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Warner Bros. Discovery’s HBO Max is removing 20 HBO Max original series that didn’t resonate with large audiences.
Most of what HBO Max is removing is reality or kids and family content.
HBO Max is eliminating the series to cut costs and put forth a new strategy as it prepares to merge with Discovery+ next year.

Stefanie Smith | CNBC

Warner Bros. Discovery’s HBO Max is removing 36 movies and TV series from its platform. There are three main reasons why it’s happening.
The films and series − which include 20 original HBO Max shows such as teen drama “Generation,” and “Sesame Street” spinoff “The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo” − will be removed by end of Friday. The decision comes ahead of Warner Bros. Discovery plans to combine Discovery+ with HBO Max into a new service that will launch in the U.S. in mid-2023.

“As we work toward bringing our content catalogs under one platform, we will be making changes to the content offering available on both HBO Max and Discovery+. That will include the removal of some content from both platforms,” an HBO Max spokesman said in a statement.
It may seem strange for HBO Max to remove series it specifically made for the platform − streaming services are full of little-watched shows and movies. But for Warner Bros. Discovery, there are three main motivations behind the cuts: slashing costs, moving away from content aimed at kids and families and decluttering the service.

Cost cutting

While HBO Max already paid for the production of these shows, it’s still on the hook for residuals, including so-called back-end payments to cast, crew and writers, based on long-term viewership metrics.
By removing these films and shows, especially the ones HBO Max created rather than licensed, executives can cut expenses immediately. Warner Bros. Discovery has promised at least $3 billion in synergies stemming from the merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery, announced in May.
The content eliminations in total will save “tens of millions of dollars,” according to two people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named because the finances are private.

The reasoning isn’t the same as why superhero movie “Batgirl” was scrapped earlier this month. That decision took advantage of a change-of-strategy merger tax benefit that allowed for writing off incomplete projects. The HBO Max shows already launched and have been on the service, so they don’t apply for that benefit.
Warner Bros. can also potentially license the programming it has removed by selling it to another streaming provider, adding revenue by substracting content. That may give a second life to at least some of the shows and movies pulled from HBO Max.

Eschewing kids and family

Most of what HBO Max is pulling is either reality TV or kids and family content. (A full list of removed content is at the end of this story).
HBO Max will get its unscripted content from Discovery, which will add nearly its entire catalog of reality TV, including from HGTV, Food Network and Animal Plant, to the combined service next year. HBO Max laid off 14% of its staff earlier this week, including many from its unscripted division.
The move away from kids and family content is new. HBO Max executives decided viewers are simply not going to the service to watch kids programming. Even “Sesame Street,” which HBO Max acquired in 2019 in a five-year deal, isn’t pulling strong numbers, according to people familiar with the matter. That prompted the removal of “The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo” and the removal of about 200 back episodes of the show, the people said.
HBO specializes in adult-themed content that skews toward a male audience. Discovery specializes in adult-themed reality content that is watched by more women. While the combined services hit both adult gender demographics, they don’t target kids. Instead of adding more content to fill that niche, Warner Bros. Discovery has decided to move away from the category with its future investment budget, said the people.

Decluttering

Streaming executives across the industry frequently talk of Netflix having a “discovery” problem. Netflix has so much content, they say, that it’s hard to search for its best stuff. While Netflix tries to mitigate this with algorithms and Top 10 lists, the service has hundreds of shows that get lost in the shuffle because there’s so much content gumming up the search process.
Everything getting pulled from “HBO Max” was infrequently watched, according to people familiar with the matter.
With the coming addition of Discovery+ content, Warner Bros. Discovery executives are concerned HBO Max may get bogged down with little-watched films and shows. That could cause viewers to associate the service with having a lot of stuff they don’t want to watch — the “Netflix problem,” said one HBO Max executive, who asked not to be named because the decision was private.
Traditional pay-TV has also struggled with the problem. Cable TV has ballooned in cost, averaging about $100 per month, while adding more and more poorly viewed cable networks over the years. The result is that customers have been rejecting cable TV in droves.
This risk of having too much content is one of the reasons Disney has historically kept Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu separate. Disney executives have long felt consumers will pay a lower price for a more tailored experience.
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav may want to raise the price for a combined HBO Max-Discovery+ offering, especially as competitors Disney and Netflix have recently raised prices. Eliminating little watched content, while adding a slew of new Discovery + content, could help justify the increase.
***
HBO Max announced the following series will be removed this week:
12 Dates of Christmas
About Last Night
Aquaman: King of Atlantis
Close Enough
Detention Adventure
Dodo
Ellen’s Next Great Designer
Elliott From Earth
Esme & Roy
The Fungies! 
Generation Hustle 
Genera+ion
Infinity Train
Little Ellen 
Mao Mao, Heroes of Pure Heart
Messy Goes to Okido
Mia’s Magic Playground
Mighty Magiswords
My Dinner with Herve
My Mom, Your Dad
Odo
OK K.O.! – Let’s Be Heroes
The Ollie & Moon Show
Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures
Ravi Patel’s Pursuit of Happiness
Select Sesame Street Specials 
Make It Big, Make It Small
Share
Squish
Summer Camp Island
The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo 
The Runaway Bunny – Special
Theodosia
Tig n’ Seek 
Uncle Grandpa
Victor and Valentino
Yabba Dabba Dinosaurs
 WATCH: Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav speaks to CNBC about his strategy

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Shares of British cinema chain Cineworld Group plunged Friday on reports that it is preparing to file for bankruptcy after failing to entice viewers back to movie theaters.
The stock was down around 63% in mid-afternoon trade in London.
The company is reportedly expected to file a chapter 11 petition in the U.S. and is considering filing an insolvency proceeding in the U.K.

Cineworld, which operates 9,000 theatres in 10 countries, has warned that a lack of blockbusters is hurting admissions.
Geography Photos | Universal Images Group | Getty Images

LONDON — Shares of British cinema chain Cineworld Group plunged Friday on reports that it is preparing to file for bankruptcy after failing to entice viewers back to movie theatres following a pandemic lull.
The stock was down around 63% in mid-afternoon trade in London, up just slightly from earlier Friday, when it hit a record low of 1.8 pence per share.

It follows reports first cited in The Wall Street Journal that the company, which owns Regal Cinemas, had engaged a team of lawyers and consultants to advise on the bankruptcy process, according to people familiar with the matter.
The company is expected to file a chapter 11 petition in the U.S. and is considering filing an insolvency proceeding in the U.K., they said.
Cineworld did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.

Fewer big-budget movies hurt attendance

Cineworld, which operates 9,000 theaters in 10 countries, warned Wednesday that a lack of blockbusters was hurting admissions and would likely persist until November, impacting the company’s liquidity.
It is the latest casualty of the movie theater industry, which has struggled to regain its footing following coronavirus pandemic lockdowns, with viewers increasingly inclined to stream movie releases at home.

Box office ticket sales are down 30% compared to 2019. Meantime, there have been 30% fewer movies released in theaters owing to filming disruptions during the pandemic and a tendency for some production companies to release directly to streaming platforms.
Shares of other U.S. theater companies AMC and CNK were both down around 5% in mid-morning trade, recovering slightly from an earlier dip.
Cineworld said Wednesday that despite the success of hits such as “Top Gun: Maverick” and some Marvel movies, not enough big films were hitting cinemas.
“Despite a gradual recovery of demand since re-opening in April 2021, recent admission levels have been below expectations,” the company said.
Cineworld’s net debt stood at $8.9 billion at the end of 2021 compared to revenues of $1.8 billion.
Law firm Kirkland & Ellis LLP and consultants from AlixPartners are said to be advising on the bankruptcy proceedings, according to the WSJ.
Neither were available for comment when contacted by CNBC.

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New federal regulations will take effect next week to reduce the proliferation of untraceable, privately assembled firearms, also known as “ghost guns.”
Now, ghost guns dealers are ramping up efforts to offload inventory before the new rule takes effect.
Online dealer GhostGuns.com saw an uptick in sales for ghost gun kits when the rule was first announced in early April, and now it’s completely sold out of them, a company representative said.

“Ghost guns” seized in federal law enforcement actions are displayed at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) field office in Glendale, California on April 18, 2022.
Robyn Beck | AFP | Getty Images

With new federal regulations set to take effect on so-called “ghost guns” next week, businesses that sell the untraceable firearms are racing to offload inventory.
The new regulations from the Biden administration are set to take effect Aug. 24 and will substantially curb the proliferation of ghost guns by requiring those who sell them to abide by the same rules and regulations as traditional gun sellers in the U.S.

The weapons are assembled from kits and do not carry serial numbers. Authorities say they attract criminals and extremists. Their parts can be bought online or at a store as do-it-yourself kits, and their purchase doesn’t require a background check. They can be assembled into working firearms in as little as 30 minutes.
A spokesperson for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said the new rule will “play a key role in preventing convicted felons, domestic abusers, and other prohibited persons from acquiring these firearms.” It will also allow the bureau “to trace these guns when used in crimes.”
Under the new regulations, manufacturers and dealers of ghost guns must be federally licensed, parts used to make the weapons will need serial numbers, and purchasers must undergo a background check.
With days until the rule takes effect, ghost gun dealers are ramping up efforts to offload inventory. Online dealer GhostGuns.com has a live countdown banner on its homepage reminding shoppers of the date the restrictions take effect. The company saw an uptick in sales for its ghost gun kits when the rule was first announced in early April, and it sold out of them, a representative told CNBC. The countdown is intended to “drive awareness and sales,” the representative said.
The site 80percentarms.com, which sells some firearms already 80% assembled, promises to continue with shipping ghost guns until the day the rule begins.

A similar online dealer, 80-lower.com, is advertising “fast shipping” on products “delivered in discreet boxes,” and a statement on their website says the company is “prepared to fight this final rule,” and that it’s been working with a legal team and other organizations to “block this rule from coming into effect.” The National Rifle Association, the country’s biggest pro-gun group, has criticized the ghost gun rule.
Representatives from 80percentarms.com and 80-lower.com did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
Ghost guns have ballooned in popularity in recent years. According to the the White House, ghost guns reported to ATF have increased tenfold from 2016. Last year alone, there were approximately 20,000 suspected ghost guns recoveries reported to ATF, the White House added.
Ten states and the District of Columbia have already begun regulating or outright banning the sale of ghost guns.
In Washington, D.C., ghost gun maker and distributor Polymer80 was successfully sued by the district’s attorney general, Karl Racine.  
Polymer80 was found to have violated city consumer protection laws by falsely claiming that ghost gun kits were legal to purchase in D.C. The company sold them to dozens of customers in the city, including through its website. Polymer80 was ordered to pay more than $4 million in penalties to the city.
“These weapons are unlicensed, undetectable, and untraceable, and must be subject to regulation just like other guns,” Racine said in a statement to CNBC.
He also said he backs the new federal regulations.
“As the country and the District face a gun violence epidemic, we must support federal efforts to stem the flow of ghost guns, which can be easily trafficked across state borders,” Racine said. “Upholding this rule is critical in making sure that our residents are safe.”
Polymer80 did not respond to CNBC’s requests for comment on the lawsuit or the upcoming rule change.
While the new rule will regulate future sales of ghost guns, there is no known estimate of how many ghost guns are already in circulation.

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GM is reinstating a quarterly cash dividend and increasing the size of its opportunistic share repurchases to $5 billion of common stock, up from $3.3 billion.
The quarterly dividend will be at a rate of 9 cents per share, a roughly 76% reduction from the 38 cents per share when the quarterly dividend was suspended in April 2020.
The first dividend will be paid on Sept. 15 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on Aug. 31, according to the company.

Mary Barra, Chair and CEO of the General Motors Company (GM), speaks during the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California, on May 2, 2022.
Patrick T. Fallon | AFP | Getty Images

DETROIT – General Motors is reinstating a quarterly cash dividend for shareholders that was cut to preserve funds during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, although it will be at a much lower rate than when it was suspended.
The Detroit automaker on Friday said the GM board of directors authorized a dividend on the company’s outstanding common stock at a rate of 9 cents per share. That’s a roughly 76% reduction from the 38 cents per share when the dividend was suspended in April 2020.

GM also announced it will resume and increase its opportunistic share repurchases to $5 billion of common stock, up from the $3.3 billion previously remaining under the program. It did not specify a timeframe for the repurchases.
Investors have been questioning when GM’s quarterly dividend would be restored, especially after crosstown rival Ford Motor reinstated a quarterly dividend of 10 cents per share for its shareholders in October 2021.
GM CEO Mary Barra earlier this year said that the company would “consider all opportunities to return excess capital to shareholders,” but that the priority was to accelerate its transformation plans that include investing $35 billion in electric and autonomous vehicles through 2025.
In a release Friday, Barra said progress on “key strategic initiatives has improved our visibility and strengthened confidence in our capacity to fund growth while also returning capital to shareholders.”
The company’s board felt that 9 cents was an “appropriate” dividend as the company continues to invest in its transformation plan, according to GM spokesman Jim Cain.

The first dividend will be paid on Sept. 15 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on Aug. 31, according to the company.
“GM’s consistently strong earnings, margins and cash flow, our investment-grade balance sheet, and the achievement of several significant milestones in our growth strategy enables us to invest aggressively to accelerate our all-electric future while also supporting the return of excess free cash flow to shareholders, aligned with our long-term capital allocation strategy,” GM Chief Financial Officer Paul Jacobson said in a statement.
The actions come as GM continues to deal with supply chain problems, including a shortage of semiconductor chips and waning investor confidence.
The company’s stock is down roughly 34% this year. It closed Thursday at $38.72 a share. The company’s market cap is $56.2 billion, down from more than $90 billion at the beginning of the year.

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Amazon paid $1 billion for the rights to be the exclusive provider of “Thursday Night Football.”
The company has developed new statistics technology and other broadcast features it hopes will delight fans.
About 80 million U.S. Prime Video subscribers watched the app at least once in the last year.

Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs
Jamie Squire | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images

To the joy and frustration of football fans across the United States, the era of National Football League games appearing exclusively on a streaming service is upon us.
Amazon Prime Video is the home for “Thursday Night Football” this upcoming season, marking the first time in league history a streaming service will be the solo carrier for a package of national games. The era begins Aug. 25 with a preseason game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Houston Texans. The first regular season game for Amazon will be Sept. 15, when the Los Angeles Chargers play the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2 of the NFL season. Local broadcast stations for the teams playing in a given week will also air the games.

Amazon signed a deal with Nielsen this week to measure the telecasts, a sign of confidence that it expects solid ratings. Eighty million U.S. subscribers have watched Amazon Prime Video at least once in the past year, the company said in May. For context, Netflix ended the second quarter with 73.3 million paid monthly subscribers in the U.S. and Canada. Disney+ ended its most recent quarter with 44.5 million subscribers in the U.S. and Canada.
People who want to watch the games will need to sign up for an Amazon Prime account, which costs $14.99 a month or $139 a year, or a Prime Video membership, which is $8.99 a month.

New game features

To push viewers toward its NFL broadcast, which cost Amazon $1 billion per year, live games will automatically start playing when people log onto Amazon.com. The games will also be featured prominently on Prime Video’s home screen to alert subscribers they’re taking place in real time.
Viewers will be given the choice to watch, record or start from the beginning of the broadcast. If they don’t want to have to keep recording individual games, they’ll also have the option of recording the entire slate of Thursday night games for the season.
Amazon is also debuting other new technology features. On most platforms (it’s still working on a deal with Roku), it will offer “X-Ray stats,” which will give viewers the ability to see real-time statistics on screen. In addition to standard stats such as yards and touchdowns, they will include so-called next-generation figures, such as average time to throw for quarterbacks and yards after contact for running backs and receivers. Players will wear uniforms enhanced with Amazon Web Services chips, allowing for instant updates.

Amazon will also have a customer package of highlights via X-Ray that update through the game for viewers who missed the early action and want to catch up. For Fire TV users, viewers will be able to speak commands such as “show me stats” or “play the last touchdown” into the remote control.
Continuing a trend put in place by Disney’s ESPN and Paramount Global, Amazon will also offer alternative broadcasts for people who want a less serious telecast, beginning with the popular comedy YouTube group Dude Perfect. Amazon plans to add other alternative feeds over time.

Growing pains

Some growing pains are expected. For example, Amazon is preparing for feedback from frustrated viewers whose internet speeds may not be able to handle a livestream, or from viewers who are still unfamiliar with streaming navigation.
“Free of bandwidth and channel limits that constrain optionality on linear platforms, our promise is to continually listen to our customers, iterate and intentionally develop new and better ways for more fans to enjoy the games,” said Amazon spokesman Tim Buckman.
As for its primary broadcast, Amazon is confident viewers will be pleased. While Apple TV+ received a slew of initial pushback for trying to be different with its Major League Baseball games, Buckman said Amazon’s goal is to be great at delivering the core game viewing experience before being inventive.
For its play-by-play, Amazon is tapping broadcasting legend Al Michaels, who departed NBC’s “Sunday Night Football,” along with longtime college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit.
Disclosure: NBC and CNBC are both units of NBCUniversal.

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Concerns are mounting that the window of opportunity for containing the escalating monkeypox outbreak may be closing.
Health officials have warned that failure to get the outbreak under control could see it spillover into other populations or species.
It comes as Bavarian Nordic — the sole supplier of the only approved vaccine for monkeypox — said Wednesday that it is no longer certain it can meet demand.

There are growing concerns that a monkeypox vaccination drive could be stalled amid a shortage of supply.
Xinhua News Agency | Getty Images

Concerns are mounting that the window of opportunity for containing the escalating monkeypox outbreak may be closing, with vaccine shortages leaving some at-risk groups waiting weeks to get jabbed.
Health professionals have warned that a failure to get the outbreak under control could see it spill over into other populations or species.

The U.K. Health Security Agency has said that it expects to run out of its initial batch of 50,000 vaccines within the next two weeks, and may not receive further doses until September. Meanwhile, other high-case countries are considering new inoculation methods amid dwindling supplies.
Bavarian Nordic — the sole supplier of the only approved vaccine for monkeypox — announced Thursday that it had signed a deal with contract manufacturer Grand River Aseptic Manufacturing to help complete orders of its Jynneos vaccine in the U.S. while freeing up capacity for other countries. The process is expected to take around three months to get up and running.
It follows reports Wednesday that the Danish pharmaceutical company was no longer certain it could meet rising demand, according to Bloomberg.
More than 35,000 cases of monkeypox have so far been confirmed in 92 non-endemic countries since the first was reported in the U.K. on May 6. Twelve have been fatal.

Cases rise 20% in a week

The World Health Organization on Wednesday warned that the spread of the virus was continuing apace, with cases rising 20% in the past week alone.

While anyone can be infected with monkeypox, the overwhelming majority of cases have so far been confirmed in gay and bisexual men who have sex with other men.
That has prompted an inoculation drive, specifically among advanced economies, aimed at protecting the most vulnerable with either pre- or post-exposure vaccinations. However, shortfalls in vaccine supply and delayed rollouts are increasing the risks of a wider outbreak, according to infectious disease specialists.

If an outbreak is to be stopped, you have a very short window of opportunity. At this point, we see this window of opportunity slowly closing.

Professor Eyal Lesham
infectious disease specialist, Sheba Medical Center

“We know from past outbreaks that if an outbreak is to be stopped you have a very short window of opportunity. At this point, we see this window of opportunity slowly closing,” Professor Eyal Leshem of Israel’s Sheba Medical Center, told CNBC Thursday.
That, in turn, could see the virus transmit more easily to other groups or begin to behave in different ways, said Leshem.
“As we see more cases, the chance of containing this disease are reduced. We may see spillover from the current population at risk to other populations,” he said, naming close contacts and household members, including children and pets, as potentially vulnerable groups.
The first known instance in this outbreak of an animal catching monkeypox from humans was reported earlier this week in Paris.

Vaccines ‘not a silver bullet’

As countries await further vaccine supply, some are now trying alternate means of safeguarding vulnerable groups.
In a letter leaked to the BBC, the UKHSA said it would withhold some remaining stock purely for post-exposure patients, meaning other people seeking preventative care would have to wait.
Elsewhere, Spain — which has the most reported cases of a non-endemic country after the U.S. — last week requested permission from the European Medicines Agency to give people smaller doses of the vaccine in a bid to spread limited supplies more widely.
It follows similar dose-sparing plans backed by U.S. health regulators, which allow one vial of vaccine to administer up to five separate shots by injecting between the skin rather than below it.

A relatively short and temporary decrease in the rate of vaccine administration may not have a big impact.

Dr. Jake Dunning
senior researcher, University of Oxford

Still, the WHO’s technical lead for monkeypox, Dr. Rosamund Lewis, said Wednesday that vaccines should not be seen as the only form of protection against the virus.
“Vaccines are not a silver bullet,” she said, noting that more data on their efficacy is still required. Current data comes from a small study in the 1980s, which found that smallpox vaccines are 85% effective at preventing monkeypox.
She recommended those who believe themselves to be at risk to consider “reducing their number of sex partners [and] avoiding group sex or casual sex.” If and when someone does receive a vaccine, they should also wait until it has the time to produce the maximum immune response before engaging in sexual intercourse, typically two weeks, she added.
Dr. Jake Dunning, senior researcher at the University of Oxford’s Pandemic Sciences Institute, agreed, noting that a brief drop off in vaccinations may not necessarily derail wider efforts to combat the virus.
“If it turns out that actually a large proportion of those at greatest risk of exposure have been vaccinated already, then a relatively short and temporary decrease in the rate of vaccine administration may not have a big impact in achieving the overall aim,” he said.

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Spain is one of the world’s most-visited countries, drawing more than 83 million travelers in 2019, according to the United Nations’ World Tourism Organization.
In terms of international arrivals, that makes it second only to France.

But the Spanish are also avid travelers within their own country, with nearly 93% choosing to travel within Spain in the first quarter of 2022, according to Spain’s National Statistics Institute.
From where to eat to new luxury hotels in Madrid and desserts celebrating different saints’ days in Barcelona, Spanish residents told CNBC where they love to go.

Northern Spain 

Spanish Hotelier Pau Guardans got to know his country as a child, when his family would spend vacations road-tripping in a red and white Volkswagen “Kombi” van, a popular bus-style vehicle in the 1970s.
Now, he likes to go on vacation to the Costa Brava region of Catalonia on Spain’s northeast coast.
“I would recommend visiting any of its beautiful ‘calas’ [coves] and eating in its ‘chiringuitos’ [beach bars] with good fish and rice dishes. In the interior, it is worth discovering the magnificent gastronomy of the area with products from the countryside,” he said.

The Val d’Aran in the Pyrenees mountains, a range that runs along the French-Spanish border.
Artur Debat | Moment | Getty Images

Guardans, founder of Unico Hotels, a luxury group that includes the Grand Hotel Central in Barcelona and the Principal Madrid, recommended eating at Can Salo, a restaurant in a 16th-century farmhouse in the village of Palau-Sator.
Further inland, he suggests Eth Triton, a restaurant in a valley in the Spanish Pyrenees called the Val d’Aran, for “good food in a family atmosphere — and a good wine cellar!”
Northern Spain is also home to two of the country’s wine regions. “For autumn trips, without a doubt, I love to visit the wineries in Ribera del Duero or La Rioja,” Patricia Alonso, a marketer living in Madrid, said in an email to CNBC.

The village of Brinas in the La Rioja region in northern Spain. The area has more than 500 wineries, around 80 of which welcome visitors.
Julio Alvarez | Moment | Getty Images

For summer, Alonso said she prefers the Asturias region along the Bay of Biscay, noting the sheltered Playa de Toro beach in the town of Llanes as a particular favorite.

Southern Spain

Alonso said she also loves the south of Spain, and the province of Cadiz is a favorite, known for its long sandy beaches, whitewashed towns and the sherry made from the vineyards surrounding the city of Jerez de la Frontera. Cadiz is part of the autonomous community of Andalucia, the region most visited by Spaniards.
Alonso recommended the popular windsurfing beach Valdevaqueros, close to the town of Tarifa, the southernmost point of Europe. She also likes Bolonia, a wide curve of pale sand with dunes, and the remains of Baelo Claudia, an ancient Roman town right by the beach.

Bolonia beach, close to the town of Tarifa, the most southerly point in Europe.
Miguel Sotomayor | Moment | Getty Images

The Cadiz province is also a pick for Fabian Gonzalez, the founder of travel conference Forward_MAD whose parents live close to the region’s capital city, which is also called Cadiz.
“Cadiz province has probably the best white sand and crystal water beaches in the Iberian Peninsula, as well as an incredible fish-based gastronomy. When in Cadiz province, a must is Casa Bigote restaurant, in Sanlucar de Barrameda, where you can try the best prawns in the world,” Gonzalez told CNBC by email.
Gonzalez also recommended the bluefin tuna at Taberna de el Campero in Zahara de los Atunes, a fishing village around an hour’s drive south of Cadiz city.
On the southeast coast, the town of Javea in the province of Alicante is a pick for Marina Valera, a social media manager living in Madrid. “Although it’s very crowded in the summer, Javea has a landscape that is worth the visit — it inspired the paintings of the famous Spanish painter Joaquin Sorolla, and Cristobal Balenciaga spent his last days there,” she told CNBC.
“It doesn’t have the usual flat landscape that you might think because of the Montgo, a mountain that dominates the skyline for miles around,” she added.
Enjoying paella by the sea is a must, Valera said. The chiringuito Montgo di Bongo is right on the beach, and its website boasts daily opening hours of 10:30 a.m. to sunrise. Valera suggested making a reservation well in advance.

The beach cove Cala Granadella in Alicante is popular with Spanish people. Locals advise going early in the morning or off-season to avoid crowds.
Sergio Formoso | Moment | Getty Images

“Right next to Montgo di Bongo, La Siesta … is the place to see and be seen with beautiful people, fancy decorations and dance music. If you prefer something more down to earth, my favorite is [Taverna] Octopus, a bar located on El Arenal beach with rock music and good vibes,” she added.
Valera’s tip for avoiding beach crowds? “I’d recommend going super early! And of course, September is better than July and August … I also prefer going to Benisero beach: as it is a pebble beach, it is not as comfortable as the sandy beach of El Arenal, but there are fewer people.”

What to do in Madrid

Alonso recommended Matadero Madrid, on the banks of the River Manzanares in Spain’s capital, an arts development in a former slaughterhouse and cattle market. She described it as having a “typical Spanish atmosphere,” in which visitors can enjoy a traditional cana — a small glass of beer.

The lobby of the Mandarin Oriental Ritz, Madrid. The hotel, which is more than 100 years old, reopened after a three-year renovation in April 2021.
Cristina Arias | Cover | Getty Images

Gonzalez, who lives around 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) outside Madrid, likes to stay in the city a couple of times a year, “as if I were a traveler,” he said, trying out hotels such as The Edition and the Four Seasons – both new to the city — or the recently restored Mandarin Oriental Ritz.
“Del Prado or Thyssen museums, the Musicals of Gran Via or an authentic flamenco show in El Corral de la Moreria are my best recommendations to enjoy the vibrant city like a local,” he said.
The Museo Del Prado holds Spain’s national art collection, while the nearby Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum houses Old Masters as well as modern art. El Corral de la Moreria has nightly flamenco shows with dinner options.

The Palacio Real (Royal Palace) seen in the background in Madrid.
Jorg Greuel | Stone | Getty Images

“Having brunch at Jardines de Sabatini aparthotel, which has one of the most beautiful views of the city, is a must,” Gonzalez added. The hotel’s roof terrace overlooks Madrid’s Royal Palace and has its own classic car museum.

What to do in Barcelona

Barcelona, where hotelier Guardans lives, is very popular with overseas visitors. To get oriented, he recommended seeing it from a high viewpoint to see that it’s “a small city surrounded by two mountains and the sea — with its old Roman quarter and its spectacular modernist ‘Ensanche’ district.”
Ensanche, or Eixample, is notable for its octagonal block structure and grid-like appearance with a diagonal avenue running through it, while Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter is home to the remains of the Roman Temple of Augustus.

Residential buildings in Barcelona’s Eixample district.
Alexander Spatari | Moment | Getty Images

The Palau Nacional, or National Museum of Catalan Art, has a rooftop terrace included in its 2-euro ($2) entry price.
“Barcelona is a city that can be discovered very well on foot. It has a human scale, and its architecture is the best open-air museum. I would recommend getting lost through its beautiful streets, full of history,” Guardans said.
Several saints’ days are celebrated in Barcelona, and each comes with a commemorative cake.
During the festival of Sant Jordi (St. George), panaderias — or bakeries — are filled with pastries decorated with the red and yellow of the Catalan flag, for example. Guardans recommended La Colmena in the Gothic Quarter, which was founded around 1849, or the pastry shop Mauri, in Eixample, with its 1920s painted ceiling.
The Sant Medir Festival, known as a feast of sweets, is celebrated on March 3. Meanwhile, the Revetlla de Sant Joan, celebrated on midsummer’s eve (June 23 in 2023), is marked by bonfires as well as a bread-style cake, known as a coca de Sant Joan, that is made with candied fruit.
“You will have no choice but to come back to the city to continue savoring their exquisite desserts!” Guardans said.

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Ford on Thursday unveiled a sleek, futuristic concept car to showcase the company’s vision for its Lincoln luxury brand.
The Model L100 concept pays homage to Lincoln’s 1922 Model L, the carmaker’s first luxury vehicle, while showcasing its vision of what an electric, autonomous luxury car could look like.
The vehicle is not meant for production or to be sold to consumers.

Lincoln Model L100 Concept

Ford Motor on Thursday unveiled a sleek, futuristic concept car to showcase the company’s vision for its Lincoln luxury brand.
The Model L100 concept pays homage to Lincoln’s 1922 Model L — the carmaker’s first luxury vehicle — while showcasing its vision of what an electric, autonomous luxury car could look like from the century-old brand, Ford said.

“Concept vehicles allow us to reimagine and illustrate how new experiences can come to life with the help of advanced technologies and allow our designers more creative freedom than ever before,” said Anthony Lo, Ford chief design officer, in a release.

Lincoln Model L100 Concept

The vehicle is not meant for production or to be sold to consumers. Automakers routinely use concept vehicles to gauge customer interest, generate attention or show the future direction of a vehicle or brand.
The company declined to release targeted performance or electric range of the concept or such a vehicle, if it were to be produced in the future.
The concept is a sleek fastback with 360-degree glass around the top of the vehicle and large, prominent wheels and tires. Lincoln badging, similar to a previous crossover concept earlier this year, is illuminated on the vehicle in place of physical emblems.

Lincoln Model L100 Concept

Like futuristic concepts from other automakers, doors and roof open outward from the back, allowing easier entry and egress.

Inside the car is loungelike seating and a large screen for the center control. It also has a “jewel-inspired chess piece controller” that replaces the steering wheel, according to the company. The interior is modular, allowing for changes in seating configurations.
The Lincoln Model L100 debuted as part of Lincoln’s 100th anniversary celebration at Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, an ultra-luxury car celebration and show in California.

Lincoln Model L100 Concept

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