And we have a new studio logo, well sort of: it is a new version of the 2021 opening logo, launched coinciding with the release of Wonka; it is virtually identical to the 2021 opening logo (including the rendition of the As Time Goes By fanfare by Ludwig Göransson, for now… more below), down to the fact it has been made by Devastudios (who also did the 2021 version), but the 2019 Pentagram shield has been replaced with a modernised version of the 1948/1984 shield design, adding a banner with the studio name including the WBD shield by Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv), and the cold tones have been replaced with more muted, warmer shades.
This example has no sound as it has been extracted from a Devastudios Instagram reel showcasing the new animation, which was later posted to YouTube. Moreover, the Television logo has also been changed, introduced with S2E3 of Night Court:
In comparison, here’s the old version:
EDIT: Göransson’s rendition, although heard in Wonka in some territories, it will soon be superseded by a new rendition of the As Time Goes By fanfare. Already heard as a snippet in the WBTV logo, the new rendition (codenamed Classic Rendition) by Jacob Yoffee and mixed by Jason LaRocca, will inch closer to the original 1998 version and will be mixed in Dolby Atmos.
Sorry for only joining this forum today, but WB seems to specify the guideline regarding the 2023 logo regarding whether each division’s logo are bannerless or with the banner (or sash according to the official WBD guideline).
According to the guideline (Warner Bros. Brands | Warner Bros. Discovery Brand Guide), the main corporate Warner Bros. logo should be bannerless, meaning that no one could recreate the main WB logo with the banner unless they use it for more unofficial purposes. Futhermore, the WBD logo with the banner included are only used for 4 divisions (WB Pictures, WB Television, WB Games, and WB Pictures Animation), so all other divisions must be bannerless like the main WB logo although the bannerless logos for 4 divisions could be used for small-scale purposes and also for many corporate communications.
The font used in the logo is of course, a modified TT Norms Std Condensed Bold, which anyone called it Warner Bros. Bold Condensed (one of most favourite font used by Deviantart users to create WB logo’s parody).
Despite it, the 2019 logo isn’t likely to fully go away, because the 2019 logo could be used for more secondary purposes, like copyright stamps.
Warner Bros. Pictures just unveiled the new fanfare digitally, as the opening logo of Am I OK?, which is Max-exclusive films that the streaming service distributed. It was suspected to debut theatrically in the UK release of The Boys in the Boat that released in January, Under Parallel Skies that released in April in the Philippines and many Asian countries, and The Commandant’s Shadow that had limited theatrical run on May 29 to 30. However, these three films are yet to release digitally (unless The Boys in the Boat had the UK-specific print). So, once these films released digitally and confirmed to have its fanfare, it predate Am I OK? months ago.
No one wants to deal with WBD due to their $40b debt, so they want to unload that debt by giving it to their declining side of the business.
$40b debt on pure linear broadcasting business is just signing the death warrant.
I wonder if they plan on splitting off just streaming and the film business or taking the television production with them as well.
Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) has named a new appointment for general manager of Australia and New Zealand.
On Monday, the company announced Michael Brooks for the role effective immediately, who will take on the position in addition to being managing director of Warner Bros. International Television Production Australia.
The company’s new global linear networks division will house its networks of news, sports, scripted and unscripted programming such as CNN, TBS, TNT, HGTV and the Food Network. A streaming and studios unit will house Warner Bros. Discovery’s film studios and streaming platform Max.
Longtime TV powerhouse HBO will be slotted under the streaming unit, according to a person familiar with the matter.
It seems the ultimate (but unspoken) aim is to sell off the linear networks, possibly bringing them under the same umbrella as Comcast’s linear networks. CNN in particular is thought to be up for grabs.
As for the future of the cable networks, the most obvious outcome may be the most likely: Each of these mediacos will spin their channels into the wilderness (without debt in NBC’s case, with debt in WBD’s case), where they’ll eventually be rebundled, merge with each other, or be monetized by private equity, perhaps ending up a part of some grim mega-colossus akin to Barry Diller’s Dotdash Meredith, but for cable. But that’s still a few years down the road. Right now, everyone is preserving their beloved “optionality.”
…
Several media executives have told me they anticipate [CNN] will be sold off by the end of next year. In a recent note, LightShed media analysts Rich Greenfield and Brandon Ross said they expect WBD “to be opportunistic selling non-core assets, such as CNN or Food Network, neither of which is driving the Max story.” If so, CNN could join MSNBC in the wilderness, cut loose from the growth-oriented streaming business. Of course, no one is quite sure who would buy the asset, though Jeff Zucker’s name reliably, and unsurprisingly, comes up any time one broaches the topic.
Really good blog, @bacco007, some really interesting articles on there. Thanks for sharing.
I think that court case was nothing more than Sky trying to keep something after the exclusive deal with WBD ends next year. I suspect any deal between WBD and Foxtel will look very similar to this.
I found this line in particular an interesting one:
In the end, Sky needed a deal with Max, and Max needed a deal with Sky.
And it did make me wonder whether a deal that involves a tie-up with Foxtel that gives them ready access to a decent market may not be the worst way to launch into the market.
It seems like that streaming services are looking at alternate sales models to get numbers up, Kayo numbers have been bolstered through being an add-on for AFL memberships for instance.
They’ll still need some kind of plan of what to do in the short term because I can’t imagine that structurally separating the sports components out is going to be a simple task and there are significant risks to what they might be able to achieve if they decide to sell off whats left if they’re not careful.
