Gerhard Zeiler, the President of international at Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), has called on big players to “get rid of an exclusivity mindset” when it comes to content.
Zeiler appeared to suggest WBD will better leverage YouTube in the future, meeting audiences, especially younger, “where they are.” Zeiler noted that WBD has six-month exclusivity on HBO Max for theatrical movies and will always be home to huge shows like Euphoria, but he said there are other opportunities elsewhere.
He said “a lot of the stuff we do is important to give to other platforms and not traditional, whether that’s YouTube with shortform
.” “I don’t see people saying that this is cannibalistic.”
On platforms like YouTube, he said there is “audience opportuny and revenue opportunity.” “We can’t afford not to have that,” he added.
“Consumer behavior has changed significantly and continues to change,” he explained. “That means we have to meet our audience where they are. We need to get rid of an exclusivity mindset that a lot us have, meaning
that is exclusive to our channnels or platforms.”
He was speaking alongside WBD UK boss Andrew Georgiou, who talked up HBO Max’s success in the UK after finally launching in the nation earlier this year.
According to Georgiou, HBO Max has nearly met its UK subs targets for the end of the year within its first 60 days. He added that big shows like House of the Dragon, Lanterns and Harry Potter to come.
The pair were speaking at the Enders Conference in London before House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal.