The $43 billion dollar merger of the two multimedia giants is one of the biggest developments in recent years. After a very mixed performance under AT&T, Warner Media had been struggling to keep up with its competition, particularly Disney and Marvel Studios. What are the specifics of combining the Discovery+ and HBO Max? How will this affect subscribers and the future projects under both services? Check out the details below.
Discovery and Warner Media
The Discovery and Warner Media merger was recently approved by the shareholders and cleared of the government antitrust regulations. Once the process is finalized, the christened Warner Bros. Discovery will have CNN, HBO, and the Warner Bros. film and television arms, plus the infotainment, educational, and reality programming that became Discoveryβs trademark. As part of the changes, Discovery CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels will now serve as the CFO for the merged Warner Bros. Discovery company. Wiedenfels expressed his excitement for the revenue streams and synergies that Warner Bros. Discovery will be opening for its investors: AT&T, the previous owner of Warner Media, will return its focus on broadband and wireless communication services.
Discovery+ and HBO Max
β Variety (@Variety) March 14, 2022 In a report by Variety, CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels spoke to the 30th Deutsch Bank Annual Media, Internet, and Telecom Conference of the plans to combine the two streaming platforms into a single service: The reasoning behind combining the two streaming services into one is to blend the subscriber acquisition and retention for an enhanced DTC (direct-to-consumer) experience. But before the two streaming services become a single app, Discovery+ and HBO Max will be offered as a bundle. Wiedenfels elaborated a bit on what this bundling will entail and why this was the approach they chose: The new Warner Bros. Discovery CFO continued by explaining that this was the best option for the short-term, benefiting the customer base: Bundling the two services is not unusual, as the Walt Disney Company does this already with Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+. However, the specifics of this new bundle have not been released yet, including the pricing and how it will affect existing subscribers who have already paid for one or both services at full price. What we do know is that this will happen between April to May of this year.
Just getting started
One question that fans and subscribers of Discovery+ and HBO Max are asking is how the merger will affect the ongoing projects on both services. There are no official announcements, but there seems to be no major changes planned for now. With the Discovery Plus and HBO Max streaming app, Synderverse fans have taken this as another sign of hope. The recent changes and delays to the DCEU theatrical releases hinted at some major shakeup while the merger of the two companies was being finalized. In addition, news of Ben Affleck changing his mind about retiring from the Batman role after the Flash spread like wildfire. Soon after, the concept art was released for the abruptly cancelled solo Batman film that would star Affleck before Matt Reevesβs The Batman replaced it. There are rumors and speculation that higher ups at Discovery are looking closely at the revenue streams of the DCEU. In response, the #RestoreTheSnyderverse fans have been enthusiastic with calling attention to the new Warner Bros. Discovery on social media.
For Zack! βWe are together! ππΌ@Discovery pic.twitter.com/kvJFpiSoEy β π’ππππ πΌπ³ π¦π»ππ±π²πΏπ©π²πΏππ² π«π· (@Ollie_EarthOne) March 16, 2022 Discovery+ and HBO Max are currently available for download on Google Play and the App Store.