Discovery will merge HBO max and Discovery+ into a single OTT service

[marvel44]

Discovery — which is about to become Warner Bros. Discovery within the next month, when its merger with AT&T’s WarnerMedia closes — has confirmed its plans to combine its current streaming service Discovery Plus and WarnerMedia’s HBO Max into one service, rather than offer the two platforms as a bundle.

Discovery CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels, who will also serve as CFO of the newly combined Warner Bros. Discovery, said Monday during the Deutsche Bank 30th Annual Media, Internet & Telecom Conference that Discovery is making preparations to combine the two streamers, marking the first time the company has actually revealed its post-merger strategy for Discovery Plus and HBO Max, amid speculation they could remain solo platforms with bundling options. But before they are combined, Wiedenfels says the first step during integration will be some form of bundling, while the new company figures out the best way to merge the two platforms.

HBO Max and Discovery Plus Will Be Combined Into One Platform

HBO Max and Discovery Plus will become a combined streamer once Discovery and WarnerMedia have merged into Warner Bros. Discovery.

variety.com

 

[greylala91]

Since Discovery+ already has a presence here in India, there is a big possibility of hotstar losing HBO content once this merged OTT is launched

 

[Esmail]

Since Discovery+ already has a presence here in India, there is a big possibility of hotstar losing HBO content once this merged OTT is launched

If that reduces Hotstar subscription rate then good. Anyway the merged discovery hbo max subscription cost in India will be lower than in western countries.

 

[marvel44]

Since Discovery+ already has a presence here in India, there is a big possibility of hotstar losing HBO content once this merged OTT is launched

BTW.. Hotstar already wasn't getting some HBO Originals recently like Landscapers and recently Lakers: Winning Time this month as well... They may loose old titles soon but ongoing titles like Succession or The Gilded Age would have to be bought back by HBO Max just like how Disney purchased Marvel TV shows back from Netflix.

If that reduces Hotstar subscription rate then good.

No way, they are gonna reduce the subscription. If they are successful in getting IPL rights back, there will be an increase in the subscription price ahead of 2023 season for sure...

 

[iDJ]

Some Warner Cartoons like Baby Looney Tunes are already available. Anyhow I am not paying one rupee more than ₹200 for that app whether they got HBO content or not. Their app experience sucks.

 

[vikhyath]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1512644003631714304

Source

 

[marvel44]

‘Batgirl’ Directors ‘Saddened and Shocked’ After Warner Bros. Killed the Film: ‘We Still Can’t Believe It’

“Batgirl” directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah are in shock over the abrupt axing of their comic book tentpole. Warner Bros. announced Aug. 3 that it would not be releasing the $90 …

variety.com

HBO Max Quietly Removed Six Warner Bros. Streaming-Exclusive Movies

Warner Bros. Discovery has been quietly culling content from HBO Max — including several Warner Bros. movies that were exclusively streaming on the service — in what appears to be an ef…

variety.com

Warner Bros. Discovery is taking interesting and rediculous decisions now.. They are writing off Batgirl they $90+ million DC movie for HBO Max which is post production now and are removing some Max Originals movies as mentioned in the above story... Let's see how far they will go with this...

 

[marvel44]

The media company announced a timeline for the two services to be fused together: HBO Max and Discovery+ will launch in the U.S. as a single service in the summer of 2023, according to JB Perrette, CEO and president of global streaming and interactive for Warner Bros. Discovery, speaking on the company’s Q2 earnings call.

After the summer 2023 rollout in the United States, WBD plans to take the unified HBO Max-Discovery+ platform to Latin America in the fall of 2023; Europe in early 2024; Asia Pacific in mid-2024; and additional markets in fall 2024.

HBO Max, Discovery+ to Merge Into Single Streaming Platform Starting in Summer 2023

Is the whole of a combined HBO Max-Discovery+ greater than its streaming parts? Warner Bros. Discovery is going to find out next year. The media company announced a timeline for the two services to…

variety.com

India won't be getting the service at least until. 2024...

 

[Esmail]

India won't be getting the service at least until. 2024

They could have launched it as an addon channel inside Amazon prime video like AMC+ and Stingray even without a standalone app. They could've earned revenue without additional capex. But most of the HBO Max original content will go to prime video only now until they launch here officially.

 

[marvel44]

They could have launched it as an addon channel inside Amazon prime video like AMC+ and Stingray even without a standalone app. They could've earned revenue without additional capex. But most of the HBO Max original content will go to prime video only now until they launch here officially.

Seems like their priorities is launch the combined app only where HBO Max is available as of now through 2024. So, Indian launch might even be deferred indefinitely now.

Secondly, they are using Discovery+ Tech Stack, which for some reason they thinks is top-tier world class for the combined app... So, I'm not that optimistic over this now...

And lastly, they are saying they will invest smartly for getting subscriptions and won't spend enough money to make up the quantity required. This sounded exactly like what Disney+ thought they would do, and they suffered massively with no content for months through the pandemic. Now they realised it and are investing heavily in content... I don't know how they haven't learnt that lesson from Disney yet.

Ps. The Discovery+ tech being the world class tech, is mentioned BY WBD's Streaming CEO, not me. So, please don't blast me for saying that.