Warner Media will be discontinuing its linear movie channels in India from December 15, 2020. The media major is pulling off various television channels including HBO SD.
HBO SD and HD linear movie channels will be discontinued in India and Pakistan. WB linear movie channels will be pulled off in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Maldives with effect from December 15. The decision was announced by Warner Media International, who have decided to shut down the HBO SD and HD linear movie channels in India and Pakistan, as well as the WB linear movie channel in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Maldives. The Warner Media Group will now shift focus on the kids segment with channels such as Cartoon Network and Pogo in the South Asia region. It will also increase local animation production. Warner Media employees in Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru will now be handling the group’s kids brands operations, sales and marketing along with the distribution of CNN International.
The closure of HBO and WB, which enjoyed strong positions in the English content market, is an indicator of the growth of OTT platforms, especially amid the ongoing pandemic. The company is set to launch its own streaming platform, HBO Max soon. For now, HBO has a content syndication partnership with Disney’s streaming platform in India, and offers their content through the platform.
