HBO Max has announced a business deal with Ellen DeGeneres, whereby the talk show host will produce three programs for the upcoming streaming service.
Plans include a home design show called Ellen’s Home Design Challenge, where eight designers will showcase their skills alongside commentary from the comedian. Another is an animated series called Little Ellen which will follow the mischief a young Ellen gets up to. There are also plans for a dating series called First Dates Hotel, which is based on the British reality show with the same name.
Furthermore, a documentary series called Finding Einstein will be developed with HBO Max and A Very Good Production, Degeneres’s company. It will follow the journey of seeking out new inventors.
WarnerMedia, the division of AT&T which is home to HBO, HBO Max and Warner Bros, is currently working hard to create a strong content slate which will be able to compete against big contenders such as Amazon, Hulu and Netflix.
They have hired writer, producer and director J J Abrams and his production company Bad Robot in a deal which will see him create film and television projects for WarnerMedia and the upcoming streaming service, which is set to launch in spring 2020.
Ellen Degeneres’s talk show began back in 2003 as a result of an overall deal with Warner Bros, which produces Ellen’s Game of Games for NBC in addition. The latter show will become available on NBC’s new streaming service Peacock, which is expected to launch at around the same time.
