HBO skips the TCA as Warner Bros. Discovery Skips the Summer Tour
HBO has been a cornerstone of the cable contingent at the Television Critics Association’s Summer Press Tour for decades, but not this year. This is possibly the first time in current memory that they’ll be absent from the tour, but with a major merger on their hands to manage, it might be a smart move. Blake & Wang P.A entertainment lawyer, Brandon Blake, has more.
Skipping the Press Tour Entirely
While it’s usual wall-to-wall panels and glittering stars will no doubt be missed, the newly merged entity is in a tricky place currently. As they fight to synergize the two entities, and as some layoffs inevitably occur- and have been scheduled for the middle of the TCA- it’s easy to see why a splashy tour may have been in poor taste to start with, too.
After all, in 2018 we saw the Winter 2018 Press Tour become a rather inappropriate vehicle to announce buyouts as part of the cuts stemming from AT&T’s acquisition of Time Warner, which went on to become WarnerMedia. It seems the negative publicity lesson was learned. Sometimes, no news is the better option.
HBO Big News Missing from the Scene
The Summer TCA Press Tour has, however, historically been where we’ve seen major news for HBO’s signature shows launched. Discovery, too, has had a not-insubstantial presence here in the past.
However, we’ve also been told that the new entity, Warner Bros. Discovery, will still be bringing its best to Comic-Con, mostly in promotion of Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon
While it’s sad to see an old stalwart pull out of the first in-person bi-annual TCA event since winter of 2020, currently set to begin on July 27, it’s understandable that they would choose to rather focus on cleaning up their in-house issues rather than focus on the splash at present. We’re sure we will see them back in some form or another once the intricate process of merging the two entities is in a more consistent place.
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