Warner Bros Discovery and Paramount are reportedly in talks to merge which could present a big problem for the best streaming services.
If successful, it could see Max (formerly HBO Max), Discovery+ and Paramount+ being combined into one massive super service, which will directly compete with the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and Apple TV+.
Indeed, when you look at the potential content a merged service could offer, it could become the most attractive out there.
Max is the US streaming home to HBO shows, such as The Last of Us and Game of Thrones, while Paramount+ has the Star Trek franchise, Yellowstone, and speedy releases of cinematic blockbusters, such as Top Gun: Maverick and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.
The addition of Discovery+ would round off the portfolio, with a tonne of true crime documentaries and reality shows balancing the fictional series and movies.
According to Axios, Warner's CEO David Zaslav has had a meeting with his Paramount counterpart, Bob Bakish, to discuss the possible merger. If talks progress and a deal is struck, it could form one of the biggest news and entertainment companies in the world.
It is said that Warner Bros. Discovery would seek to purchase Paramount or even its parent company, National Amusements Inc.
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A dominance in global streaming is definitely a driver for the acquisition, as Paramount has a stronger presence outside of the US than Warner. Max isn't in the UK, for example, with HBO shows exclusively broadcast by Sky.
And Discovery+ is a little different in the UK as it includes sports programming from Eurosport and the relatively newly renamed TNT Sports. The latter offers Premier League and European football with a separate paid subscription.
Of course, such mergers and acquisitions can take years to complete, and don't always come to fruition. We're sure that Netflix isn't quaking in its boots just yet, but it seems that the seeds have been sown.
We'll be keeping our eyes on this as it develops, for sure.
Rik is T3’s news editor, which means he looks after the news team and the up-to-the-minute coverage of all the hottest gadgets and products you’ll definitely want to read about. And, with more than 35 years of experience in tech and entertainment journalism, including editing and writing for numerous websites, magazines, and newspapers, he’s always got an eye on the next big thing.
Rik also has extensive knowledge of AV, TV streaming and smart home kit, plus just about everything to do with games since the late 80s. Prior to T3, he spent 13 years at Pocket-lint heading up its news team, and was a TV producer and presenter on such shows as Channel 4's GamesMaster, plus Sky's Games World, Game Over, and Virtual World of Sport.
