What will happen to HBO Max after the Paramount-Warner Bros merger?

HBO Max has a distinct brand value, but on the horizon of the Paramount-Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery merger, questions arise over its future.

But assuaging doubts and uncertainty, the company said HBO will “operate with independence".

David Ellison, who is Paramount CEO, said, referring to HBO head Casey Bloys, “Casey and his team do absolutely a remarkable job at HBO." 

Making it clear where HBO will stand in a post-merger, he shared, “And as we said, we do plan for that to be able to operate with independence so that HBO can, candidly, do what it does incredibly well."

Ellison's message is sound and clear, as he said he recognized the brand value of HBO, stating, "Our viewpoint is HBO should stay HBO."

"They built a phenomenal brand. They are a leader in the space, and we just want them to continue doing more of it. But by bringing the platforms together, all of our content will be able to reach even a broader audience than we can do standalone.”

According to Variety, Ellison also noted that they planned to merge Paramount+ and HBO Max into a single platform.

“As we said, we do plan to put the two services together, which today gives us a little over 200 million direct-to-consumer subscribers."

Currently, it's unclear what these combined services will look like, whether HBO Max will be available within them or fully integrated.