These 2 popular streaming apps will combine, but not right away

Many consider HBO Max and Paramount+ to be among the best streaming services in the world, and a recent major studio merger is poised to change the way you’ll use these apps. Skydance, owner of Paramount+ (formerly Paramount Skydance Corporation), recently purchased and completed a merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, the company behind HBO Max, intends to either consolidate the services or combine them into a single streaming service.

The offers for Warner Bros. Discovery and HBO Max started late last year, and Netflix came close to taking over. The deal was not finalized, however, and an aggressive proposal from Paramount ultimately took over. The final buyout was an $81 billion deal bringing the two studios under the Skydance umbrella.

Following the merger, finalized on October 6, 2026, Skydance adds HBO Max and Discovery+ to its arsenal of streaming services, which already included Paramount+ and Pluto TV. Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Studios and New Line Cinema are also joining Paramount Pictures as studios under the Skydance umbrella, and you’ll now find channels owned by Warner Bros. such as HBO, Discovery Channel, CNN, Adult Swim, Food Network, HGTV, TLC, TBS, TNT and Cartoon Network alongside Paramount-owned networks like CBS, MTV, Comedy Central, BET, Showtime, Paramount Network and Nickelodeon.

The question of whether HBO Max will merge with Paramount’s streaming service has no concrete answer at this time. Skydance CEO David Ellison told press that there are plans to combine the two streaming services eventually, but this is a long-term process and users don’t have to worry yet. The immediate plan appears to be that the two services will continue to operate independently of each other, although Ellison says the company is working on consolidating the services, as well as other things he declined to delve into details about.

Skydance faces several challenges if it plans to merge the two streaming services. Warner Bros. Discovery previously faced backlash when it attempted to merge HBO Max with Discovery+ and drop the “HBO” from its name – a move it reversed two years later following user discontent. Paramount+ and HBO Max could see a similar future, integrating into a single platform but still offering dedicated apps, much like HBO Max and Discovery+ do today.