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Warner Media on Thursday announced that it 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, according to an ET Brand Equity report.
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, Campaign India reported. It will also increase local animation production.
“After 20 years of successes for the HBO linear movie channel in South Asia and more than a decade with the WB linear movie channel, this was a difficult decision to make,” Siddharth Jain, SVP and MD, Warner Media South Asia, said in an official statement as quoted by the report.
Changing dynamics
Jain further added that the decision has been made keeping in mind the changes in the pay-TV industry landscape and the market dynamics accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We would like to express our heartfelt appreciation to all our partners and fans who have made HBO and WB household names. We also owe a debt of gratitude to all our employees who have worked so passionately on these well-loved brands. WarnerMedia has a strong interest in India and is committed to assessing optimal opportunities to serve valued customers here,” he further said.
WarnerMedia 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 HBO brand will remain present in India through Disney’s streaming service Disney+Hotstar.
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