These 5 shows are moving from Max to HBO (Here's what that means for us viewers)

Warner Bros. Discovery, which is the company that owns both linear channel HBO and streaming service Max, is making some big changes. There are five highly-anticipated series' that were set to be Max originals. But now, the company has decided to move them over to HBO. So which shows are these, and how does that affect us as viewers?

The productions are the Harry Potter series, IT prequel show Welcome to Derry, DC Comics' Lanterns and The Penguin, and Dune prequel series Dune: Prophecy. Initially, all five of these shows were meant to come out on Max only. But now, they're getting the television treatment as well, per Deadline.

In terms of affecting us as viewers, it's not a huge deal. The biggest change is that if the titles remained exclusive to Max, then we probably would have gotten new episodes at 12 a.m. PT on premiere day. Now though, the wait is going to be a bit longer. For example, if The Penguin airs at 9 p.m. ET on HBO, that's the release time on Max as well. We won't be getting the episodes earlier than that. So the release times are the same on both the channel and streamer.

Per Deadline, the reason Warner Bros. Discovery decided to do this is because it's "part of a strategy to rebrand its highest profile titles." Just look at House of the Dragon season 2 for example. It's doing so well both on HBO and Max! In the day and age where we really rely on streamers, it's no surprise that the company wants to utilize its linear broadcast option as well, and perhaps get more eyes there. It's likely this will help with viewership numbers on cable television.

For me personally, it doesn't matter. As long as we're getting these great shows one way or another, I'm happy. I personally don't have access to HBO, only Max. So as long as the projects will all be streaming on Max the same day and same time, then I have no complaints. This move helps Warner Bros. Discovery achieve the rebranding strategy that they want, while still keeping us viewers happy.

The Penguin premieres sometime in September 2024, with Dune: Prophecy arriving at some point in fall 2024. When it comes to Welcome to Derry, plans are for it to release in 2025 alongside Lanterns as well. The Harry Potter series will wait until 2026.