The biggest topic in the world of pop culture (and business, for that matter) in recent days has been Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Bros. and all its various properties. While the massive $110 billion deal still has to clear some regulatory hurdles before it’s all said and done, it appears as if that won’t be an issue, and two of the biggest names in entertainment will soon be one company. So, what does that mean for streaming?
A few days after it was announced that Netflix was no longer willing to outbid Paramount for control of one of the most prestigious companies in all of Hollywood, the victor’s CEO, David Ellison, told Wall Street Analysts (via Deadline) that Paramount+ and HBO Max are merging. There’s still a lot of uncertainty about how this will work, which has led me to ask some very practical questions about this new setup.
What Happens For Those Of Us Who Currently Have Both Streamers?
I am fully aware that pretty much everyone who watches stuff online will eventually be impacted by the biggest merger since Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox, especially when it comes to streaming. However, it’s even more so for those of us who already have both an HBO Max subscription and a Paramount+ subscription. David Ellison has said that “the streaming portfolios of the two companies” will be combined into “one stronger platform,” but what does that mean, exactly?
Will the HBO Max library be included in Paramount+’s collection of content, or vice versa? And if so, will we have to pay a larger subscription fee to unlock everything? With all the money being spent on this deal, I have a hard time thinking Paramount is going to give it away for free or at a low price, at least to access everything. Then there’s the option that Paramount simply launches an entirely new platform and the whole CBS All Access to Paramount+ and HBO Max to Max and back to HBO Max business becomes nothing more than a footnote in streaming history.
What Does This Mean For Sports, Similar Brands, And Premium Channels?
It doesn’t take long of digging through the Paramount+ and HBO Max's libraries to discover that there would be a great number of redundancies when it comes to a shared streaming service. Paramount+ has CBS sports, Nickelodeon, and Showtime, while HBO Max offers TNT sports coverage, Cartoon Network, and HBO, to name only a few. While Ellison has made it seem like HBO will pretty much be left alone and allowed to do its own thing, what does that mean for the rest?
Will we seen a combined Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon (childhood me would be stoked)? Will both sports channels continue to operate? Will Showtime have a tab next to HBO in this app? I feel like these are all valid questions, and I hope we get some answers sooner rather than later.
What’s Going To Happen To The Movie Collections Once These Two Merge?
Though I’ve had my problems with HBO Max over the years, it has nothing to do with the platform’s massive collection of great movies. From numerous Best Picture winners to some of the best action movies ever made, the streamer is a great place to learn about the history of cinema. You have the TCM collection, a great offering of iconic Studio Ghibli movies, and so much more. What happens to that library when this merger goes down?
Paramount+ has a decent library of great movies, but its selection of pre-1980 films is quite low (as pointed out in a recent Bluesky post). This is odd, considering Paramount Pictures’ storied 113-year history, but maybe this merger will beef up that library with all these Warner Bros. classics. I really hope so.
Am I making a mountain (of entertainment) out of a molehill, or are my concerns valid? We shall know in time…
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