Warner Bros Discovery closed its upfront presentation Wednesday with a tour for ad buyers of Max, the soon-to-be-rebranded streaming service combining programming from HBO Max and Discovery+.JB Perrette, CEO of global streaming and games at Warner Bros Discovery, told the audience of advertisers that the future of Max “deeply involves you.” When the Max rebrand goes live on May 23, it will include “a full suite of ad products, which will provide reach, interactivity and rewards.”In a press release, the company said the new-look Max will feature “one of the industry’s lightest ad loads” and deliver an “elegant and seamless experience that benefits consumers and brands alike.”Discovery+, which Warner Bros Discovery execs have said is profitable, will remain available as a stand-alone offering even after May 23. The Max effort is a cornerstone of the company’s efforts to be one of the last ones standing in the grueling direct-to-consumer streaming wars. Since WarnerMedia and Discovery merged in April 2022, the company has not broken out HBO Max subscribers or linear HBO from the overall subscriber number, which last quarter reached 97.6 million.Perrette pointed to the company’s history of delivering ad-supported content. “We’re not new at this,” he said. “We know what we’re doing.”New options for advertisers on Max include traditional pre-roll video — 15 seconds of runtime before select content begins; traditional mid-roll ads, typically 15 or 30 seconds running as part of 30 or 60 second ad pods. Takeover buys enable an advertiser to be the first ad all users see on the platform for an entire day, with ownership of the pre-roll and first mid-roll ad in each subscriber’s first stream.Offerings under the “reward” heading give viewers an enhanced viewing experience with fewer interruptions. A “brand block” lets a single advertiser exclusively own every ad moment within a piece of programming. “InFront” allows brands to sponsor an exclusive ad-free experience, eliminating all mid-roll advertising. In exchange, viewers will watch ads before content plays.Interactive ad products include pause ads, which are static ads that pop up when a customer hits the pause button. Among interactive ads, “one-click reveals” lead viewers to of messages, promotions or trivia answers; “Carousel” lets brands showcase multiple products; “Extendable” lets viewers extend their ad experience on mobile or connected-TV; and “Locator” tells viewers where they can buy products or visit nearby merchants.
© 2023 Deadline Hollywood, LLC.