Tag: HBO Max

CEO David Ellison: Paramount+, HBO Max Combining Into One Streaming Platform With HBO Brand to Remain Separate

Paramount Skydance plans to combine the Paramount+ and HBO Max subscription streaming services into one platform upon closing of Paramount’s $76.9 billion ($110.9 billion enterprise value) merger with Warner Bros. Discovery.

Speaking on a special March 2 investor call, Paramount CEO David Ellison said he planned to allow the HBO brand, currently run by CEO Casey Bloys, to operate independently going forward creating content.

It wasn’t immediately clear how the two streaming services would connect, either with a separate Max tile on the Paramount platform, or something else.

“As we said, we do plan to put the two services together, which today gives us a little over 200 million direct to consumer subscribers,” Ellison said on the call. “We think that really positions us to compete with the leaders in the space.”

Ellison said he thinks that by June, Paramount will consolidate the services, including Discovery+ and Pluto TV, under a unified stack featuring more than 15,000 titles.

“To contextualize, [Paramount+ and HBO Max] is roughly the size of Disney, right? Obviously, competitive with Amazon, competitive with Netflix,” Ellison said. “So, we really do think that, that really positions us to be one of the leading competitors in the DTC space and really accelerates our growth there and achieving scale in DTC.”

SVOD market leader Netflix ended 2025 with more than 315 million global paid subscribers, while Paramount+ lost 100,000 subs in the last 90 days of the year, and Max added 3.5 million subs, ending the year with 131.5 million.

Regarding the HBO brand, Ellison said he would prefer not to disrupt the legacy platform.

“Our viewpoint is HBO should stay HBO,” he said. “They built a phenomenal brand. They are a leader in the space, and we just want them to continue doing more of it.”

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Season 3 of HBO Comedy Series ‘The Comeback’ Debuts March 22

The third and final season of the HBO Original comedy series “The Comeback” will debut March 22 on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max. Subsequent installments of the eight-episode season will be available weekly on Sundays leading up to the series finale May 10.

The entertainment industry satire stars Lisa Kudrow as a former sitcom star who attempts to return to the spotlight. The series’ first season aired in 2005, and its second season ran in 2014.

The season three cast includes Dan Bucatinsky, Laura Silverman, Damian Young and Tim Bagley, Matt Cook, Jack O’Brien, Ella Stiller, John Early, Barry Shabaka Henley, Abbi Jacobson, Tony Macht, Brittany O’Grady, Zane Phillips, Julian Stern and Andrew Scott.

The series was created by Kudrow and Michael Patrick King, who serve as executive producers alongside John Melfi and Dan Bucatinsky.

Each episode is followed by the official “The Comeback” HBO companion video podcast on HBO Max, as host Evan Ross Katz discusses the season with Kudrow and King, plus special guests from the cast and beyond.

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WBD Expanding HBO Max Password-Sharing Crackdown Across Foreign Markets

Ahead of the launch of HBO Max in the United Kingdom and Ireland next month, Warner Bros. Discovery is expanding a foreign crackdown on password sharing among non-subscribers.

WBD, which announced the move Feb. 26 on the fiscal call, rolled out HBO Max service in eight countries in January, primarily focusing on major economies in Central and Southern Europe.

The crackdown notifies subscribers found to be sharing their HBO Max or Discovery+ passwords the option to add out-of-household users for an additional $7.99 per month for the less-expensive ad-supported tier.

Users identified as sharing passwords will see increasingly “fixed” or “assertive” messages requiring action, replacing the previous “soft” notifications that could be easily dismissed, according to JB Perrette, CEO and president of global streaming.

WBD added more than 12 million foreign paid streaming subscribers in the fourth quarter (ended Dec. 31, 2025), to end the year with 72.4 million.

“We are in the second inning of our password sharing enforcement. It is just beginning to get scale,” Perrette said on the company’s fiscal call. “It has not expanded globally at all. That will start in 2026.”

“We are still launching in new markets with our ad tiers, and we think there is further upside,” Perrette added. “Based on the fact that our fill rates are still relatively low internationally, we feel great about the next couple years and the years to come. We have great visibility to a strengthening content slate, which is at the core of everything we do, and the launches in big markets. It all flows together to drive that growth.”

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Warner Bros. Discovery Adds 3.1 Million Streaming Subs in Q4, Ended 2025 With 131.6 Million

Warner Bros. Discovery Feb. 26 reported a gain of 3.1 million streaming video subscribers in the fourth quarter (ended Dec. 31, 2025), concluding the period with 131.6 million subs. Streaming includes Discovery+, HBO premium linear television and HBO Max.

WBD had 128 million streaming subscribers through the end of the previous-year fiscal period ended Sept. 30, 2025. The media company had 116.9 million streaming subs at the end of 2024.

Domestic streaming subscribers added 2.1 million subscribers to end the year with 59.2 million subs, up from 57.1 million subs at the end of 2024. International subs added 12.6 million to reach 72.4 million, up from 59.8 million subs in 2025 as WBD continues the international rollout of HBO Max in Germany and Italy.

WBD, which said it remains on track to reach 150 million streaming subscribers by the end of the year, will stop reporting quarterly subscriber data beginning with the fiscal period ending March 30 — a trend begun by Netflix and now emulated by Disney.

Streaming segment revenue increased 5% to $2.8 billion, from $2.65 billion in the previous-year period. Fiscal year revenue inched up 5% to $10.8 billion, from $10.3 billion in 2024.

During the quarter, HBO Max released such original series  as”It: Welcome to Derry,” “The Chair Company,” “I Love LA” and “Heated Rivalry.”

“It: Welcome to Derry” averaged more than 27 million global viewers per episode. Additionally, “Heated Rivalry” became the No. 1 first-run acquired scripted series in HBO Max history with an average of 13 million global viewers per episode.

“We also continue to expand our original programming outside the U.S., demonstrated by the fourth quarter release of our scripted drama ‘Heaven’ in Poland, which is now the second most watched HBO Max local original series ever in the country,” read a WBD post.

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HBO Max Launching Service in 12 Asia Pacific Markets on March 26

Warner Bros. Discovery Feb. 24 announced that its streaming service HBO Max will launch in 12 new markets across the Asia Pacific region on March 26, including Bhutan, Fiji, Kiribati, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

The upcoming availability of Max in these new markets accelerates the brand’s growth globally, following the platform’s recent launch in Italy and Germany, and ahead of the U.K. and Ireland launch, also in March.

Max is the streaming home to myriad entertainment brands, including HBO, “Harry Potter,” the DC Universe, Cartoon Network, Max Originals, Warner Bros. Pictures movies, as well as programming from Discovery and TLC.

Max offer subscribers access to Oscar-nominated movies Sinners and One Battle After Another; original series such as “House of the Dragon,” “The Last of Us” and “The Pitt”; new series, including “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” as well as upcoming premieres of “Rooster,” starring Steve Carell, and “Euphoria” season three, starring Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney, Jacob Elordi and Hunter Schafer, premiering April 13.

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Warner Bros. Discovery Says Milan Cortina Winter Olympics European Streaming Views Increased 103%

The return of the Olympic Winter Games to Europe (in Milan and Cortina, Italy) combined with the rollout of HBO Max, along with existing Discovery+ and Eurosport, drove significant growth in viewership and engagement across Warner Bros. Discovery’s European platforms.

WBD’s streaming platforms were the only exclusive platforms to watch every event broadcast live across Europe, while its linear channels Eurosport (Europe) and TNT Sports (U.K. and Ireland) delivered comprehensive Games-time coverage.

NBCUniversal’s Peacock and NBC Sports had exclusive U.S. rights to the Games.

Max and Discovery+ combined to generate the best-ever streaming Olympic Winter Games when compared with Beijing in 2022 and South Korea’s PyeongChang in 2018.

Total hours streamed skyrocketed 103% compared with Beijing 2022, including triple-digit growth in France, Germany, Italy (on Max) and the U.K. (Discovery+), according to Warner Bros. Discovery.

Max was available in select European markets in 2022 following a phased rollout that began in late 2021.

Max and Discovery+ saw three times more viewers (234%) than Beijing 2022. Total subscribers streaming Milano-Cortina 2026 content exceeded those that viewed the entire Beijing 2022 Games after only three days.

Social video views on Eurosport (Europe) and TNT Sports (U.K. and Ireland) accounts exceeded 4 billion.

WBD said Max and Discovery+ helped drive viewership by presenting all 246 sports events live, peaking at 11 concurrent events, including 116 medal contests and 2,900 athletes competing across 19 days.

Approximately 32% of streamers utilized “Olympics Multiview,” allowing viewers to watch up to four Olympics events concurrently on a single screen with their choice of audio.

Streamers were also empowered through “Gold Medal Alerts,” and “Timeline Markers,” offering “Personalized Watch Lists” that were utilized by the majority of users, allowing users to select from up to 21 commentary languages for their live coverage.

“Watching the Games on HBO Max and Discovery+ clearly resonated with audiences in the U.K. and Europe,” Andrew Georgiou, president and managing director for WBD Sports Europe, said in a statement.

“This Olympics has set an incredibly strong foundation as we look to Los Angeles 2028 and the Olympic Winter Games returning to Europe again for French Alps 2030,” he said.

Linear (Eurosport in Europe; TNT Sports in the U.K and Ireland) saw a 3% increase in viewers versus Beijing 2022, marking a reverse of declines in total TV consumption over this period and driving the bulk of overall live viewing.

WBD reported more than 50% linear growth (on Eurosport channels) in hours viewed overall compared to Beijing 2022.

France upped its viewership 47% in hours viewed, Germany was up 50% in hours viewed, and Poland was up 32% in hours viewed. TNT Sports channels (U.K and Ireland only) increased more than 60% versus Beijing 2022.

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Doc ‘Fukushima: A Nuclear Nightmare’ to Debut on HBO and Max March 10

The HBO original documentary Fukushima: A Nuclear Nightmare, directed by James Jones (HBO’s Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes), and co-directed by Megumi Inman (Atomic People), debuts March 10 on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max.

In March 2011, a 9.0-magnitude earthquake — the strongest ever recorded in Japan — unleashed a tsunami that devastated the country’s northeast coast. Entire towns were erased and 20,000 lives were lost, but an even greater threat loomed at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, where the giant wave disabled the cooling systems of three reactors. As radiation levels soared and hydrogen explosions tore through the facility, Japan’s leaders faced the unimaginable prospect of evacuating Tokyo — the world’s largest city with 35 million people.

Fukushima: A Nuclear Nightmare reconstructs the nine harrowing days following the disaster in forensic, real-time detail, from the control-room engineers fighting to prevent a total meltdown, to the political leaders confronting the unthinkable, to ordinary citizens caught in the fallout. At the heart of the story are the power plant workers who were tasked with averting a major catastrophe. It was potentially a suicide mission, commanded by Japan’s prime minister Naoto Kan. Navigating days of isolation and terror, these plant workers — who would later be known as the courageous Fukushima 50 — recount the mounting pressures they faced as they entered the darkened reactors to try to avert the worst outcome, knowing the work might kill them. For years, these men stayed silent, burdened by guilt and stigma rather than celebrated as heroes. Now the control-room supervisor on duty when the disaster began, Ikuo Izawa, and others who were present in those nine fateful days, recount their detailed experiences publicly for the first time.

The documentary includes first-hand insight from Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant engineers, government advisors, American consultants and journalists, TEPCO officials and emergency workers.

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HBO Premiering Comedy Special ‘Chris Fleming: Live at the Palace’ Feb. 27

The stand-up comedy special Chris Fleming: Live at the Palace will debut Feb. 27 on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max.

From the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago, comedian Chris Fleming bursts onto the screen with a fun and lighthearted blend of skillful storytelling and wild physicality in his first HBO stand-up special. A high-energy performer who seamlessly pivots from one everyday topic to another — from Trader Joe’s to Oreos, NPR, and dog breeds — Fleming bounds across the stage as he shares his unique takes on masculinity, conga lines and more.

“I hereby decree my first HBO special will soon be available for you to consume — please enjoy and feel free to dance along,” Fleming said. “Thank you and thank you HBO!!”

“Chris Fleming brings it full force to this special — once you’ve seen him, nothing else quite compares,” said Nina Rosenstein, EVP of HBO programming for late night and specials. “His jokes are exquisitely precise, and his physical comedy is so borderline acrobatic that you discover something new to laugh at every time. Whether it’s a perfect impression of a crab walk or an intricate joke about Tillamook cheese, his work is a master class in and of itself.”

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Warner Bros. Discovery Says Winter Olympics European TV, Streaming Coverage Breaking Records

Warner Bros. Discovery, exclusive distributor of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics in Europe, said it has seen “significant growth” in TV, streaming viewership through the opening days of the Games.

WBD is distributing “Milano-Cortina 2026” through its Eurosport and TNT Sports pay-TV platforms, in addition to streaming on HBO Max and Discovery+ (where available). Max (Europe) and Discovery+ (U.K.) are the only platforms to offer every event live.

WBD said viewers across Europe are consuming “significantly more” Olympics coverage and content (up 39%) than the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing.

Total hours viewed are up 102% compared with Beijing, including triple-digit growth in France, Germany, Italy (on HBO Max) and the U.K. (Discovery+).

The number of subscribers streaming content exceeded those that viewed the entire Beijing 2022 Games after only three days. Olympics viewers are also viewing substantial amounts of entertainment content, including hockey drama “Heated Rivalry” and season two of “The Pitt,” both recently launched on HBO Max.

“We are delighted with the significant increase in viewership and engagement seen during the first week of the Games, demonstrating that our coverage … is being recognized locally as the go-to destinations for leading sports coverage,” Andrew Georgiou, president and managing director of WBD Sports Europe, said in a statement.

Live coverage of Milano Cortina 2026 runs until Feb. 22.

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Comcast-Owned Sky Bundling Disney+, HBO Max, Netflix, Hayu Into Single Subscription in U.K.

Comcast-owned satellite TV operator Sky Feb. 11 announced it is bundling Disney+, HBO Max, Netflix and reality-based Hayu into a single subscription for its U.K. pay-TV subscribers.

For the first time, new customers will be able to get Sky, ad-supported options of HBO Max (when it launches March 26), Disney+, Hayu and Netflix together as part of “Sky Ultimate TV,” priced from £24 ($32.80) a month.

Pay-TV operators are increasingly bundling streaming services to combat “cord-cutting” and transform themselves into super-aggregators of video content across all distribution channels. Streaming bundles have become a central strategy for maintaining consumer relevance in a fragmented market where households juggle an average of nearly three streaming platforms.

“This marks a new era for Sky,” Sophia Ahmad, chief consumer officer at Sky, said in a statement. “Nobody else offers this breadth of incredible entertainment in a fully integrated experience, with everything customers love watching side by side so viewers can jump from show to show with ease.”

Comcast-owned Peacock streaming is not included in the bundle as it is limited to the U.S. market.

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