HBO Max and Paramount+ will merge into a single service, Skydance has confirmed

The acquisition of Paramount Skydance by Warner Bros.

In a press release on Tuesday, Skydance shared details of the $110 billion merger and provided insight into its future plans. Most notably, the company confirmed that the streaming services it now owns, including Paramount+, HBO Max, and Discovery+, will eventually be unified into a single service.

“Consumers can expect greater innovation from a company built with technology at its core, including significant improvements to its direct-to-consumer streaming products, which will eventually converge into a single service,” Skydance said.

This is not the first time that Skydance has talked about the merger of streaming platforms. After Netflix outbid to take over WBD in February, CEO David Ellison discussed plans to bring the two companies’ streaming services under one roof during an investor presentation in March.

However, the Paramount-WBD merger was challenged in July by a coalition of 12 states over possible antitrust violations. The two companies then postponed the merger until they receive a court ruling or until June 1, 2027, whichever comes first.

Tuesday’s merger confirmation comes on the back of “unanimous approval from competition authorities covering nearly 70 jurisdictions worldwide,” Skydance added.

The newly combined company will bring together two major film studios, streaming services with over 200 million subscribers worldwide, and cable networks including CNN, CBS News, CBS Sports, TNT Sports, MTV, HBO, HGTV, Comedy Central, Cartoon Network, and Nickelodeon, among others.

On the streaming front, we are looking at the possibility of Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, the DC Universe, Mission: Impossible, Transformersand and SpongeBob SquarePants be hosted on a single platform.

As for when the combined service will launch, Ellison said in a press conference that “it will take a while,” with bundles being rolled out first. Separately, subscription plans for Paramount+ and HBO Max start at $8.99 and $10.99 per month, respectively.