HBO Max Has an Inventory Problem (Column)

variety.com:

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor A decade into the streaming revolution, seams are showing and stitches are starting to pop.

The recent uproar about HBO Max removing a significant number of series episodes and movies from its platform amounts to Unintended Consequence No.

9,789 for an industry that has been turned inside out by digital disruption. The situation that Warner Bros. Discovery is scrambling to address by lightening the content load should be crystal clear to anyone who has ever worked in retail sales management.

Simply put, HBO Max has an inventory problem. The long-tail theory of content that has fueled the streaming business conflicts with the focus on tentpole hits that has traditionally fueled the entertainment economy.