In the Streaming Wars, Men Are From HBO Max, Women Are From Discovery+?

If you haven’t gotten a heart-stamped invite in the mail yet, we’re here to break the news to you that HBO Max and Discovery+ are getting married. Warner Media (the parent company of HBO Max) and Discovery merged to become Warner Bros. Discovery earlier this year, and their streaming services will become one next summer. For many, it’s a match made in hell. 

But to Warner Bros. Discovery, it’s right in line with gender norms. The company released a graphic that declared that HBO Max is “male skew” while Discovery+ is “female skew.” And just like that, the company showed it does not truly understand its audience. 

(Credit: Warner Bros. Discover)

CableTV.com polled 500 people to see whether they bought into this gendered view(Opens in a new window). It asked, “Do you agree that HBO Max has a male skew?” and found that 56% disagreed, while 44% agreed. To the question, “Do you agree that Discovery+ has a female skew?” 64% disagreed; 36% agreed. 

Labeling most things as gender-skewed is ridiculous, especially so when it comes to TV shows and movies. And if one gets stereotypical for a minute and tries to see things from Warner Bros. Discovery’s point of view, it doesn’t even make sense. Top shows on HBO(Opens in a new window) include women-led shows such as The Flight Attendant and Hacks, and Discovery+’s top trending(Opens in a new window) includes Ghost Adventures and Deadliest Catch. 

This lack of insight between the two sides is what’s going to doom the relationship and create a streaming service that’s likely to fail. Because opposites do attract and can have strong partnerships, but not without communication and understanding—and clearly, HBO Max and Discovery+ haven’t put in the work.