HBO Max & Discovery+ Merge
by. Kevin Pollock
How many streaming video platforms are you subscribed to? With networks seemingly launching their own platforms each quarter, the 4 subscriptions per household reported by Ampere will apparently increase with our favorite content shifting from service to service. Netflix, which housed some of the biggest shows & movies from other networks, has seen titles from HBO, NBC, and others removed to be rehomed within their networks platform (The Office, originally on NBC, moved to NBC’s Peacock). Consumers will have to make the decision of which additional service to subscribe to, what they can live without, and whether that cable subscription is still worth it. With AT&T’s Warner Media recent merger with Discovery, HBO Max and Discovery+ will soon combine to one platform, making the decision of which to subscribe to nonexistent, but will it work?
HBO has long been the leader in premium subscription television, and with the streaming landscape rising over the last few years, HBO MAX was inevitable. At $15 a month, it leans towards the more expensive services, but if you’re still paying for HBO with your cable subscription, HBO Max is included. With titles such as Game of Thrones, The Sopranos, The Wire, etc and a large catalog of movies & television shows, HBO MAX has a strong offering. Discovery+, the platform from the Discovery family of networks, houses a massive number of non-scripted shows from networks such as Animal Planet, Food Network, HGTV, OWN, TLC, Travel Channel, and more. At only $5 dollars a month, consumers can enjoy Diner’s Drive In’s & Dives anytime they’d like. With the combination of HBO Max scripted shows & movies and Discovery+ non-scripted shows it seems like a great match, but is it?
When Warner Media & Discovery announced their merger, they were quick to say that their two streaming platforms, HBO Max and Discovery+, would merge at some point in the near future. CFO, Gunnar Wiedenfels, said at a recent conference, “One of the most important items here is that we believe in a combined product as opposed to a bundle… We believe that the breadth and depth of this content offering is going to be a phenomenal consumer value proposition”. Until then, they remain separate but the platforms are already feeling the after effects of the news. Bat Girl, a HBO Max film reported to have a $90 million dollar budget, has been axed from release amongst a few other direct to stream titles. HBO Max is also reportedly planning to no longer make scripted shows and will lay off 70% of their development staff, leaving fans to wonder what will happen to recent hits like Peacemaker and others…
There are big plans in the works at the newly built powerhouse, Warner Media Discovery, but until they announce the plans on how their two streaming services will combine and what is to come of new content, we are left wondering if some of our favorite shows will be back. HBO’s reputation as one of the leaders in TV & film is set to make another transition, but will it emerge again as a leader in the industry, or flounder like the last season of Game of Thrones. Time will tell…