In a report in The Wall Street Journal (via THR) today, it has been revealed that Warner Bros. Discovery has opted to retain Discovery+ as a standalone streaming offering.
The news comes as the studio giant prepares to launch the yet-to-be-named combined product of Discovery+ and HBO Max sometime this Spring. Plans for that combined entity have not changed for the moment and there is still no name for the new entity as yet.
According to the report, instead of combining both services in their entirety the new platform will feature HBO Max content and most Discovery+ content – think shows like “The Last of Us” and “The White Lotus” mixed with a line-up of HGTV, Magnolia Network and Discovery content.
The full catalogue Discovery+ service will also remain available as a lower-cost stand-alone option in an effort to avoid losing a significant chunk of the service’s existing 20 million subscribers who don’t want to make the switch over to the most costly HBO Max subscription.
Ad-free HBO Max costs $15.99 a month, the ad-supported version runs at $9.99. Discovery+ ad-free is set at $6.99.
