How will HBO Max and Discovery+ merge?
Entertainment

How will HBO Max and Discovery+ merge?

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Ever since the merger of Warner Bros. and Discovery ended in April 2022, there has been speculation about whether and how the companies’ respective streaming services, HBO Max and Discovery+, would co-exist. Between the unceremonious cancellation of the upcoming HBO Max original movie Batgirl and the quiet removal of at least six HBO Max exclusives this week, people have been rightfully skeptical of the direction Warner Bros. is taking. Discovery CEO David Zaslav takes the company. Although Warner Bros. While Discovery’s Q2 earnings call on August 4 may not have answered all of our looming questions regarding the future of HBO Max and its extensive library of beloved movies and TV shows, we now have a somewhat better idea of ​​what the company’s plans are.

For starters, HBO Max and Discovery+ will officially become one streaming service, slated to launch in the US in the summer of 2023. The company has yet to announce what this new service will be called or how much it will cost subscribers, but JB Perrete , CEO and President of Global Streaming and Interactive for Warner Bros. Discovery ( WBD ), said it is exploring ad-free and ad-supported options, as well as a version that would be completely free but also ad-supported. But that still leaves the question of what will be on this new service when it launches next year?

During the call, Warner Bros. emphasized Discovery leads the brands, franchises and series that they see value in. Among these are things you might expect like HBO, DC (specifically Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman), Game of ThronesShark Week, and the mayor of Flavortown Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. However, they have also decided that 90 day fiance and its several spinoff series are now a “universe”. This is not to make fun of anyone who enjoys these shows, but rather to the increasingly popular and increasingly unnecessary concept of designating series or movies that are connected as their own universe.

For franchises like Marvel and DC that often explore the concept of the multiverse in their comic book source material, it makes complete sense. But for a series of reality shows centered around the marriage visa process? It just feels silly and forced. To top it all off, WBD still apparently considers The Wizarding World of Harry Potter to be an important and relevant franchise, despite the transphobic comments JK Rowling has made in recent years, and the lack of box office and critical success of recent year. Fantastic beasts successor, The Crimes of Grindelwald.