HBO Max is set to merge with Discovery Plus in the middle of next year. That being said, subscribers should get ready for the influx of more shows and entertainment.
HBO Max Is Set To Merge With Discovery Plus In The Middle Of Next Year
Streaming service and platform, HBO Max is set to combine with Discovery Plus for its US subscribers during the summer of 2023, Warner Bros. Discovery said Thursday, and in the process detailing the plans it has for a move that it has telegraphed and planned ever since the company was formed by a megamerger in the early part of this year.
Latin America however will get the mashed-up version of the services in the later parts of 2023. Some European markets where HBO Max is already carrying out its operations will follow in the early parts of 2024, and the company will then launch the combined offering in some new Asia Pacific and European markets in the later parts of 2024.
Will There Be Changes to Pricing
In regards to changes in pricing, the company didn’t specify as the two services meld. Warner Bros. Discovery added that it’s also exploring the possibility of launching a free ad-supported streaming platform and offering of some kind.
The plan to merge HBO Max and Discovery Plus is a “main priority,” CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery David Zaslav said on Thursday, in a discussion of the streaming strategy of the company. Collectively, the two services have 92 million subscribers, and Warner Bros. Discovery said that it, however, anticipates adding over 40 million more members by the year 2025. By contrast, Netflix, which is the world’s biggest subscription streaming service and platform, has close to 221 million.
Discovery and WarnerMedia Closed Their $43 Billion Megamerger in April
Discovery and WarnerMedia back in April closed their $43 billion megamerger that then formed the combined Warner Bros. Discovery. The deal united Hollywood powerhouse WarnerMedia which is home to streaming services such as HBO Max, the Warner Bros. movie studio, and TV channels like HBO, CNN, TBS, and many more with Discovery also, which features reality shows and unscripted programming on its cable networks and lastly, the streaming service Discovery Plus.
HBO Max is famously known for prestige originals and a vast library of top movies and films. But discovery Plus, on the other hand, is well known for unscripted programming at both the high end like the award-winning natural history documentaries, and the low end like Naked and Afraid, the wildly popular 90 Day Fiancé, and many more.
The Consequences of the Merger
But the combination of the companies, however, clouded the future shape of both HBO Max and Discovery Plus. Earlier this year, the new leadership of the company was very clear that they wanted to combine the two services, but however, until Thursday, executives of the company hadn’t specified how or when they plan to execute their plans. Warner Bros. Discovery also said earlier it would consider intermediary steps such as bundling the services in a discounted package before a complete combination of the two services and platforms.
The combination of both platforms is coming at a time when streaming video has never been more popular, and the competition around it never more fiercely battled out. In the last couple of years, various media giants and tech heavyweights have launched their very own rivals to Amazon Prime Video and Netflix, with services such as Apple TV Plus, Disney Plus, HBO Max, and Peacock all rolling out. These so-called famous streaming wars also directly affect how many services you must make use of and pay for in order to watch and stream your favorite shows and movies online.
Warner Bros. Discovery Is Currently Cleaning Up House
This recent news is coming to light after various reports of a host of scuttled shows, films, and other projects. The movie Batgirl on Tuesday was canceled despite the fact the movie which had a reported $90 million budget was well into post-production. Warner Bros. Discovery early this year scrapped CNN plus which is a steaming service complement to the 24-hour news network just within three weeks of its launch.
