HBO Max And Discovery+ Still Merging, But Standalone Discovery+ Won't Go Away

Yes, HBO Max and Discovery+ are still merging into a new streaming service that's not named yet. But no, Discovery+ won't disappear once that happens later this year.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Warner Bros. Discovery has decided to alter its plans for the streaming services. So, a bunch of Discovery+ content will still show up on the new merged service with HBO Max, but Discovery+ will continue to exist as its own cheaper thing. The thought process behind this relates to retaining most of the 20 million users who are already subscribed to the app.

Some of the content that will reportedly be spread across both services are Shark Week and Magnolia Network programs from Chip and Joanna Gaines. For those unfamiliar, Discovery+ costs $7 monthly without ads and $5 with them. The new combo service with HBO Max and Discovery+ will possibly cost more than current Max plans, which are $16 per month without ads and $10 with.

Speaking of pricing, WSJ adds that Warner Bros. is also exploring to launch a new free, ad-supported streaming service sometime this year. This destination would offer a mix of the studio's movies with programs from HBO and Discovery.

Warner Bros. originally announced the HBO Max and Discovery+ merger back in August. The planned rollout for the new streaming service sees it first launching in the United States this summer. No name has been officially revealed, though a December report claimed it may be called Max. Internally, it's supposedly referred to as BEAM.

In the meantime, check out what's new on HBO Max for February.