Paramount has received the green light to close its $81 billion mega-merger with Warner Bros. Discovery. The deal will bring together two of Hollywood’s five remaining major legacy studios. HBO Max and cable networks such as CNN will also come under the same corporate roof as CBS and the Paramount+ streaming service. But what will the merger mean for consumers?
One App for All
One of the most obvious potential benefits is convenience. If the companies eventually combine their streaming services as planned, consumers may not have to maintain multiple apps to access their favourite shows and movies. Instead, HBO Max, Paramount+ and CBS content could become available through a single platform. That would give subscribers a much larger library to choose from. Instead of paying separately for Paramount+ and HBO Max, consumers could eventually have access to both libraries through a single subscription.
The combined service could bring together franchises and shows such as HBO's Game of Thrones, The Pitt and The Sopranos with Paramount's Star Trek, Yellowstone, NCIS and South Park, along with films from Warner Bros. and Paramount.
Fewer streaming choices
The merger could also mean fewer streaming choices for consumers. Instead of choosing between Paramount+ and HBO Max as separate services, consumers could eventually have one fewer independent streaming platform to choose from. Lesser competition in the market won't augur well for the consumers in the long run and the combined company will have greater pricing power.
