Kevin Dietsch | Getty Images Warner Bros. Discovery is cutting 70 jobs at HBO Max, mostly from the division’s reality, casting and acquisitions divisions, according to people familiar with the matter. The job cuts, which amount to 14% of the streamer’s staff, are part of a larger effort by Warner Bros. Discovery to eliminate overlap as HBO Max and Discovery+ are combined as one streaming service. Discovery closed on its $43 billion acquisition of WarnerMedia in April. CEO David Zaslav promised $3 billion in synergies from the merger. Many of the employees who lost their jobs were members of teams led by former HBO Max chief content officer Kevin Reilly, who no longer fit into the new Warner Bros. structure. Discovery, two of the people said. Riley left the company in 2020. Zaslav is combining HBO Max and Discovery+ to create a new streaming service that will launch in the U.S. in mid-2023. Discovery will provide the reality programming for that product, making HBO Max’s reality division redundant, the people said . HBO also often works directly with casting directors, rather than using in-house people, and has phased out many of its so-called pay-one deals in which it acquires licensed films — work done by its acquisitions department. Other departments affected include business affairs, planning and production, one of the people said. No shows will be canceled as part of the job cuts, the people said. The job cuts are not directed at HBO Max scripted series or movies. A representative for HBO Max declined to comment. WATCH: Streaming is hard when you’re being pushed as hard as Warner Bros. Discovery, the analyst says
