HBO Max and Paramount+ To Merge Into One Streaming Service (washingtonpost.com)
- Reference: 0180894074
- News link: https://entertainment.slashdot.org/story/26/03/02/2125201/hbo-max-and-paramount-to-merge-into-one-streaming-service
- Source link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/2026/03/02/hbo-max-paramount-streaming-service/
> He added that Paramount didn't want to make changes to the HBO brand. "Our viewpoint is HBO should stay HBO," Ellison said, noting that his favorite HBO product is "Game of Thrones." If Justice Department regulators allow the deal to go through, it would place recent HBO Max hits, such as "The Pitt" and "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms," alongside Paramount offerings including "South Park" and "Yellowstone." "They built a phenomenal brand," he said. "They are a leader in the space, and we just want them to continue doing more of it."
>
> The deal to buy Warner Bros., valued at about $110 billion, will almost surely attract regulatory scrutiny from the Justice Department because -- without divestments -- it places major swaths of the film, television and news industries under one roof: Warner Bros. and Paramount studios, HBO Max and Paramount+, and CBS and CNN would all have the same parent company. Ellison expressed confidence on the call that the deal wouldn't face hurdles with regulators.
[1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/2026/03/02/hbo-max-paramount-streaming-service/
[2] https://entertainment.slashdot.org/story/26/02/27/1027259/netflix-ditches-deal-for-warner-bros-discovery-after-paramounts-offer-is-deemed-superior
Please don't use Paramount+ Platform (Score:1)
Really hoping they don't use the Paramount+ platform going forward. It is by far the worst performing streaming application I have experienced. I have not used HBO Max, but it cannot be as bad as Paramount+. They should hire some programmers and make a proper application that runs quickly on the devices that run it. There should be nothing too complex about browsing lists and surfacing data quickly. Paramount+ is a failure and really frustrating to use compared to every other service, Netflix and Apple
Re: (Score:2)
> Really hoping they don't use the Paramount+ platform going forward. It is by far the worst performing streaming application I have experienced. I have not used HBO Max, but it cannot be as bad as Paramount+. They should hire some programmers and make a proper application that runs quickly on the devices that run it. There should be nothing too complex about browsing lists and surfacing data quickly. Paramount+ is a failure and really frustrating to use compared to every other service, Netflix and Apple+ being the best in my opinion.
From my memory of a year and some change ago, HBO/Max/HBOMax/whatever they're calling it today was pretty terrible too. So, at least they'll be merging the two worst performing streamers.
Re: (Score:2)
(+1, Truth)
Of all the major streaming platforms, Paramount+ stands alone in how often it just doesn't work. It doesn't work reliably on state-of-the-art streaming boxes. It doesn't work reliably on desktop PCs. In fact, of all the devices we have in our household, it works reliably on a total of zero of them.
We have several of the other commercial streaming platforms plus the apps or online services for several of our main national TV channels as well and almost all of them work almost all of the time. It's
By the end of Trump's 3rd term (Score:3)
We are going to have two companies left, Amazon and disney. And they will be in merger talks.
PatriOracle (Score:1)
I think we can all look forward to the kind of quality programming only a silver-spoon son of Larry could offer.
The patriotic fervor of a fascist twat who thinks praising Dear Leader lifts his boat; news reports that would make Putin blush (more from embarrassment than excess, say what you will, dude knows how to suppress a polity), all backed by decades of the cash-extraction expertise Oracle has taught you to know and love.
Ask not what your teevee can do for you. Ask what your Teevee can do to your cou
Or more likely.. (Score:1)
"will almost surely attract regulatory scrutiny from the Justice Department"
Seems much more likely it will almost surely attract luxurious gifts of cash to Trump and his associates.
Maybe a new StreamCoin ponzi?
Grandfathered inor? (Score:2)
I have hbo (no commercials) included with my cell plan from back when AT&T owned HBO. They started charging and extra $10 for it some time ago, but it is still cheaper than if I were to get it separately. Are they going to kick me off now, too bad so sad? Up my price? Or honor the contract I signed all those years ago?
Re: (Score:2)
> I have hbo (no commercials) included with my cell plan from back when AT&T owned HBO. They started charging and extra $10 for it some time ago, but it is still cheaper than if I were to get it separately. Are they going to kick me off now, too bad so sad? Up my price? Or honor the contract I signed all those years ago?
I got in on the end-of-year buy-in on Paramount+ last year. $60 for Paramount+ and Showtime, commercial free, for one year. I kinda wonder what they're gonna do with plans like mine. Do they merge services and let us keep accessing them, or just drop current contracts and make us take whatever price they decide the "new and improved" service is worth? Some "monthly fee of both put together" with a few cents knocked off to show the value of the merged service that some of us didn't want?
I'm just curious how