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Skydance completed its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery on October 6, 2026, putting HBO Max and Paramount+ under the same corporate umbrella. For subscribers, the immediate answer is simple: HBO Max says there are no immediate changes to its app, content, subscriptions, or pricing. If you subscribe to both services, you can keep using each as you do now.

The companies’ longer-term streaming plans are not settled for customers. A single service is a reported goal, but its name, price, launch timing, account arrangements, and HBO Max’s eventual app status have not been announced.

What changes for HBO Max subscribers right now?

According to the HBO Max Help Center, “At this time, there are no immediate changes to the HBO Max or Paramount+ apps, including content, subscription, or pricing.” The Help Center also says subscribers to more than one service can continue using each as they do today.

That is current service guidance, not a promise about what the company may do later. For now, you do not need to change how you use HBO Max because the acquisition closed. Check your own account and billing notices before making subscription changes.

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Will HBO Max and Paramount+ merge?

The reported longer-term direction is to unify the streaming products into one service over time. The Associated Press reported that plan on October 6, 2026, but the consumer details remain unannounced. A plan to unify is not the same as a completed migration or a confirmed launch schedule.

As of the cited reporting, the company had not announced:

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David Ellison has suggested HBO could retain some level of independence. That leaves the brand’s long-term role open; it does not establish that HBO Max will remain a standalone app or that it will be shut down.

Will HBO Max prices change?

No immediate pricing change has been announced in the HBO Max Help Center’s current guidance. Future prices, bundles, or subscription options have not been confirmed in the cited reporting, so it is not possible to say whether a later unified service will cost more or less—or whether existing customers will have a choice of plans.

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If you are deciding whether to keep HBO Max, Paramount+, or both, base that decision on what you pay now and what you watch now. Your account shows your current billing terms; the future service’s price and catalog arrangements are not yet known.

What should you do if you already subscribe?

  1. Keep using your apps as usual. The current HBO Max guidance says existing apps and subscriptions have no immediate changes.
  2. If you subscribe to both, keep accessing them separately. The Help Center says subscribers can continue using each service as they do today.
  3. Review your own billing before changing anything. Check your account for the price and terms that apply to your subscription, and read official notices if the company announces changes.

What the deal does—and does not—say about competition

On June 12, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division said its investigation found the proposed transaction was not likely to harm competition in streaming video on demand, linear television, or theatrical film distribution. That is the agency’s assessment of competition based on its investigation; it does not predict future prices, service quality, or product decisions.

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Do the deal’s movie-release rules affect HBO Max?

A consent decree entered in September 2026 after a lawsuit by states sets theatrical-release commitments for the combined company in the United States. Under the SEC-filed terms, films counted toward those commitments must receive at least a 45-day theatrical window and cannot be made available on a subscription video-on-demand platform for at least 90 days after their initial U.S. theatrical exhibition.

Those windows apply to qualifying films counted toward the decree’s commitments, which also include annual minimum film counts and other conditions. They do not establish a streaming date for every movie or series, or guarantee when a particular title will arrive on HBO Max.

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What does the 131.6 million subscriber figure count?

Warner Bros. Discovery reported 131.6 million streaming subscribers as of December 31, 2025, in its 2025 Form 10-K. That is a company-defined aggregate across specified offerings, including HBO Max, Max, HBO, discovery+, and certain other services. It is not an HBO Max-only total, does not represent the post-acquisition combined company, and predates the deal’s closing.

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