iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
American media & entertainment giant Warner Media International has announced that it will be pulling off its movie channels in India, and other South Asian countries like Pakistan, Maldives and Bangladesh from 15 December 2020.
The channel line-up includes HBO (SD and HD) and WB.
The group will continue to operate and invest more in its kids brands Cartoon Network and Pogo in the South Asia region, including increasing local animation production.
Siddharth Jain, SVP and MD, Warner Media South Asia, said, “After 20 years of successes for the HBO linear movie channel in South Asia and more than a decade with the WB linear movie channel, this was a difficult decision to make.”
Warner Media cited a dramatic market shift in the pay-TV industry for its decision. It said it will continue to offer Cartoon Network and Pogo in India, and distribute CNN International in the country.
“We would like to express our heartfelt appreciation to all our partners and fans who have made HBO and WB household names. We also owe a debt of gratitude to all our employees who have worked so passionately on these well-loved brands,” said Jain.
The statement from the network added that WarnerMedia will continue to have employees based in Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru to handle its kids brands operations, sales and marketing as well as the distribution of CNN International
HBO also maintains a content syndication partnership with Disney’s Hotstar in India. So the streamer will continue to offer HBO’s shows such as “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” — hopefully without any censorship — in the country.
“WarnerMedia has a strong interest in India and are committed to assessing optimal opportunities to serve valued customers here,” said Jain.
