Skydance CEO Ellison Confirms HBO Max and Paramount+ Will Eventually Merge into One Service

Key points

• Skydance CEO David Ellison stated that HBO Max and Paramount+ will 'long term' be brought together as one service.
• The merger of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery closed on October 6, 2026, forming the new entity Skydance.
• The combined company now has over 200 million direct-to-consumer subscribers, allowing it to compete with Netflix and Disney.
• In the short term, the services will operate separately, potentially with a bundle option similar to the HBO Max-Disney partnership.
• Ellison credited advancements in AI technology for potentially accelerating the integration of the two tech stacks.
• Casey Bloys, who will lead all streaming operations at Skydance, previously suggested a bundle approach rather than a full merger.

Background

The Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger, valued at $110 billion, closed on October 6, 2026, creating the new entity Skydance. Prior to the merger, Netflix had announced plans to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery but scrapped those plans in February 2026. Casey Bloys was appointed to lead the combined streaming operations, with the expectation that he would oversee a broadened slate mixing HBO's prestige content with mass-appeal programming. The merger follows a period of industry consolidation and speculation about the future of streaming services.

How outlets are covering it

The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline both reported that David Ellison confirmed the long-term plan to merge HBO Max and Paramount+ into a single service, with a short-term phase of separate operations and bundling. The Verge highlighted the potential for the merged service to compete with Netflix, which has 325 million subscribers. Ars Technica noted that the unification of HBO Max, Paramount+, and Discovery+ could lead to higher prices and less programming diversity, but also improve content recommendations and user experience. Casey Bloys, who will lead the combined streaming operations, previously suggested a bundle approach rather than a full merger, citing the successful HBO Max-Disney bundle as a model.

Why it matters

The merger of HBO Max and Paramount+ into a single service under Skydance could significantly impact the streaming landscape by creating a competitor with over 200 million subscribers. This move could lead to changes in pricing, content availability, and user experience for consumers. The integration of the two services could also affect the broader media industry, potentially leading to further consolidation and changes in content production and distribution.

What to watch

Skydance will likely announce details about the bundling options for HBO Max and Paramount+ in the near term. The company is expected to provide more information about the timeline for the full integration of the two services. Consumers may see changes in pricing and content availability as the services are merged. The broader media industry may see further consolidation and changes in content production and distribution as a result of this merger.