Warner Bros. Discovery to merge HBO Max and Discovery Plus services

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Warner Bros. Discovery will merge its HBO Max and Discovery Plus services into a single streaming platform, part of a plan to reach 130 million paying subscribers by 2025 in a highly competitive market.

The streaming merger, announced by the newly formed media conglomerate’s chief executive, David Zaslav, on Thursday during a quarterly earnings call, means properties from Warner Bros. such as the Harry Potter series and the sitcom “Friends” would be available alongside Discovery shows like “Deadliest.” Catch” and “America’s Worst Cooks”. Warner Bros. Discovery will also develop a 10-year plan for its DC Comics franchises that include Superman and Wonder Woman, similar to what Disney did with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Zaslav said.

The merger of HBO Max and Discovery Plus aims to reduce subscriber losses with a broad offering that has “something for everyone in the household,” said Jean-Briac Perrette, global head of streaming at Warner Bros. Discovery. The company also came up with the idea of ​​a free streaming service that would be supported by advertisements.

The company plans to launch the merged streaming service in the United States next summer, followed by Latin America later this year. Europe and Asia-Pacific will follow in 2024.

Warner Bros.’ 130 million paid subscriber goal Discovery for 2025 would represent a more than 40% increase from the combined 92 million subscribers it has on HBO Max and Discovery Plus. Netflix said last month it had 220 million paid subscribers worldwide. Disney Plus said in May it had around 138 million subscribers worldwide.

Warner Bros. Discovery will aim to make the new streaming service profitable in the United States in 2024 and have its global streaming segment generate $1 billion in revenue by 2025, Perrette said. No name or pricing system for the new service has been announced.

For the entertainment industry, an HBO Max move is causing peak disruption

Warner Bros. Discovery was formed in April, when AT&T’s WarnerMedia unit and Discovery completed their merger and started with a few $55 billion in debt. As Zaslav’s team looks to compete with Netflix and Disney and move into profitability, it’s also ditched some legacy projects – like when it unplugged CNN Plus in Aprilless than a month after the launch of the service.

During the earnings call on Thursday, Zaslav also reaffirmed that Warner Bros. Discovery would be making “a strategic shift” away from releasing movies directly to streaming, saying the approach makes less long-term financial sense than releasing movies theatrically. “This idea of ​​expensive movies going straight to streaming, we can’t find an economic rationale for it,” he said.

The remarks came after an investor questioned why the company had canceled publication of “Bat girl.” The $90 million film — starring Leslie Grace in the title role and starring Michael Keaton as Batman more than 30 years after he first donned the cowl — has been canned alongside ” Wonder Twins” and “Scoob!: Holiday Haunt” because of Warner Bros. Discovery’s new strategy.

Cancellations could also allow for a potential tax deduction, according to a Variety reportand come in the middle complaints from HBO Max users that some shows were abruptly removed from the service.

“Our focus will be the theatre,” Zaslav said. “And when we bring the theatrical movies to HBO Max, we find they’re much more valuable.”

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