Original Coverage & Source Attribution: www.aol.com
HBO Max and Paramount+ may not look the same for much longer after a major announcement from Skydance’s top executive. David Ellison revealed the long-term vision for both streaming platforms following the completion of the company’s landmark merger.
HBO Max and Paramount+ will eventually combine, but not yet
Skydance chairman and CEO David Ellison confirmed that HBO Max and Paramount+ will eventually merge into a single streaming service, as reported by Deadline. However, the two platforms will first operate separately with bundling options before full integration.
“Long-term, the plan is basically to bring them together,” Ellison said at a press event on the Paramount lot on Tuesday. He added that bringing the services together will take time. In the near term, subscribers will see bundling and other features rolled out relatively quickly. Ellison noted he could not share specific details just yet.
The company has already unified the tech stacks of Paramount+, BET+ and Pluto TV. Ellison credited AI technology advancements for accelerating that process. He said the centralization of tech stacks after the merger close will happen “as quickly as possible.” The project was completed “in record time” after Skydance acquired Paramount in August 2025.
Ellison’s comments appeared to contrast with recent remarks from Casey Bloys. Bloys now serves as Co-Chair and Chief Content Officer at Skydance DT. He previously suggested bundling would remain the priority given each service’s distinct subscriber base.
Together, HBO Max and Paramount+ have more than 200 million global subscribers. A recent Skydance slide deck featured both streaming brands, signaling their continued independent operation for now.
Merging two streaming services has proven difficult across the industry. Disney has slowly positioned Disney+ as its flagship while migrating Hulu content behind a tile. Warner Bros. Discovery faced significant challenges after its 2022 merger with Discovery Communications.
Executives initially tried merging Discovery+ with HBO Max under the Max brand. They later reversed the rebrand after viewer and partner confusion. That experience highlights the complexity Skydance will face in eventually uniting its two major streaming platforms.
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