Warner Bros. Discovery will keep Discovery+ as a standalone streaming offering, as it prepares to launch an as-yet-unnamed joint product of Discovery+ and HBO Max. Variety has confirmed.
According to a report Wednesday in the Wall Street Journal, “Rather than fully combining HBO Max and Discovery+, the new platform will feature HBO Max content and most Discovery+ content, with Discovery+ as a stand-alone option.” As available, some said.”
A person with knowledge of the situation tells. Variety WBD’s plan for a future platform that will include both HBO Max and Discovery+ is “unchanged” and, in addition, the company has decided to maintain Discovery+’s low-cost offering in the US.
According to WSJ sources, “The decision to keep Discovery+ is part of an effort to avoid the risk of losing a significant portion of the app’s 20 million subscribers who don’t want to pay more for access to that content.”
For reference, ad-free HBO Max costs $15.99 a month, while its ad-supported version runs for $9.99. Discovery+ is set at $6.99 ad-free and $4.99 with ads. Discovery+ costs $6.99 a month without ads, and the ad-supported version costs $4.99. Warner Bros. Discovery has indicated that the upcoming unified streamer will cost subscribers more than HBO Max.
While no date has been officially set for the launch of the joint HBO Max and Discovery+ streaming service, Warner Bros. Discovery had extended the timeline from early summer to early spring, all while maintaining what the presentation would be called.
As Variety It was previously reported that Warner Bros. Discovery is also launching a Fast channel this year. WBD has already struck deals with Tubi and Roku to give third-party fast partners access to content pulled from HBO Max — including “Westworld,” “The Nevers,” “Riseed by Wolves,” ” FBoy Island,” “Legendary,” “Finding Magic Mike,” “Head of the Class” and “The Time Traveler’s Wife.”
Warner Bros. Discovery is set to host its fourth quarter earnings call on February 23.
Representatives for Warner Bros. Discovery did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
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