Casey Bloys: HBO budgets unaffected by looming M&A

The looming acquisition of all or parts of Warner Bros Discovery is not affecting content plans for HBO and HBO Max, according to boss Casey Bloys. 

Bloys acknowledged that people are “curious” after WBD received second-round bids from Paramount Skydance and Netflix earlier this week, but said the premium cable brand and flagship global streamer is still working on future slates through to 2028 and beyond. 

“It hasn’t affected budgets, and as I’ve told people, the only thing we can control and do – which is the best thing we can do – is continue to put out slates like we’ve just shared with you,” he told journalists at HBO Max 2026 global programming slate presentation in London yesterday (3 December). 

“In this business you’re working about two years ahead of time, right now we’re putting together 2027 and 2028 [slates], so it’s too soon for [the acquisition] to have any sort of impact we do.” 

Bloys, chairman and chief exec of HBO and HBO Max content, had earlier confirmed the streamer would make its long-awaited UK launch in “late March” 2026, completing the European rollout alongside German and Italy – whose specific launch dates were also confirmed.  

However, while those countries are all set to offer local original series (4 Blocks Zero, Banksters, Portobello and a Maria Espoisto-starring drama about the murder of Melania Rea), Bloys conspicuously did not mention the possibility of UK originals in the near future 

He did say that “in any market you go into, the ideal situation is to have local originals”, pointing to Italy and Germany as examples. 

“It would be hard to be successful in all territories without local programming… I don’t think you can have a streamer just relying on US-based tentpoles,” he added. 

Bloys later cooled suggestions of immediately building a local originals outpost in the UK, citing the British shows that HBO is already making such as Bad Wolf’s Industry, Mam Tor’s forthcoming Richard Gadd-created Half Man and Sharon Horgan’s untitled project alongside the tentpoles made in the UK such as House of the Dragon. 

“Half our slate is already from the UK, and the nice thing is they travel to the US, and US shows work here,” he said. “We’ve had the benefit of doing so many co-productions with BBC, Sky, Channel 4. We’ve always had very good experiences creatively, so it doesn’t necessarily feel like we need a separate person. A lot of what we’re doing feels like UK originals.” 

In 2026, HBO Max will launch series such as the second Game of Thrones spin-off A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, a new series of The Pitt, Euphoria S3 and The Comeback S3, and fresh titles DTF: St Louis and Steve Carell comedy Rooster. 

Bloys admitted the fluctuations between the name of HBO Max – which had the HBO brand, then removed it, then re-added – had created confusion over what a Max original is. 

“It may have been a bit nebulous for you and, frankly, for us, but they now serve a very specific purpose,” he said. “We’re leaning into more cost-efficient yet elevated and high-quality stories with a greater number of episodes that can return each year.  

“These originals are designed to attract audiences that are adjacent to the typical HBO fans, while also feeding our strategy to deliver 52 weeks of programming a year.”