HBO Max and Discovery+ will merge into one streaming service with ad-supported tier

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in General Discussion edited August 2022
A still unnamed streaming platform spawned from the Discovery and WarnerMedia merger is set to launch in the summer of 2023 in the US, with other regions launching in 2024.

AT&T's WarnerMedia is merging with Discovery to create a new streaming service
AT&T's WarnerMedia is merging with Discovery to create a new streaming service


In May of 2021, AT&T's WarnerMedia merged with Discovery in a $43 billion deal, with plans to create a single streaming service.

On Thursday, Discovery CEO David Zaslav told investors that the new service would combine HBO Max and Discovery+. Previously it was reported that the service might also contain content from CNN.

Separately, the two services have 92 million subscribers, notes NBC News. Warner Bros. Discovery hopes to reach 130 million subscribers globally by 2025.

The company is currently considering a free, ad-supported version of the streaming platform. As of now, HBO Max's ad-supported tier costs $10 per month.

Warner Bros. Discovery had announced in 2021 that they would aim to save more than $3 billion with cost-saving strategies after two years. The company hopes to put that money back into creating streaming content.

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 9
    RudeBoyRudyRudeBoyRudy Posts: 106member
    LOLOLOL 

    okay then. 


    Paul_BStrangeDays
  • Reply 2 of 9
    Paul_BPaul_B Posts: 82member
    "92 million subscribers, notes NBC News. " - CNN reported 192 million - On the ground laughing!!  PBS is learning the Alphabet and still doesn't have the capacity to count!!!
  • Reply 3 of 9
    22july201322july2013 Posts: 3,571member
    with other regions launching in 2024.
    I presume those "other regions" will have a stripped down version of its US content, just like Paramount+ does, and yet without a discounted price.
    edited August 2022
  • Reply 4 of 9
    2morrow2morrow Posts: 20member
    This is another case of 1+1= 1. I understand they are trying to offer something for the whole family but HBOMax was already a little high on the price side. Adding Discovery to a service doesn’t add value to people who watch the shows and movies that HBOMax caters to. It’s fine for the consumer if the price stays to same but it won’t. The costs of the Discovery programming will increase the price of this new streamer eventually if not when it gets rebranded. 
  • Reply 5 of 9
    aatbaatb Posts: 10member
    This seems like the merger of two very different audiences. For example, I have Discovery+. I don't have HBO Max. If I have to have HBO Max to get access to Discovery+ content, I'll drop it altogether. I like some of Discovery+'s offerings (things like Mythbusters etc.) but not enough to keep it if the price goes up or if I have to sift through a ton of un-related content to find what I like. 
    StrangeDays
  • Reply 6 of 9
    jibjib Posts: 56member
    I currently subscribe to both HBO Max and Discovery+ so this could work out well if the combined price is less than the two separate subscriptions.  However, I am concerned about some of the announced plans for HBO content. I like the streaming movies and don't plan to return to movie theaters anytime soon, so their plans to cut back on direct to HBO, or delay streaming are concerning.  In addition, I like the DC content (especially animated -- the live action DC movies are often not very good), and any cutback in these releases would bother me. And I am troubled by the decision to cancel the nearly finished Batgirl movie -- let me decide if it's any good.

    It is possible that I will cancel if enough changes like this are made, so they may lose subscribers as well as gaining them...
  • Reply 7 of 9
    JapheyJaphey Posts: 1,767member
    jib said:
    I am troubled by the decision to cancel the nearly finished Batgirl movie -- let me decide if it's any good.
     The Quote of the Day goes to…
  • Reply 8 of 9
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,877member
    AT&T has shown repeatedly they don't know what they're doing w/ the HBO brand. Multiple versions of the app, multiple brandings, cheapening their once premium must-see content w/ inexpensive reality-TV shows like FBoy Island, etc... Just poor management of the long-standing, strong HBO brand.
    baconstangAlex_V
  • Reply 9 of 9
    dcgoodcgoo Posts: 280member
    StrangeDays said:
    AT&T has shown repeatedly they don't know what they're doing w/ the HBO brand. Multiple versions of the app, multiple brandings, cheapening their once premium must-see content w/ inexpensive reality-TV shows like FBoy Island, etc... Just poor management of the long-standing, strong HBO brand.
    …and that is why AT&T dumped it.  B)
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