Warner Bros. Discovery tries to sell marketers on Max at upfronts

In his opening remarks at the Warner Bros. Discovery upfront presentation Wednesday, US ad sales chief Jon Steinlauf acknowledged the elephant in the room.

“What you’re about to see is not exactly the show we expected to do today,” he said.

The ongoing writers’ strike, which has also put a damper on other upfront presentations this week, meant that Warner Bros. Discovery executives, not talent, pitched advertisers on HBO Max’s rebrand to Max, a streamlined video-advertising offering called WBD Stream, and changes at CNN.

Lights, camera, action: Max, which will go live on May 23, was the star of the company’s upfronts show. Sizzle reels highlighted fan favorites like Succession and The White Lotus, as well as new programming, including two new Food Network shows starring Selena Gomez, and the HGTV series Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge, hosted by model Ashley Graham, which is designed as a tie-in with the summer release of the Barbie movie. Other programs in the works include a new travel series with Conan O’Brian, aptly titled Conan O’Brien Must Go.

• The platform is a good place for advertisers to reach young consumers, Steinlauf said: 63% of viewers on Max are under 40. Overall, Warner Bros. Discovery reaches 90% of US households every month, he said.

Keep it simple: The company unveiled WBD Stream, which allows advertisers to place video ads across Warner Bros. Discovery’s digital properties, which the company says reach 110 million adults monthly. WBD Stream advertising, though, is sold separately from that of Max and discovery+.

In a release Wednesday, the company detailed the ad options that will be available on Max when it debuts later this month. Those include traditional pre-roll and mid-roll ads, pause ads, and a slate of interactive advertising options, including carousel ads, interactive reveal ads, and localized ads, which encourage viewers to make in-store purchases.

New year, new me: HBO Max isn’t the only Warner Bros. property being overhauled. CNN is also getting a makeover, Chris Licht, CEO of CNN Worldwide, announced Wednesday.

“Next month, CNN’s on-screen look and feel is getting a long-overdue makeover,” Licht said. “To mark this new chapter and CNN’s storied history, we will be rolling out a new graphics package across the network. I think you can see it’s a significant improvement. It’s clean, modern, and very easy to look at.”

In addition, the network is moving anchor Kaitlan Collins, who recently came under fire for her interview with former President Donald Trump during an on-air town hall, from her morning show to the network’s 9pm hour, Licht announced.