HBO Max and Paramount Plus will merge into a single streamer under Skydance

HBO Max and Paramount Plus will become one streaming service under Paramount’s $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. In a press release announcing the completion of the deal, Skydance — the name of the combined companies — says both streamers will “unify into a single service over time.” Skydance CEO David Ellison hinted at this possibility in March, saying during a call with investors that merging Paramount Plus and HBO Max would give the combined companies “a little over 200 million direct-to-consumer subscribers.” There are still no details about the timing of this change, or the name of the merged streamers, which HBO CEO Casey Bloys will oversee. Merging the two streamers could help them compete with Netflix, which last reported having 325 million subscribers in January. The move will put top shows from both services onto a single platform, including titles like Mobland, Yellowstone, The White Lotus, and House of the Dragon.