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Here’s what’s happening to Paramount+ and HBO Max subscriptions after Paramount-WBD merger

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Herzlich, T. (2026, October 7). Here’s what’s happening to Paramount+ and HBO Max subscriptions after Paramount-WBD merger. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/10/07/media/whats-happening-to-paramount-hbo-max-subscriptions-after-paramount-wbd-merger/

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New York Post · collected 2026-10-07 · by Taylor Herzlich

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Story summary

On Tuesday, Paramount completed its $81 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, creating a new Hollywood conglomerate named Skydance Corporation. The merger, spearheaded by billionaire David Ellison, combines two of America's oldest film studios along with streaming services like HBO Max and Paramount+, CNN, CBS News, and live sports channels including TNT Sports and CBS Sports. Despite facing months of legal challenges and public protests over concerns about reduced competition and higher consumer costs, the deal was finalized after Ellison agreed to create an independent oversight board to protect editorial independence at CNN. The new entity will be led by Ellison and co-CEO Ynon Kreiz, marking a significant shift in power within the entertainment industry.

Written for “Hollywood Mega Merger Completed” on 2026-11-11, grounded in this article and the 24 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

Hollywood Mega Merger Completed
Entertainment · 25 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 14% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
The Hindu
Leans left Hedges 1 of 39 claims Outlet record 60/100
CBS News
Hedges 0 of 2 claims Outlet record 68/100
Toronto Star
Hedges 6 of 33 claims Outlet record 64/100
BBC News
Leans right Hedges 11 of 43 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss related aspects of the Paramount Skydance-Warner Bros Discovery merger but describe different specific developments: pricing impacts in Article A and operational plans for streaming services in Article B.”
Toronto Star
Hedges 0 of 2 claims Outlet record 64/100
“While both articles discuss David Ellison's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery by Skydance, Article A provides an overview of the merged entity and its assets, while Article B focuses specifically on Ellison's announcement regarding the future of HBO Max and Paramount+ streaming services.”
CBC News
Hedges 2 of 48 claims Outlet record 71/100
“While both articles discuss the Paramount-Warner Bros merger, Article A focuses on the completion and details of the deal itself, while Article B covers subsequent announcements about integrating streaming services made by David Ellison after the merger's completion.”
ABC News (AU)
Hedges 0 of 3 claims Outlet record 67/100
“While both articles discuss Paramount's takeover of Warner Bros Discovery, Article A focuses on the completion and name change to Skydance, whereas Article B covers CEO David Ellison's announcement about merging HBO Max and Paramount+ services.”
BBC News
Leans left Hedges 1 of 26 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A describes the official takeover and merger of Warner Bros Discovery by Paramount Skydance, while Article B focuses on the plans for integrating HBO Max and Paramount+ streaming services after the merger. They cover related developments but not the same specific event.”
Washington Examiner
Hedges 0 of 27 claims Outlet record 68/100
“Article A describes the completion of the merger and its announcement, while Article B focuses on the implications for streaming services after the merger.”
The Sydney Morning Herald
Hedges 0 of 1 claims Outlet record 61/100
“While both articles discuss the Warner Bros. and Paramount merger, Article A reports on the completion of the merger, while Article B focuses on the implications for streaming services following the merger.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
22
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
14%
3 of 22 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
66/100
New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
25
Entertainment
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-07 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

New York Post · 18678 article(s) · 39 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 39 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Taylor Herzlich
69 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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Topics

Disney+ HBO HBO Max Hulu Paramount+

Subjects

Ellison PERSON · 4× Hulu ORG · 4× Disney+ ORG · 3× HBO ORG · 3× Paramount+ ORG · 3× Skydance ORG · 3× HBO Max ORG · 2× Amazon ORG · 1× David Ellison PERSON · 1× Hollywood GPE · 1×

Narrative

That means if the streamers’ price tags were combined, a basic plan would cost $19.98 a month and a premium subscription would cost an eye-watering $36.98 a month. But it’s likely the company will take a similar approach to Disney+ and Hulu, at least in the short term, by offering discounted bundle options.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-07
Skydance CEO David Ellison doubled down on his plans to combine HBO Max and Paramount+ into a single streaming service – sparking questions about how much the mega-streamer could cost fans.

Claims (22 extracted, 3 hedged)

Skydance CEO David Ellison doubled down on his plans to combine HBO Max and Paramount+ into a single streaming service – sparking questions about how much the mega-streamer could cost fans. uncertain
streamer → double → fans
In the “long term,” the company plans to “bring [HBO Max] and [Paramount+] together” as one streaming service,” the exec told reporters Tuesday on his first day running the new Hollywood giant. asserted
exec → plan → giant
“It’ll take a period of time to do that,” he added. asserted
he → take → that
“So I think in the immediate, you will see them operated separately,” with “bundling” options available “in the relatively short term.” asserted
options → think → term
Ellison said the company expects to “accelerate how quickly we accomplish that goal,” thanks to advancements in “AI technology and other things.” asserted
we → say → technology
He declined to comment further on the bundle options. asserted
He → decline → options
The combined streamer – which would merge the country’s third- and fifth-largest services – would boast about 200 million total subscribers, according to Ellison. uncertain
which → combine → Ellison
During Tuesday’s press conference, Ellison noted a combined platform will allow Skydance to “compete with the Disneys and Netflixes and Amazons and anybody in the world. asserted
Skydance → note → world
It’s unclear how much the combined service could cost, and whether the company is planning to hike prices. uncertain
company → ’ → prices
It has already announced $6 billion in planned cost cuts, including layoffs, though it has not specified which divisions will be hit. asserted
divisions → announce → layoffs
A basic HBO Max plan with ads currently costs $10.99 a month or $109.99 a year. asserted
plan → cost → 10.99
The premium, ad-free version costs $22.99 a month or $229.99 annually. asserted
version → cost → 22.99
The Paramount+ Essential plan with ads costs $8.99 a month, while the Premium plan – which is ad-free and allows customers to stream CBS live – costs $13.99 a month. asserted
customers → cost → 13.99
That means if the streamers’ price tags were combined, a basic plan would cost $19.98 a month and a premium subscription would cost an eye-watering $36.98 a month. But it’s likely the company will take a similar approach to Disney+ and Hulu, at least in the short term, by offering discounted bundle options. asserted
company → mean → options
A standalone Hulu plan costs $12.49 a month with ads or $21.49 a month without ads, while a Disney+ plan goes for the same rates. asserted
plan → cost → rates
The popular Disney+ and Hulu bundle, however, starts at $12.99 a month and goes up to $21.99 a month – just pennies more than customers pay for the individual plans. asserted
customers → start → plans
HBO Max is also included in a bundle with Disney+ and Hulu, but it comes at a much steeper price tag – starting at $21.99 a month with ads or $34.99 a month with no ads. asserted
it → include → ads
Paramount+ offers “Yellowstone” and its spin-off shows, along with “Landman,” “Criminal Minds” and “South Park.” asserted
Paramount+ → offer → Landman
Ellison initially announced in March that the two streamers would be combined if the merger achieved regulatory approvals – but company executives have been delivering mixed messages. asserted
executives → announce → messages
Casey Bloys, who has been tapped as chief content officer of Skydance and will lead the integration of the two streamers, last week said he expects the two platforms to remain separate with bundling options – with no mention of a combined service. asserted
platforms → tap → service
“I would say that I don’t want to comment on what is going to happen or anything like that, but I would point to the HBO Max-Disney bundle, which has been very successful,” Bloys said during Bloomberg’s Screentime event. asserted
Bloys → say → event
“That would make a lot of sense.” asserted
That → make → sense
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