, it is in post-production “City of God”the continuation of the multi-award-winning film by Fernando Meirelles, in which the lives of the film’s characters are resumed 20 years later. Also in post-production, the remake of “Like Water for Chocolate” is being finalized, a new version of the novel by Laura Esquivel. Meanwhile, in production, the biopic of the brilliant comedian is being developed Chespirito with “Wanting without wanting”. In Argentina, it is in sight “Happy six”, that addresses the theme of polyamory with greater audacity and humor. Another production, within the documentary genre, will delve into the death of Carlos Menem Junior.
As for the new subscription plans, Max will offer 3 plans for new subscribers at launch, each with a monthly or annual payment option, an option that will have savings of up to 40 percent, when the subscription is made. directly through Max. The Basic Plan with Ads, in FullHD resolution, which will allow users to enjoy the Max catalog at a lower price, and will include advertising and content can be viewed on two devices simultaneously. The monthly subscription will cost 2,190 pesos plus VAT and the annual subscription will cost 15,990 plus VAT at the time of launch.
The Standard Plan, also with FullHD resolution, allows you to view content on two devices simultaneously. This plan will allow up to 30 downloads of content available to view without an internet connection and the monthly subscription will cost 2,890 pesos plus VAT and the annual subscription will cost 20,990 pesos plus VAT. Finally, the Platinum Plan can be viewed on four devices simultaneously. The catalog will be available in Full HD or 4K resolution and with Dolby Atmos sound, in the content in which it is available. You can also download up to 100 content available to view without an internet connection. The monthly subscription will cost 3,490 pesos plus VAT and the annual subscription will cost 24,990 pesos plus VAT at the time of launch.
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