HBO channel to be discontinued in Bangladesh from Dec 15

WarnerMedia International has announced that it will be pulling off its movie channel the Home Box Office (HBO) channel in  Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and Maldives from 15 December 2020.

The decision came over failing to find a sustainable business model in South Asia despite operating in the region for more than a decade.

The group will continue to operate and invest more in its kids brands Cartoon Network and Pogo in the South Asia region, including increasing local animation production.

On behalf of the company, Website TechCrunch said that viewers from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Maldives will no longer be able to watch the channel. WarnerMedia will close its business from December 15 in these countries where the subscription cost is 4 to 5 dollars per month.

HBO channel, a popular channel in the western world, has not gained much popularity in South Asian countries. Last month, South Asian viewers watched more Movies on Star Movies and Sony Pix channels than HBO.

Siddharth Jain, the SVP and MD of WarnerMedia South Asia, said the decision to pull the channels comes as the pay-TV industry landscape and the market dynamics have 'shifted dramatically', adding that the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the need for further change.

SZA