HBO Max and Paramount+ may soon become one

HBO’s streaming service could yet again change its name, since the Paramount-Warner Bros. deal would give way to the consolidation of Paramount+ and HBO Max into a single, unified streaming platform.

However, Paramount CEO David Ellison told analysts that “HBO should stay HBO.” He was all praise about the media network being an industry leader and said CEO Casey Bloys and his team do a “remarkable job.”

His remarks signal that HBO could maintain its creative independence. But it also comes amid the merger’s mandate for billions in cost cuts, leaving Warner Bros employees, especially CNN staff, uncertain about their jobs.

Ellison has touted that the combined HBO Max and Paramount+ service will boast over 200 million subscribers. 

But there could be subscriber overlap. Data from streaming researcher Antenna indicates that approximately 7.6 million households pay for both services.

While Paramount’s leadership positioned the combined OTT entity as a challenge to other dominant direct-to-consumer players, it still trails behind Netflix’s 325 million global users. It has a broader international footprint across 190 markets.