The combined subscriber base of HBO Max and Discovery+ is 92.1m, an increase of 1.7m from Q1.
Warner Bros. Discovery will officially merge its HBO Max and Discovery+ streaming services into a single offering, Jean-Briac Perrette, Chief Executive Officer and President, Global Streaming and Games, said in an earnings call.
HBO Max and Discovery+ will launch in the US as a single service in the summer of 2023. After the summer 2023 rollout, WBD plans to take the unified HBO Max-Discovery+ platform to Latin America in the fall of 2023; Europe in early 2024; Asia Pacific in mid-2024; and additional markets in fall 2024.
Perrette said: “Currently, we’re focused on launching our combined SVOD product with both an ad-light and an ad-free version in many markets. We’ve also begun to explore options of how best to reach consumers in the free ad-supported streaming space. We currently license our library to others, but we’ll assess how best to play in this growing business as the model evolves from free-to-air linear to free-to-view streaming.”
He stated that HBO Max has emerged as the most acclaimed streaming service among consumers and Discovery+ remains one of the top-rated apps and the dominant leader in real-life entertainment. “There are also two very unique and complementary streaming services, distinct in their content appeal ranging from premium scripted series like Succession and the much-anticipated House of the Dragon to leading unscripted programmings such as 90 Day Fiance and Fixer Upper.”
He also said that the two services are also different in terms of how subscribers engage with the content. “Some of it is more appointment viewing driving subscriber acquisition, other content being more comfortable viewing, driving subscriber retention with people watching hours on end. These are two critical and powerful components of a strong and sustainable subscription business. Couple this with our world-class collection of globally recognised brands, franchises, series, and characters it is truly an unprecedented combination.”
In Q2, WBD’s HBO Max, HBO and Discovery+ subscribers combined were 92.1m, up 1.7m from 90.4m the prior quarter. That’s up 22% 75.8m on a pro-forma basis versus a year earlier.
