Warner Bros. Discovery Is Threatening To Add CNN Alerts To Movies And Shows On Max, And People Sure Aren’t Having It

Update: As of now Max has “no intention” of adding news alerts to Max.

The David Zaslav era of Warner Bros. Discovery sure hasn’t been a good one. The richly paid exec has made one bizarre decision after another, including removing hundreds of classic Looney Tunes shorts and other movies/shows from HBO Max, revamping HBO Max as simply (and confusingly) Max, and cancelling mostly completed films for tax write-offs. (That’s to say nothing of him helping inspire two industry-stalling strikes.) How could his reign get any worse? Well, guess what?

Variety has a new piece about CNN Max, Warner Bros. Discovery’s latest attempt to adapt the flailing news network for the streaming era (after the first one didn’t go so hot). It’s still in the development stage, but it will initially focus on breaking news, aired live 24/7, just like regular CNN, but on a streamer. Zaslav and company have some other ideas, too, including this doozy:

Among the features the company will try out are ways of alerting Max viewers to breaking news while they are watching something else on the service, whether it be an HBO series, a Turner Classic Movies selection or an old episode of Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.”

Over on another online service now under questionable leadership — and with an even more abbreviated new name — people chimed in. Did they approve of having CNN alerts interrupt The Righteous Gemstones, Lethal Weapon 2, Seven Samurai or Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations? Absolutely not.

https://twitter.com/ParkerMolloy/status/1696980297764454570

Some even made beta videos of what such a monstrosity would look like.

Alas, David Zaslav has never let public opinion stop him from doing unpopular things to the once-beloved brands he’s taken over. Perhaps you’ll learn about some upcoming Donald Trump verdict while deeply ensconsed in an episode of Otter Dynasty.

(Via Variety)