Do HBO’s owners have any idea what they’re doing?

Jared Newman   |   May 16, 2025

Max is changing its name back to HBO Max, and much like The Joker in one of Warner’s DC Universe films, I can’t stop laughing.

Three years have passed since the mega-merger that birthed Warner Bros. Discovery and led to a new name for its flagship streaming service. The Max brand was supposed to emphasize a breadth of programming beyond the HBO catalog, but Warner’s executives now say the forthcoming rebrand (or unbrand) represents a return to quality over quantity.

This would be easier to accept if HBO’s owners had any credibility left. But over the past few years, pretty much everything the Warner-Discovery merger was supposed to accomplish has failed. Now, the company can no longer articulate what it’s aiming for, other than to squeeze a little extra profit from a flailing enterprise. It’s as funny as it is sad.

Read the full column on PCWorld →

And a bonus column! In acquiring Frndly TV, Roku is doing what most of its streaming rivals won’t. Read about why →

Weekly rewind

The price of ESPN streaming: Disney says it will charge $30 per month for ESPN’s standalone streaming service—whose name is just “ESPN”—when it arrives this fall. It’ll include everything from ESPN’s cable channels (including offshoots like SEC Network and ESPNews), ABC’s live sports coverage, and all the extra stuff on ESPN+ and ESPN3.

Other details:

  • A bundle with ESPN, Disney+, and Hulu will cost $36 per month, or $45 per month without ads.
  • The above bundle (with ads) will cost $30 per month for a year in a limited-time deal at launch.
  • ESPN+, which is mostly just leftovers deemed unfit for cable, will still cost $12 per month by itself.
  • It’s unclear how Disney’s bundle with Max (er, HBO Max) will factor into this, if at all.

I suspect the audience willing to pay $30 per month for just ESPN and nothing else is pretty small, but at least it’ll be an option, and maybe it’ll pair well with an antenna during football season. Over time, the more likely outcome is that ESPN gets tossed into various bundles with other streaming services, skinnier pay TV packages, and wireless carrier deals, so the price is a little lower and maybe harder to parcel out. The model worked for cable and now everyone’s trying to rebuild some element of it.

CNN standalone streaming: Meanwhile, CNN plans to launch its own streaming service this fall. It’ll be tied to the news network’s “All Access” subscription, whose price hasn’t been announced. The New York Times reports that it will resemble “the network’s traditional cable experience, although not an exact replica.”

So the question is, what happens to the almost-but-not-quite-cable CNN live feed that’s available on Max’s ad-free tier today? CNN says it will “continue to have a presence” on that service, though it’s unclear in what capacity.

Fox names its streaming service: Fox says its standalone streaming service will be called Fox One and confirmed that it will include local Fox stations and all of the company’s cable channels, including FS1, FS2, BTN, and Fox News. Still no word on price, though the company has said it won’t be cheap.

By the way, if it seems like a lot of this news is happening at once, that’s partly because the TV industry did its big annual ad sales pitching this week. But also, it’s because the dominos are finally falling on traditional TV channels being tied exclusively to big bundles. If even ESPN—one of pay TV’s most valuable pieces—is going standalone, any channel that doesn’t will start to look like a fossil.

More catch-up

Save more money

This section of the newsletter has some affiliate links, which earn me a commission if you wind up buying something.

A year of Peacock for $25: Peacock is back with another deal after a brief respite. Sign up for an annual plan via this link or by applying promo code SPRINGSAVINGS to get one year for $25, down from the usual $80.

A word of caution: Peacock no longer lets you upgrade to the ad-free tier after signing up, so you’re stuck with ads once you subscribe. The deal is not available at all for the ad-free plan.

As usual, this is for new and ex-subscribers, so you can’t tack it onto an active subscription. The code is valid through May 30, though Peacock says it’s “subject to early termination,” so get on it.

Roku subscription deals: Through May 21, Roku has discounts on premium subscriptions through its Roku Channel store. The offers include two months of MGM+ for $1 per month, two months of Britbox for $3 per month, two months of Hallmark+ for $2 per month, and more. (Note: You must use the Roku Channel app to watch.)

For a full list of active streaming deals, check this page on my Cord Cutter Weekly website.

Thanks for reading!

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Until next week,
Jared