Ever since Skydance bought two of Hollywood’s most historic studios, Warner Bros. and Paramount, we knew that each company’s respective streaming services, HBO Max and Paramount+, would merge in some fashion. Skydance CEO David Ellison has made his intentions pretty clear on that front. But before that happens, we’re getting a streaming bundle of both services, according to a report in Deadline. The bundle has been promoted as coming in early 2027, without a specific date announced. It wasn’t long ago that HBO Max bundled with its rival Disney+, although what becomes of that partnership now is unclear.
When the Skydance deal closed, CEO David Ellison said, “Long-term, the plan is basically to bring them together. It’ll take a period of time to do that. So, I think in the immediate [term], you will see them operating separately, with things like bundling or things that you’ll be able to see accelerated in the relatively short term. I can’t be specific about that yet today.” In short, the logistics of it all means it could be years before they become one single streaming service. One presumably with a new name. Look how long it took Hulu to fully merge with Disney+. And even now, you can still buy a Hulu subscription without Disney+ if you want to.
Nerdist’s Take: Despite This New Bundle, It Might Be Years Before Both Paramount+ and HBO Max Truly Become One Platform
What does this mean for content on both services? We still don’t know. HBO Max is easily the bigger of the two streaming services. They platform bigger-budget series with a lot more media attention, like House of the Dragon, The Gilded Age, and Heated Rivalry. Meanwhile, Paramount+ seems to be putting on the brakes with all things Star Trek, and cornering the “TV your dad loves” market with shows like Tulsa King and Landman. Can these two brands ever really unite from a creative standpoint? It may be years before we find out for certain.