He also noted that the weekly schedule helped to drive the success of past HBO shows like Succession and Chernobyl, and became hits precisely due to their staying power.[19] On February 5, 2020, Warner Bros. announced that it would form a new label known as Warner Max to produce 8 to 10 mid-budget films for the service annually.[20] 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.[3] HBO Max also has podcasts about the films and TV series on the service.[21]