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Plepler’s Prophecy, Harris’s Victory & Elon’s Tears

News and notes from private equity, Zazworld, and media.

Casey Bloys, Kathleen Finch, David Zaslav, and J.B. Perrette during a Warner Bros. Discovery Streaming press event.
Casey Bloys, Kathleen Finch, David Zaslav, and J.B. Perrette during a Warner Bros. Discovery streaming press event. Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for HBO
William D. Cohan
April 16, 2023

Last Sunday, I had to pour one out for the rapidly de-accessionizing Ron Perelman. This week, I’m pouring one out for HBO, or at least the standalone HBO brand, which was launched in Manhattan in and around 1972 by the cable pioneer Chuck Dolan, and has been folded by our friend David Zaslav into a new mega-streamer, “Max,” combining all of the entertainment assets of Warner Bros. and Discovery, like some sort of one-year anniversary memento for their blockbuster merger.