In a slight pivot to its streaming strategy, Warner Bros. Discovery expects to keep Discovery+ as a stand-alone streaming service, even after it launches its combined super-service with HBO Max later this year, a source familiar with the plans tells The Hollywood Reporter.
WBD announced the plan to combine HBO Max and Discovery+ last year, arguing that they have complementary content and subscriber bases. The combined service is expected to launch in the spring under a new name.
The new service would bring together HBO content like The Last of Us, HBO Max content like Hacks and Discovery content like shows from Magnolia Network, HGTV and Discovery. That will still be the case under the new plan, however, the company will keep Discovery+ as a lower-cost option for people who don’t want the scripted entertainment programming, potentially allowing it to retain subscribers that would otherwise churn out instead of paying more.
Already some Discovery content, like shows from Chip and Joanna Gaines, has moved onto HBO Max, while some CNN programming has found a home on Discovery+ (of course, some CNN shows are also on HBO Max, like Chris Wallace’s program).
The Wall Street Journal first reported the news.
Georg Szalai in London contributed to this report.
