It’s not TV. It’s HBO — and additionally Paramount+.
During Paramount’s first investor name since emerging victorious within the bidding battle for Warner Bros. Discovery, CEO David Ellison shared that following the merger, Paramount+ and HBO Max will be part of to kind a single streaming platform.
“We will combine the streaming portfolios of the two companies into one stronger platform over the coming years,” Ellison mentioned on the Monday morning name. “Across the two platforms, there are over 200 million DTC subscribers today in more than 100 countries and territories worldwide.”
The mixture would mark one of the vital integrations but within the streaming wars.
That 200-million determine would virtually definitely shrink underneath a mixed service, given subscriber overlap between the platforms. Paramount ended This autumn with 78.9 million direct-to-consumer subscribers, whereas Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) reported 131.6 million.
For context, when WBD and Netflix had been nonetheless in merger talks, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos instructed lawmakers that 80% of HBO Max subscribers even have Netflix accounts. Netflix lately reported surpassing 325 million subscribers.
A mixed HBO Max-Paramount+ streaming service would unite the 2 corporations’ marquee franchises — from HBO’s “Game of Thrones” and “The Sopranos” to Paramount’s “Yellowstone” and “Star Trek” franchises.
Ellison didn’t recommend a reputation for the brand new mixed streamer, however it will virtually definitely lead to one other rebrand for WBD’s streamer, which simply this previous summer season rebranded back to HBO Max after spending two years as merely Max, following earlier iterations as HBO Now and the unique HBO Max.
As a part of the merger, Paramount will additionally purchase NCS, which is presently owned by WBD. During Monday’s name, Ellison instructed analysts that Paramount has “no divestitures planned at this time” concerning cable — that means the corporate doesn’t plan to promote cable property.
Whether meaning Ellison will maintain NCS’s new streaming platform, All Access, or fold it into the mixed streamer stays to be seen.