'Thumbnail Testing' a New Play at Warner Bros Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD) Stock Slips
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Reports note that Warner plans to start doing A/B testing on photo thumbnails used on HBO Max, a development that one of its biggest rivals, Netflix (NFLX), has already been engaged in for most of the last decade. Essentially, the project will show users several different thumbnail images for a particular video, or set of videos. Then, the system will be able to track which thumbnail displayed ended up with the most user engagement.
The testing will be done with the most popular titles in Warner's stable at first, reports note, but then will expand outward from there. By the end of 2026's first half, almost all of the catalog should be using A/B testing on thumbnails. For now, humans will be handling thumbnail construction, but in the future, that job will be artificial intelligence's baby, reports note.
Updates on DCU Movies
With Warner's Superman win still ringing in its collective ears, attention turned to two of the other major properties in its arsenal. Namely, the two other founding members of the Justice League: Batman, with the upcoming The Brave and the Bold, and an as-yet-untitled Wonder Woman movie.
The bad news, for those eager to catch the latest comic book outings, is that these two will be a while in coming. The scripts are still being written, and shooting cannot begin until the scripts are actually ready to go, as DC Studios CEO James Gunn noted. While the news of further waiting is not pleasant, it is comforting to note that Warner seems focused on giving the creative team the time it needs to properly incubate titles and bring out quality product.
Is WBD Stock a Good Buy?
Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Moderate Buy consensus rating on WBD stock based on 10 Buys and eight Holds assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 48.1% rally in its share price over the past year, the average WBD price target of $13 per share implies 1.76% upside potential.
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