美国国家公共电台 NPR--TV streaming fans now have a new option for their attention: Max

TV streaming fans now have a new option for their attention: Max

Transcript¹

A new streaming service which combines HBO Max with Discovery+ launches Tuesday. It's called Max. There are three tiers of services — starting with the version that has ads for about $10 a month.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Streaming TV fans have a new option for their attention starting today. Warner Bros. Discovery debuts² Max, a service which combines the programs from HBO Max and Discovery+ into one ginormous platform with some original content thrown in. NPR TV critic Eric Deggans is watching. Hi there, Eric.

ERIC DEGGANS, BYLINE³: Hey.

INSKEEP: OK, so millions of people already have one of these services that are getting bundled together. What exactly would be included?

DEGGANS: So this streaming service is what industry observers expected when Warner Bros. Discovery was created over a year ago. Now, you might remember that HBO's owner, WarnerMedia, merged⁴ with Discovery, Inc. And it was expected back then that this new company was going to create this larger streaming service just to put all their material in one place. So Max brings together HBO Max stuff - which is HBO originals, the DC Universe, Warner Bros. films, CNN - with Discovery+ material from platforms like TLC, HGTV and the Discovery Channel.

And the company also promises an average of more than 40 new programs or seasons of shows every month. So that includes a new "Harry⁵ Potter" series and a spinoff of "The Big Bang Theory." And even though there's a writers strike, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav says it's not going to impact this launch that much, at least now, because they have a lot of content that they've already produced in advance.

INSKEEP: OK, so they're making this consolidation⁶ at a time where streaming services have grown enormously but have now been under a little bit of stress. How does the cost of this compare with what people were getting before?

DEGGANS: Well, if you have HBO Max, for example, the pricing may seem the same. But there's some important differences for media nerds. So if you're already subscribed⁷ to HBO Max, today, you either automatically update to Max or you'll be asked to download an updated app. Discovery+ subscribers can stay on that service, or they can move over to Max. And there's going to be three tiers of service. So you can have a super cheap version with ads at about $10 a month. You can have a version without ads for about $16 a month, which is about what you pay for the top level of HBO Max right now. And they've created a top-level subscription⁸ called ultimate ad-free that has higher resolution and sound for about $20 a month. And of course, there's a yearly fee, an annual fee, that would be a little bit cheaper.

INSKEEP: Is this heading in the direction of the old cable TV model where you essentially⁹ pay one price and you get a whole bunch of channels?

DEGGANS: It does feel a little like that. They're positioning Max as a more family friendly, broad-based service than HBO Max. And I think that's one reason why they dropped HBO's name, which is often associated with more adult-oriented content. And these changes position them so they can better compete against the bigger streaming companies like Netflix and Disney+.

INSKEEP: But what effect do you think this is going to have on the broader media landscape?

DEGGANS: Well, you know, I wonder about HBO's brand, for example, which has stood at the forefront of cutting-edge TV for decades, from "Oz" and "The Sopranos" to "Game Of Thrones" and "Succession."

INSKEEP: Yeah.

DEGGANS: And now HBO just becomes a big cog in an even bigger media platform. I mean, it still exists as a cable channel. But its name isn't leading the big streaming brand anymore. And I wonder what that's going to mean for their programming. I'm not sure there's that many media consumers who are equally interested in "Succession" and TLC's "Dr. Pimple¹⁰ Popper."

INSKEEP: (Laughter).

DEGGANS: And I'd hate to see Max kind of dilute¹¹ its programming to appeal to some imagined version of middle America. And, you know, one of the promises of streaming is that you pay for exactly what you want to see. And a service like Max is bringing us closer to this cable TV kind of system where you're paying for what you like, but you're also paying for things you don't like or you don't care about. And that seems kind of like a step backwards¹².

INSKEEP: NPR TV critic Eric Deggans. Eric, thanks.

DEGGANS: Thank you.

(SOUNDBITE OF EMILY WELLS SONG, "SYMPHONY 6: FAIR THEE WELL AND THE REQUIEM MIX")

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 debuts   

演员首次演出( debut的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He never really debuts the idea of taking money from his parents any longer. 他从此就再也没有认真起过向父母要钱的念头。
• This young soprano debuts next month at the metropolitan opera. 这位年轻的女高音歌唱家下个月将在纽约大都会歌剧院举行首演。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 merged   

（使）混合( merge的过去式和过去分词 )； 相融； 融入； 渐渐消失在某物中

参考例句：

• Turf wars are inevitable when two departments are merged. 两个部门合并时总免不了争争权限。
• The small shops were merged into a large market. 那些小商店合并成为一个大商场。

5 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

6 consolidation   

n.合并,巩固

参考例句：

• The denser population necessitates closer consolidation both for internal and external action. 住得日益稠密的居民，对内和对外都不得不更紧密地团结起来。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• The state ensures the consolidation and growth of the state economy. 国家保障国营经济的巩固和发展。 来自汉英非文学 - 中国宪法

7 subscribed   

v.捐助( subscribe的过去式和过去分词 )；签署，题词；订阅；同意

参考例句：

• It is not a theory that is commonly subscribed to. 一般人并不赞成这个理论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I subscribed my name to the document. 我在文件上签了字。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 subscription   

n.预订，预订费，亲笔签名，调配法，下标（处方）

参考例句：

• We paid a subscription of 5 pounds yearly.我们按年度缴纳5英镑的订阅费。
• Subscription selling bloomed splendidly.订阅销售量激增。

9 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

10 pimple   

n.丘疹，面泡，青春豆

参考例句：

• His face was covered with pimples.他满脸粉刺。
• This is also a way to prevent the pimple.这也是防止疙瘩的一个途径。

11 dilute   

vt.稀释，冲淡；adj.稀释的，冲淡的

参考例句：

• The water will dilute the wine.水能使酒变淡。
• Zinc displaces the hydrogen of dilute acids.锌置换了稀酸中的氢。

12 backwards   

adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地

参考例句：

• He turned on the light and began to pace backwards and forwards.他打开电灯并开始走来走去。
• All the girls fell over backwards to get the party ready.姑娘们迫不及待地为聚会做准备。