😍 2022-03-14 08:00:00 – Paris/France.
The services of Streaming Discovery+ and HBO Max will become a service after Discovery Inc. and AT&T Inc.'s 2,19% WarnerMedia complete their merger, Discovery Chief Financial Officer Gunnar Wiedenfels said Monday.
The two services of Streaming will likely be combined immediately after the company's merger, which is expected to close as early as next month and will form a new company called Warner Bros. Discovery, Mr. Wiedenfels said at a conference in Florida organized by Deutsche Bank AG. , but the two offerings will likely be combined into one product later.
Mr. Wiedenfels suggested the bundle could include single sign-on for both services and sharing content, but ultimately the goal would be to combine the platforms into a single app. He said he expects the combination to take several months as the company tries to make the transition as smooth as possible for current users.
“The main focus will be on harmonizing the technology platform, creating a very, very strong direct-to-consumer combined product and platform. It will take time,” he said.
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Mr. Wiedenfels' remarks are the most specific indication offered yet of what the company plans to do with the two platforms. Streaming after the closing of the merger. Mr. Wiedenfels had previously been appointed to lead the integration of the two companies by Discovery chief executive David Zaslav.
Discovery+, which launched early last year, currently costs $4,99 per month with ads or $6,99 without ads. HBO Max also offers two pricing tiers, an ad-supported version at $9,99 per month and an ad-free service at $14,99 per month.
Mr. Wiedenfels did not say on Monday how much a combo app might cost, but said the company will likely offer ad-free and lightweight options. He noted that his rival from Streaming Walt Disney Co., which said earlier this month that it plans to roll out a cheaper, ad-supported offering, is pursuing the same strategy.
The combined Discovery and HBO app would merge HBO Max's more premium, more masculine positioning with Discovery's more feminine stance, Wiedenfels said. He added that Discovery content offers daily appeal while HBO Max drives signups with hit releases.
"The acquisition power of HBO Max combined with the retention power of Discovery content, I think, is going to make an explosive D2C product," he said.
Discovery+ had about 22 million subscribers worldwide at the end of 2021, the company said. HBO Max, along with the HBO television network, had some 73,8 million subscribers worldwide at the same time.
Write to Will Feuer at will.feuer@wsj.com
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Appeared in the print edition of March 15, 2022 under the title "Platforms of Streaming HBO Max, Discovery+ to Meld After Merger”.
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