Discovery+ will continue to exist as an independent streaming platform, but the unified service project has not been abandoned.
In recent months, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) has been working to merge HBO Max and Discovery+ into one big streaming service due to launch this spring. However, it seems that now the company has decided to change its strategy, Discovery + will continue to exist as an independent platform.
Discovery+ will continue to exist as an independent streaming platform.
“Our plan for an expanded platform that will bring together content from HBO Max and Discovery+ remains unchanged,”said WBD spokesman Jeff Kasson. “In addition, we have decided to keep the Discovery+ offering at a more affordable price in the US market.”
According to The Wall Street Journal, which reported the information, management was concerned that many of Discovery+’s current 20 million subscribers would not be willing to pay more for a service offering HBO Max content. There doesn’t seem to be a plan to keep HBO Max as a standalone app at this time. In fact, people who want to watch shows like The Last of Us or Succession will probably have to pay more for a service that combines HBO Max content with most of the Discovery+ catalog.
but the single service project is not abandoned
Discovery+ costs $5 per month with ads and $7 without ads, while the ad-supported HBO Max plan costs $10 per month ($16 without ads). The upcoming service is expected to be more expensive than HBO Max.
The report suggests that this new service and Discovery+ will feature Shark Week content and lifestyle series from Magnolia Network. The rest will be available on both platforms.
The magazine’s sources say Discovery+ has relatively low operating costs and is profitable. However, the WBD has cut billions of dollars in spending since last year’s merger between WarnerMedia and Discovery. The company has canceled numerous HBO Max series and streaming exclusives.
At the same time, the report states that WBD is gearing up to launch its own ad-supported free service (FAST) with streaming channels that will broadcast its content. This would make a lot of sense as the company recently signed deals with Roku and Tubi to provide FAST channels with shows like Westworld and The Nevers, which were taken off HBO Max in December.