The sprawling universe of streaming video services can be a confusing space for consumers to navigate. But recent developments suggest it will get easier soon.
Discovery CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels spoke today at the Deutsche Bank Annual Media, Internet & Telecom Conference again confirmed Discovery+ and HBO Max will eventually combine into one platform after being offered as a bundle immediately following the Discovery’s merger with WarnerMedia.
JB Perrette, president and CEO of Discovery Streaming and International, said last year the combined companies will have an “incredibly attractive tech buffet” to choose from and will take the best parts from both sides and build them into a common platform going forward.
It’s anyone’s guess what a combined Discovery+ and HBO Max will be called. Warner Bros. Discovery+? HBO Super Max? Discovery+HBO+CNN+Warner=Fun? But it will be a small step toward simplifying a fragmented industry. And, as media industry analyst Alan Wolk pointed out, it may just present a coveted single entertainment source for people tired of cobbling together their own bundle.
“If you can watch everything from nature documentaries to home remodeling shows to basketball games to dark comedies with conflicted unlikable antiheroes and (possibly) a national news channel all in the same place, then maybe you don’t really need any other streaming services. Or a confusing matrix of bundle options,” he said.
There are other signs of a potential streaming recombobulation.
Beginning this summer, Paramount+ subscribers will have the option to add Showtime to their subscription—and pay the $12 per month (with ads) or $15 per month (ad-free) bundle price—and will have access to the programming within the existing Paramount+ app instead of needing to switch between the two apps.
Hulu recently revealed a new $2.99/month Disney+ add-on. The apps are still separate but, when looked at through the lens of Disney+’s recently strengthened parental controls and its addition of the decidedly TV-MA Netflix Marvel series, you can begin to see a future where Disney+ and Hulu could combine.
At the same time, distributors and network providers are continuing to pursue unified platform service strategy. Like Verizon, which just announced +Play, a service for its customers that combines access to entertainment, audio, gaming, fitness, music and lifestyle subscription services.
To be certain, there are still hundreds of streaming services out there. But maybe before too long, that universe will get just a little smaller.