Starting in the summer of 2023, HBO Max and Discovery+ will come together under a single brand. Following a merger earlier this year, Warner Bros. Discovery detailed its expansion goals in a Q2 2022 earnings call webcast. The yet-unnamed platform, which is run by CEO David Zaslav, will debut in the US before expanding to other countries. Launching an integrated SVOD (subscription video on demand) service is currently our top objective in terms of streaming, he said. “Our streaming strategy has evolved over the past year and really reflects the importance of rather than the dependence on this segment of our global content monetization plan.”
HBO Max will be available to US people beginning in the summer of 2023, per Warner Bros. Discovery’s expansion ambitions, since that country saw HBO Max’s inaugural debut. The combined version will be sent to Latin America in the fall of 2023, and to Europe in the early months of 2024. Months after its initial release, HBO Max was made available in both zones, with the latter (Europe) being limited to a few nations.
The presentation lists seven regions in the Asia-Pacific area that will have access to the new streaming platform by mid-2024, however no specific nations are mentioned at this time. Time HBO Max has not yet launched in India, Discovery+ has been available there for a while. HBO Max’s pricing was the subject of a leaked study from the WarnerMedia-owned corporation, but it was relevant at this stage because HBO Max is still primarily focused on Europe and other regions. HBO Max has signed a contract with Amazon Prime Video in India for the time being.
Additionally, four other undisclosed markets will be added to the Discovery+ and HBO Max mega-merger in the fall of 2023. The company is investigating different tiers under the subscription system, but there is currently no announcement on pricing. The product is advertised as being “efficient, scalable, and resilient,” bringing the “best of both” platforms. With multi-tier sports content, modular capabilities include live broadcasts as well as on-demand content. Ad-free, ad-lite, and ad-only alternatives will be available for the basic plans, with the latter being the least expensive option.
Back in May, AT&T announced it was leaving the entertainment industry and merging with WarnerMedia. The WB sale guarantees cash flow while AT&T is concentrating on constructing 5G towers in the US. It was estimated that Warner Bros. Discovery would spend $20 billion (about Rs. 1,46,425 crores) on content each year, surpassing Disney and Netflix’s expenditures.
The studio also cancelled Wonder Twins, Batgirl, and Scoob! Holiday Haunt as part of the merger since they did not adhere to their goal for maximising results. According to reports, Batgirl was in the midst of post-production when it underwent a private screen test and was declared a “irredeemable” movie.
With a 10-year “reset” plan set forth for DC Comics movies, the studio will also switch its attention away from streaming and toward theatrical releases.