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Everything old is new again. 

Warner Bros. Discovery unveiled its super-streamer, Max, to the world on Wednesday, with chief executive David Zaslav touting the platform as a service "every member of the household" can go to for their television needs.

Max unites some of the industry's most storied brands under one roof, giving consumers access to a library of programming across WBD's sprawling portfolio: films by Warner Bros., children's content from Cartoon Network, premium shows by HBO, and unscripted programming from HGTV, TLC, Food Network, and many others. Zaslav signaled the package will also at some point be infused with news and sports, given that WBD owns properties such as Turner Sports and CNN.

In effect, WBD announced that it is recreating the bundle, erecting the pillars of a one-stop shop for scripted and unscripted television, movies, news, and sports at a flat monthly rate. The only meaningful difference: instead of it being distributed through cable by a third-party, it will be transmitted direct-to-consumer over the internet.

"It’s the one to watch because we have so many of the world’s iconic and globally recognized franchises," Zaslav said at the press event, both referencing the service's new tagline and also leaning into the concept of a bundle that marries all the elements of traditional linear television.

"It’s our superpower," Zaslav added, describing the package as "streaming's version of must-see TV."

It's a notably different approach from what Disney has done in the streaming space. Insider Intelligence analyst Paul Verna noted to me that the WBD competitor has "resisted the temptation" to combine Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+. Instead, Verna observed that Disney is "leaning into each brand's core strength," though Disney does offer the ability to purchase the individual services in a bundle.

"WBD has clearly decided on the opposite approach," Verna said.

Which company is ultimately proven to have the more effective strategy remains to be seen. But it goes without saying that Max — the product of the merger between WarnerMedia and Discovery — represents the future for WBD, which has been entrenched in the declining traditional TV business. Zaslav nodded at this during the press event, saying that Max positions the company for the "next century."

For now, Max's pricing will be divided up into three tiers: The least expensive is the $9.99 ad-supported model, while the ad-free version will cost $15.99, matching the price of the existing HBO Max service. Users who want 4K will have to buy the Max "ultimate plan" for $19.99.

The Max service launches May 23.

———  BELOW THE FOLD  ———

The Stuff Dreams Are Not Made Of: This is not how Fox News wanted proceedings to go on the eve of jury selection for the $1.6 billion defamation trial brought by Dominion Voting Systems. Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis sanctioned the right-wing talk network and said he will appoint a special master to probe whether it lied to the court and/or withheld key evidence. "I am very concerned… that there have been misrepresentations to the court," Davis said. "This is very serious." CNN's Marshall Cohen, who has been in the Wilmington courthouse all week, has all the details here. 

NPR Abandons Twitter: NPR on Wednesday became the first major news outlet to quit Elon Musk's Twitter, explaining that the org will not be "putting our journalism on platforms that have demonstrated an interest in undermining our credibility and the public’s understanding of our editorial independence." The move comes after Musk slapped a "state-affiliated media" warning label on the NPR account, which is usually reserved for state-controlled propaganda outlets. Musk later tweaked the label, but NPR boss John Lansing was not moved. In fact, Lansing told David Folkenflik that even if the labels were to be removed, the company would still remain off the platform. "At this point I have lost my faith in the decision-making at Twitter," Lansing said. "I would need some time to understand whether Twitter can be trusted again." CNN's Clare Duffy has more here.

🔎 Zooming in: Will other news orgs follow suit? The adversarial relationship between Musk and the press does seem untenable long term. Musk behaves like a childish troll who enjoys poking news orgs, so it would be a good bet that he will continue to assail the press in various ways on his platform in the future. One can easily see him, for instance, deciding one day to slap other accounts with labels like "liberal bias." At what point do news orgs choose to cut ties with the site? Will they ever band together and take collective action? I won't hold my breath. Outlets like The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal continue sending Musk ad dollars, despite the abhorrent manner in which he has treated their outlets and news orgs writ large.

Suing for Surveillance: Nine media outlets are suing for access to January 6 surveillance tapes. The outlets consist of CNN, The Associated Press, The New York Times, Gannett, ProPublica, Advance Publications, E.W. Scripps, and CBS News — all of whom want to get their hands on the 44,000 hours of tape after the footage was handed over to right-wing extremist Tucker Carlson for his Fox News program. "Plaintiffs here are among the many news organizations that have been denied access to the Capitol Surveillance Videos by the Speaker’s Office," lawyers for the group of news orgs wrote. CNN's Katelyn Polantz has details here.

Expressing Support for Evan: It has now been two weeks since Russia arrested Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. Staffers at the newspaper on Wednesday marked the occasion by reiterating their demands his release. Colleagues and supporters of Gershkovich again flooded the #IStandWithEvan hashtag. In WSJ's New York newsroom, staffers wore t-shirts featuring the hashtag, with a large image of Gershkovich projected on a screen over the office. 

► Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that access to Gershkovich by U.S. representatives "is being considered."

First in Reliable | The Code Crew: Vox Media is gearing up for its first Code Conference without Kara Swisher at the helm. The invite-only event, which attracts top tech execs and journalists, will be hosted this year by The Verge Editor-In-Chief Nilay Patel, Platformer founder Casey Newton, and CNBC senior reporter Julia Boorstin. Swisher, who co-founded the news-making conference with Walt Mossberg and hosted it for the past two decades, will still participate in the conference, albeit in a less outsized role. The conference, which will take place September 26 to 27, also moves to the Ritz Carlton, Laguna Niguel.

► "This year, there will be more to discuss than ever," Vox Media boss Jim Bankoff told me. "Code will build on Kara’s legacy, and we’ll continue to evolve the conference to best serve its audience. We’re proud to announce three new hosts, who are also leaders in tech journalism." 

Meta's Morale Morass: Working at Meta is no longer rainbows and sunshine. The NYT's Sheera Frenkel and Mike Isaac reported Wednesday that layoffs, among other factors, "have devastated employee morale at Meta." Per the duo, employees "have created memes and inside jokes about how much time workers have left" before being they are laid off, as well as "griped about reduced bonuses and perks." Read Frenkel and Isaac's story here.

🔎 Zooming in: What is happening at Meta is largely being reflected across Silicon Valley. Tech workers, accustomed to career stability and all sorts of various lifestyle benefits that have for years accompanied their employment, have faced a rude awakening, seeing thousands of their colleagues laid off and perks slashed as tech titans slash costs across the board. 

Supporting the WGA: "The British and Canadian writers’ unions are demonstrating solidarity with their American counterpart as the threat of a potential strike looms," THR's Katie Kilkenny reported Wednesday. The unions asked members not to work that falls under WGA jurisdiction, if a strike should take place. Kilkenny has more here. 

Thank you for reading! This newsletter was edited by Jon Passantino and produced with the assistance of Liam Reilly. Have feedback? Send us an email here. We will see you back in your inbox tomorrow.