The merger between Warner Bros and Discovery has led the companies down some surprising paths. Now, after years of talk, it looks like HBO Max will be officially merging with Discovery Plus. Furthermore, the new application has an interesting new name in “Max”.
It was revealed earlier today that the merger will officially happen on May 23rd and that there will be 3 price ranges:
With Ads: $9.99 per month
Ad-Free: $15.99 per month
Ultimate Ad-Free: $19.99 per month
Subscribers have been hearing about a merger between HBO Max and Discovery Plus for quite some time now. It’s been one of many focuses for David Zaslav and his reconstruction of Warner Bros.
Of course, it’s unknown how exactly this merger will continue to reshape the content currently available on HBO Max. Obviously many HBO Max subscribers would be disappointed to see their favorite shows or films removed for “Max.” In fact, we’ve already seen numerous animated projects taken off the streaming service. It’s possible that these removals are foreshadowing the type of content (or lack thereof) we could see on Max. Especially given Discovery’s focus on reality TV. We could see an increase for that type of content on the new streaming service.
It’s certainly an interesting situation. Especially given Warner’s ownership of Cartoon Network, one of the biggest manufacterers of animated content out there. Though Warner’s announcement does clarify some of these details and what it could mean for the future of Max. In fact, numerous spin-offs based on WB’s iconic properties have been announced for the streaming service. Fortunately, current customers will retain existing HBO Max plans for at least six months. This should make the transition to the new service much easier.
For example, it’s said that account information should carry over with the transition. Additionally, a newly-revised kids profile will be added as a default offering for any new subscribers. Hopefully these new changes will allow subscribers to more enjoyably take advantage of what these brands have to offer.
As always, we’ll have to see what this means going forward. Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates as we have them. It’s going to be an interesting time for the streaming market.