HBO Max and Discovery Plus streaming apps are expected to be merged into one very soon. Discovery CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels confirmed the move recently and given the fact that WarnerMedia and Discovery merged recently, it could happen very sooner than most think.
According to Verge, Wiedenfels gave a hint on what the roadmap for the two streaming apps could be like in the post-merger situation. Bundling options are expected to come into effect as the two apps become one big product offering of services.
Users are also expecting the merger to come with bug fixes for some of the HBO Max streaming app issues it has been having on some platforms. Hopefully, it won’t turn into a big mess when Discovery Plus comes in too.
However, it’s still unclear which company will be taking the lead role in designing the new merged streaming app and how much it will cost for a subscription. Discovery Plus and HBO Max both currently maintain ad-supported and ad-free tiers, with Discovery Plus’ going for $4.99 a month and $6.99 a month, and HBO Max’s going for $9.99 a month and $14.99 a month.
Once the two apps merge, it is anticipated that the service subscription rate could go for around $14.99 and $21.99 a month reports The Verge. However, with services like Netflix, they charge between $9.99 to $19.99 a month depending on the number of screens and quality of streams.
Also, given how well designed Netflix’s app is, coupled with its algorithm that suggests content, HBO will have to come up with something really good if it plans to charge more than $20 regardless of what content is available on the platform.
HBO Max and Discovery Plus will merge into one app
On Monday, Wiedenfels did not give guidance on how much the combined streaming platform would cost consumers, albeit he did note Warner Bros. Discovery, the company that will be created by the merger, will introduce ad-free and ad-lite products.
According to the Verge, Wiedenfels’ presentation was oriented largely around content — not the quality of the app. “The combination could not make more sense than what we’re doing here. We have HBO Max, with a more premium, male-skewing positioning, and then you’ve got the female-positioning on the Discovery side,” he said.
He went on to express enthusiastic excitement at seeing the combined metrics because “in theory, the acquisition power of HBO Max, combined with the retention power of the Discovery content I think is going to make for a blowout DTC product.”
“Yes, the merging of content will be super appealing, but not if people can’t watch it because the app is buggy”, Alex Cranz from The Verge noted.
Since it’s still some time before the two apps merge, let’s wait and see what HBO Max and Discovery Plus come up with in the next few months. We just hope it will be worth it.
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