HBO Max and Discovery+ are set to be merged into a single streaming service, Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav announced on a second-quarter earnings call Thursday. We still have no idea what the new platform will be called but it will also launch in other regions outside the USA in 2024.
This merger comes at a time when Netflix is battling a drop in subscriber base for the first time in years. To hear former subscribers explain why they’re leaving, the best Netflix original series are just too few and far between, to say nothing of constantly increasing prices (and more than a few content-related controversies). This is why Warner Bros. wants to change its fate and become a strong Netflix competitor after HBO Max and Discovery+ merge.
Both platforms account for a combined 92 million subscribers, according to the quarterly earnings report. Warner Bros. Discovery hopes to reach 130 million global subscribers by 2025. The company is considering a free, ad-supported version of the consolidated streaming platform, Zaslav confirmed on the earnings call. HBO Max’s ad-supported tier currently costs $10 a month.
The shift in streaming strategy was announced two days after news broke that Warner Bros. decided not to release “Batgirl” and “Scoob!: Holiday Haunt,” movies that were produced exclusively for HBO Max and greenlit by the previous corporate regime.
“Batgirl” and the “Scoob!” sequel will not be distributed on any streaming platform or released in theaters — apparently so the company can take a tax write-down on both projects and try to recoup production costs, according to Variety.
