HBO Max and Discovery+ will merge into a single app sometime in the future. The news comes days after Discovery's shareholders approved the company's merger with WarnerMedia, which is set to close in mid-April.
So, if you're currently paying for either of these streaming services, here's everything you should know.
Why HBO Max and Discovery+ Are Merging
Rumors about a potential union between the two platforms have been running for a while, especially in light of the WarnerMedia-Discovery merger.
On Monday, during a presentation at Deutsche Bank's 30th Annual Media, Internet & Telecom Conference, Discovery CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels confirmed the information, as reported by TechCrunch.
"So right out of the gate, we're working on getting the bundling approach ready, maybe a single sign-on, maybe ingesting content sort of into the other product, etc., so that we can start to get some benefits early on,"
While the intention is there, the main difficulty will be harmonizing the technology behind the platforms to build "one very, very strong combine direct-to-consumer product and platform."
What to Expect From HBO Max + Discovery+
The entity the two platforms will merge into will take an interesting shape as HBO is home to many original shows, movies, and blockbusters, whereas Discovery+ features some original content and shows from Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Channel, Lifetime, History, Magnolia Network, A&E, OWN, Animal Planet, ID, TLC, SCI, and more. The new service will certainly feature all the content from the networks under the WarnerMedia umbrella.
As far as price goes, Discovery+ costs $6.99 per month, while HBO Max goes for $14.99 per month. A platform featuring both would likely cost around $20 per month.
A launch date for this merged platform (Will it be HBO Discovery? Or maybe Discovery HBO? Or HBO Plus?) is difficult to estimate, but we'll see it sometime in the next year if we're lucky. Perhaps we'll even get a working app this time.
As everyone knows, the HBO Max app runs into issues when more than one person tries to stream content on an account. A better app will likely surface with this massive merger between the two companies.
The Future of HBO and Discovery
HBO and HBO Max have approximately 46.8 million subscribers in the United States and over 73 million worldwide. Discovery+, on the other hand, has reached some 20 million subscribers in the US, its only market.
A merger between HBO Max and Discovery+ could potentially take the latter outside US borders, impacting the subscriber numbers, as more content will attract more customers. The two could add an additional 5 million users a year after launch, given the growth rate of HBO and the potential of Discovery+.