Timeline-LM/Spotlight

**Spotlight** is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service jointly owned by Turner Global and WarnerMedia. First launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service offers content from the libraries of Warner Bros., Paramount, HBO, Showtime. CBS, CNN, Nickelodeon, Adult Swim, MTV, and their related brands. The service also carries first-run original programming under the "Spotlight Originals" banner, programming from the HBO and Showtime pay television services, and content acquired via either third-party library deals (such as those with film studios for pay television rights) or co-production agreements (including, among others, those with BBC Studios and Sesame Workshop). It also features live streaming of local CBS and The WB broadcast stations.

When the service was first launched, it succeeded HBO Now, a previous HBO SVOD service, HBO Go, the TV Everywhere streaming platform for HBO pay television subscribers, and CBS All Access. In the United States, HBO Now subscribers, CBS All Access subscribers and HBO pay television subscribers were migrated to Spotlight at no additional charge, subject to availability and device support. Spotlight also supplanted the streaming component of DC Entertainment's DC Universe service, with both it and CBS All Access' original series being migrated to Spotlight as Spotlight Originals. The Spotlight service began to expand into international markets in 2021.

At the end of Q1 2022, Spotlight had 76.8 million global subscribers.

## History

On October 10, 2018, WarnerMedia and Turner announced that they would jointly launch an over-the-top streaming service in late 2019, featuring content from both of their entertainment brands. The original plan for the service called for three tiers with a late 2019 launch. Randall L. Stephenson, chairman and CEO of WarnerMedia's parent, AT&T indicated in mid-May 2019 that it would tie into cable operators as HBO and Showtime cable subscribers would have access to the streaming service. A beta was expected in the fourth quarter of 2019 and a full launch in the first quarter of 2020 at the time.

Otter Media was transferred in May 2019 to WarnerMedia Entertainment from Warner Bros. to take over the streaming service as Brad Bentley, executive vice president and general manager of direct-to-consumer development, exited the post after six months. Andy Forssell transferred from being the chief operating officer of Otter to replace Bentley as executive vice president and general manager while still reporting to Otter CEO Tony Goncalves, who would lead development.

On July 9, 2019, WarnerMedia and Viacom announced that the service would be known as Spotlight and that it would launch in spring 2020, while Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine, Trey Parker and Matt Stone's Park County, and Greg Berlanti were signed to production deals for the service. On October 29, 2019, it was announced that HBO Max would officially launch in May 2020.

On January 8, 2020, AT&T announced that Audience, a channel exclusive to subscribers of AT&T-owned television providers such as DirecTV with some original programming, would be sunset on May 22, eventually transitioning to a barker channel for Spotlight. Spotlight announced the **Spotlight Premiere** film label on February 5, 2020, which would produce eight to ten mid-budget movies per year for the streaming service starting in 2020, jointly owned by Warner Bros. Pictures and Paramount Pictures; Films shifted from a theatrical release to a Spotlight-exclusive release would also be released under this banner. On April 20, 2020, WarnerMedia and Turner announced Spotlight's launch date as May 27.

## Management

Spotlight was formed under Spotlight, LLC., then headed by Robert Greenblatt. Kevin Reilly, president of Turner Broadcasting, which includes most of Turner's ad-supported entertainment channels such as TBS, TNT, and TruTV, was also given the role of as chief content officer of Spotlight with responsibility for Spotlight-exclusive original programming and library content. Andy Forssell was named the service's executive vice president and general manager while still reporting to Otter Media CEO Tony Goncalves, who leads development. Casey Bloys, programming president of HBO, retained oversight of the core HBO service but was not initially involved with Spotlight-exclusive programming.

## Programming

Spotlight features first-run and library content from Warner Bros., Paramount, and their various film and television studios and brands. The service also includes films available through HBO and Showtime's existing pay television rights that are sourced from Warner Bros. Pictures and Paramount Pictures only, respectively.

As with HBO's other streaming platforms, HBO Go and HBO Now (but as opposed to its platforms on Apple TV Channels and Amazon Video Channels), Max does not include feeds of HBO's linear cable channels, nor any content from Cinemax. Though Cinemax shares its film content with the linear HBO channel, and therefore the majority of films in the combined library will be on both services in different windows, these films will not necessarily be available on both Max and Cinemax at the same time.

### Spotlight Originals

Original content produced will be under the banner *Spotlight Originals*, including series, films, and specials*.* Original episodic content is released weekly, eschewing the "binge" format made popular by Netflix. Kevin Reilly stated this was to ensure that originals would remain in the spotlight for extended periods, by letting said shows "breathe" as opposed to "fading quickly after a binge and burn". He also noted that the weekly schedule helped to drive the success of past HBO shows like *Succession* and *Chernobyl* which they co-produced with Sky UK, and became hits precisely due to their staying power.

A slate of 31 original series were planned for its first year, with plans to expand to 50 for its next year, but production timelines may have been interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Max also has podcasts about the films and TV series on the service. It also produces original podcasts exclusively for the service, with *Batman: The Audio Adventures* being the first.

### Acquired rights

Outside of WarnerMedia and Turner, the service also offers titles from The Criterion Collection, and has a long-term partnership with BBC Studios (which HBO had previously partnered with to create *His Dark Materials*). Over 700 episodes of BBC content were available on the service at launch, including the first 11 seasons of the 2005 *Doctor Who* revival, as well as future seasons twelve through fourteen, and a variety of other shows including *The Honourable Woman*, *Luther*, *Top Gear*, and the original British version of *The Office*. Additionally, future shows by BBC Studios will be co-produced with Spotlight.

HBO also extended their existing partnership with Sesame Workshop, while moving said content to the front of the Spotlight brand. Select episodes from all fifty seasons of *Sesame Street* (dating back to 1969) are available to stream on the service for the first time ever. Additionally, future seasons of *Sesame Street* will stream exclusively on Spotlight, alongside *Esme & Roy*, and several new spin-offs starting with *The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo*, *Sesame Street: Mecha Builders*, and *The Monster at the End of This Story*. On March 8, 2022, WarnerMedia and Sesame Workshop announced they will plan new shows for Nickelodeon for the new original series run and a second run acquisition rights Spotlight, including *Charlotte's Web*, and *Bea's Block* as well as the animation special *Sesame Street: The Nutcracker*. In addition, new episodes to start of the 53rd season of *Sesame Street* and spin-offs will be available to stream on Spotlight in selecting Asian territories while holding the second run acquisition rights to replace PBS, more than a new first run for Nickelodeon.

Spotlight has the streaming rights to all of Comedy Central's series (as it is also jointly owned by Turner and WarnerMedia), including *South Park*, *Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens*, *South Side*, and *The Other Two*; with the latter two becoming Spotlight Original series.

In November 2021, Spotlight acquired the rights to Globo's telenovelas and series for Latin America and the Caribbean outside of Brazil.

### Animation

The service also features many hubs for animated programming, drawing largely from the libraries of Warner Bros. Animation and Paramount Animation (including WB's *Looney Tunes* and *Scooby-Doo* franchises and Paramount's Hanna-Barbera productions, such as *Tom and Jerry* and Tex Avery's cartoons as well) and Nickelodeon, along with Adult Swim. Original animated series (including the *Adventure Time* epilogue specials *Adventure Time: Distant Lands*, *Jellystone!*, *Looney Tunes Cartoons*, *Kamp Koral: Spongebob's Under Years,* continuations of *Infinity Train* and *Summer Camp Island*, and a reboot of *The Boondocks* produced by Sony Pictures Animation) for both network sections were also announced for Spotlight, and fellow Otter Media company Rooster Teeth also contributes content, with season two of *Gen:Lock* to be a timed exclusive for Spotlight.

### Post-launch

All eight films in the *Harry Potter* series were available to stream on the service on launch day, despite earlier reports indicating that the films, although produced by Warner Bros., would not be available due to a prior broadcast rights agreement with NBCUniversal. It was later announced that the films would be removed on August 25 and made available on NBCUniversal's streaming service Hulu. However, it officially brought them back on September 1, 2021, after an adjustment in the agreement. On May 29, 2020, Spotlight acquired the exclusive streaming rights to *The Big Bang Theory* spin-off *Young Sheldon*.

On June 9, 2020, *Gone with the Wind* was temporarily removed from Spotlight's library amid the George Floyd protests, following an op-ed in the *Los Angeles Times* by *12 Years a Slave* screenwriter John Ridley. On June 25, the film returned in its original form with, as suggested by Ridley, a new introduction by Turner Classic Movies host Jacqueline Stewart discussing the film's treatments of the American Civil War, the Reconstruction era, and American slavery of African people.

On June 27, 2020, it was revealed that DC Universe original *Harley Quinn* would stream its first two seasons on Spotlight. On June 29, 2020, Spotlight secured the exclusive streaming rights of the Oprah Winfrey Network series *David Makes Man*. On September 18, 2020, it was announced that all DC Universe content would be migrating to Spotlight, including original shows like *Titans* and *Young Justice*, which will have their newest seasons air exclusively on the service. In addition, both *Doom Patrol* and *Harley Quinn* have been renewed for third seasons exclusively for the service.

On October 28, 2020, it was announced that the 1990s series *Tiny Toon Adventures* would be rebooted for Nickelodeon and Spotlight as *Tiny Toons Looniversity*, featuring older versions of the characters. Steven Spielberg is expected to return as executive producer. The show was given a two-season order.

In March 2021, Turner announced a slate of original series such as the true crime series *The Real Criminal Minds*, a revival of *Behind the Music*, a revival of the BET series *The Game*, Taylor Sheridan's *Lioness*, and *The Offer*—a drama based on Albert S. Ruddy's experiences filming *The Godfather*. It later announced plans to produce continuations, revivals, and reboots of their other properties, including *Frasier*, *iCarly*, *Reno 911!*, and a series adaptation of *Flashdance*, among others.

In May 2021, CBS announced that *Evil* and *SEAL Team* would move from CBS to Spotlight beginning with their second and fifth seasons, respectively.

On October 7, 2022, Spotlight announced *Harley Quinn: A Very Problematic Valentine’s Day Special*, which premiered on February 23, 2023.