HBO Max and Paramount+ start down the long road to merger – kicking off with a money saving bundle

Game of Thrones and Star Trek Strange New Worlds — (Image credit: Skydance / HBO / Paramount)

HBO Max and Paramount+ will eventually cease to be – in their current, separate form, at least. Now that the Paramount Skydance acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery is complete, the two streaming services will merge – as recently confirmed by CEO David Ellison.

However, it could be a while before that happens, with a lot to sort out in the meantime. That's why the first part of the plan is to offer the two services in a single subscription bundle – as revealed in a shareholder letter sent out yesterday,

Skydance will "launch a bundled offering of HBO Max and Paramount+ in early 2027", it says.

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"Our first step toward bringing together Paramount+ and HBO Max is to offer them in a single bundle," it continues.

"Starting in early 2027, consumers will be able to subscribe to both world-class streaming services at an even greater value. We look forward to sharing more details on the bundle and our streaming roadmap in the coming months."

That suggests pricing could become more attractive for those looking to subscribe to the homes of Game of Thrones and Star Trek simultaneously. It's not known whether the bundle will be exclusive to the US as yet, or whether it will also be available in other territories that carry both services, such as the UK.

However, it's just the first step into building a new, unified platform which is likely to affect all regions: "As we work toward a fully unified offering, we will phase in changes based on consumer feedback... with Paramount+ and HBO Max together, we have the global scale to compete and win."

This might affect some paid TV platforms in the UK that currently offer HBO Max and Paramount+ as part of their own bundle deals already – such as Sky, which includes HBO Max as part of its Ultimate TV package. Vodafone TV is another that has a plan that incorporates it.

It might be that nothing will change over the coming year, though. And we're sure we'll hear more at some point in 2027.

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.