Warner Media to discontinue HBO and linear movie channels in India and South Asia

WarnerMedia International will be pulling its movie channels in India, 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, the SVP and MD of Warner Media South Asia, said the decision to pull the channels comes as the pay-TV industry landscape and the market dynamics have "shifted dramatically", adding that the Covid-19 pandemic has "accelerated the need for further change". 

 

“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," Jain said.

 

"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."

 

He added that WarnerMedia has a "strong interest" in India and is committed to assessing "optimal opportunities to serve valued customers here".

 

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.