In summary:
- PCWorld reports that Paramount’s potential acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery could merge HBO Max with Paramount+ into a single streaming platform.
- The combined service may cost over $30 monthly, significantly higher than current individual HBO Max and Paramount+ subscription prices.
- While HBO content will remain, the merger could reduce streaming competition and lead to higher costs for consumers seeking premium entertainment options.
Out of the frying pan but into the fire: That’s the scenario HBO Max is facing following Netflix’s sudden about-face in its bid for Warner Bros. Discovery.
With Paramount now primed to scoop up Warner Bros. and its various studio and streaming properties, all eyes are turned on what might eventually happen to the HBO Max and the iconic HBO brand.
Speaking during an investor call Monday morning, Paramount CEO David Ellison made it clear that he intends for HBO itself to stick around and “operate with independence,” adding that he personally counts Game of Thrones among his favorite HBO shows, according to Variety. “Our viewpoint is HBO should stay HBO.”
At the same time, Ellison said that “we do plan to put the two services together,” and that “by bringing the platforms together, all of our content will be able to reach even a broader audience than we can do standalone.”
While Warners and Paramount have agreed to the broad terms of a merger, the deal is still subject to federal regulators.
The agreement between Warners and Paramount was announced late Friday, stunning Hollywood and the streaming industry. But while the players may have changed, the game remains the same: one streaming gobbling up another, resulting in fewer competitors and–almost certainly–higher streaming prices.
It’s still way too early to tell what a combined Paramount+-HBO Max streaming service would look like or what it might cost.
During Monday’s investor call, Ellison didn’t specifically say whether HBO Max would be swallowed up by Paramount+, the reverse, or somewhere in between. He also didn’t reveal (as Variety notes) whether there would be an “HBO Max” tile in the new combined streamer.
A more likely scenario would be prominent HBO branding, in the form of a tile or a row, within the new Paramount streaming app.
Beyond the presentation issues, the bigger deal is that following a successful Paramount-Warners merger, streamers who want to watch Game of Thrones, The Last of Us, or other HBO shows would also have to pay for Landman, Lioness, Tulsa King, 1923, and other Paramount+ originals, whether they want them or not.
The price of HBO Max’s priciest tier currently stands at $22.99 a month, while the top Paramount+ plan goes for $14 a month. If the merger goes through, it’s easy to imagine a combined Paramount/HBO Max streaming service costing more than $30 a month.
Ouch.
Author: Ben Patterson, Senior Writer, PCWorld
Ben has been writing about consumer technology for more than 20 years, and now focuses his reporting on AI as it relates to the basic human experience. His coverage of artificial intelligence interrogates the latest LLMs, and how they can be used at work and at home to be best prepared for the AI revolution. “AI is going to change our lives sooner than we think,” Ben writes. “Our best way to adapt is by using it every day.” Ben has been a PCWorld author since 2014, and has covered everything from laptops to security cameras before launching PCWorld’s AI beat. Ben's articles have also appeared in PC Magazine, TIME, Wired, CNET, Men's Fitness, Mobile Magazine, and more. Ben holds a master's degree in English literature.