Warner Bros. Discovery Scraps HBO Max And Discovery+ Merger
By Movieguide® Contributor
Warner Bros. Discovery dropped plans to combine HBO Max and Discovery+ amid concerns that some Discovery+ subscribers might refuse to pay a higher price for the combined service.
WarnerMedia, which launched HBO Max in 2020, finalized the merger with Discovery last year and quickly announced plans to put all their content together on one platform.
However, the Wall Street Journal reported that some Discovery+ users were unsure about paying more for the combined streaming platform. Currently, HBO Max costs $16 a month or $10 with ads compared to $7 or $5 per month with ads for Discovery+.
The potential for a Discovery+ subscriber decease led to Warner Bros. Discovery’s decision to stop the streaming platform merger.
Instead, Deadline reports that Discovery+ will “remain available even as a newly rebranded combo service hits the market in the spring.”
The Wall Street Journal adds, “the new platform will feature HBO Max content and most Discovery+ content, with Discovery+ remaining available as a stand-alone option.”
Additionally, HBOMax will likely be renamed Max, “reflecting its broader subscriber orientation and ambitions to transcend its premium-cable roots.”
Movieguide® previously reported on the Warner Bros. Discovery merger:
Discovery announced Friday that their stockholders have approved their merger with WarnerMedia to create Warner Bros. Discovery.
The new company will combine WarnerMedia’s entertainment, sports, and news content with Discovery’s nonfiction, international entertainment, and sports businesses.
According to Deadline, the Warner Bros. Discovery merger won’t be finalized until April, but this announcement means the two companies can now start discussions about management structure and the organization of the businesses.
They will also figure out how this merger will affect the two companies’ streaming services, like CNN+, which will launch March 29.
The $43 million merger will create a huge new player in the entertainment world, with 200,000 hours of programming and 100+ channels, including HBO, Warner Bros., Discovery, DC, CNN, WB Games, Turner Sports, Cartoon Network, HGTV, Food Network, TNT, TBS, Turner Classic Movies, Wizarding World, Adult Swim, Eurosport, Magnolia, TLC, Animal Planet, and ID.
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