Warner Bros. Discovery announced Thursday that it will combine HBO Max and Discovery+ into a single, unified streaming service, which will launch in Summer 2023. A name for the combined service, along with pricing, will be announced at a later date — though the service will offer both ad-lite and ad-free tiers.

All told, the combined streamer will be a one-stop destination for titles from Warner’s sizable portfolio — which includes, but is certainly not limited to: HBO, CNN, DC Comics, Discovery Channel, Food Network, HGTV, Magnolia Network, OWN, TBS and TNT.

No announcement regarding the fate of Max Originals was made during WBD’s investor call on Thursday.

“Our strategy is to embrace and support and drive the incredible success that HBO Max is having,” WBD President and CEO David Zaslav said. “The culture and taste of Casey [Bloys] and the team, and the fact that they not only read the scripts, but they fight with all the creatives to make the storytelling as strong as possible… is an extraordinary asset.” With that said, “We want [the content] to be broader. We will, as one company, come behind that. We think [the combined HBO Max/Discovery+ service] is going to be superb. It’s about curation. It’s about quality. It’s about how good.”

Ahead of the combined service’s launch, HBO Max and Discovery+ will begin to share select content. Among the titles coming to each respective service:

* HBO Max will add select content from Magnolia Network starting Friday, Sept. 30. The slate will include Family Dinner With Andrew Zimmern, Fixer Upper, Fixer Upper: Welcome Home, Growing Floret, The Lost Kitchen, Magnolia Table With Joanna Gaines, Maine Cabin Masters and Restoration Road With Clint Harp. Additionally, new series Fixer Upper: The Castle will drop concurrently on Magnolia Network, HBO Max and Discovery+ at 9/8c on Friday, Oct. 14.

* Discovery+ will add a CNN Originals hub on Friday, Aug. 19. Titles available at launch will include Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, The History of Comedy, The History of the Sitcom, Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy, This Is Life With Lisa Ling and United Shades of America With W. Kamau Bell, as well as HLN originals Death Row Stories, How It Really Happened, The Hunt With John Walsh and Very Scary People.

Having already debuted in 61 territories across the Americas and Europe, HBO Max was expected to launch in a further six European countries including Greece, Iceland, the Baltics, and Turkey. However, that has now been scrapped.

In a statement released to TVBEurope, the company said: “Warner Bros Discovery has publicly stated its commitment to a singular streaming service that combines HBO Max and discovery+ and harnesses the unmatched combined content of the organisation.

“We continue to develop our plans to roll out a high-quality global service both in territories where we have a presence in streaming, as well as in new markets.”

Warner Bros Discovery launched earlier this year following the merger between Warner Bros and Discovery.

In the company’s last earnings call, CEO and president David Zaslav stated: “We will not launch any new markets for the time being. We will not sort of chase aggressively behind subscriber growth as long as we are working on this priority one, which is getting these products together.”

Last week the company announced plans to scale back on commissioning HBO Max originals in Europe, with some territories ceasing production entirely.

Next year, another wave of territories will be added to that list: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Slovenia.

Additional territory launches are also planned for next year, but there are currently no plans to launch HBO Max in France, Italy, Germany, and the U.K. This is said to be partly due to WarnerMedia having deals in place with other partners in these countries, where HBO programming is available on services such as Sky Atlantic and Now TV.

HBO Max was officially launched in the U.S. in May 2020, and has since expanded to 39 territories in Latin America and the Caribbean. Like those regions, the above European countries will gain access to content from HBO, Warner Bros., DC, and Cartoon Network.

"This is a historic moment as HBO Max lands in Europe," said Johannes Larcher, Head of HBO Max International. "WarnerMedia movies and series like Harry Potter, Game of Thrones and The Big Bang Theory are passionately consumed by fans all across Europe, and HBO Max has been created to provide them with the most intuitive and convenient viewing experience to watch these and a diverse range of other amazing titles."

HBO has yet to say what the cost of the streaming service will be in Europe, but it will make that announcement in a virtual launch scheduled for October.

A key difference for the launch in Latin America is that there won’t be an ad-supported plan as there is in US, a spokesperson told The Verge. Instead, subscribers in Latin America will have the option to subscribe to a mobile-only plan that supports SD streaming and up to five title downloads, or they can choose a standard plan that supports five personalized profiles, up to three simultaneous users, up to 30 title downloads, and high-definition streams in HD and 4K where available. Pricing will vary based on the region.

“With today’s launch, we are introducing our global platform and providing a brand new user experience to millions of fans across Latin America and the Caribbean,” Johannes Larcher, head of HBO Max International, said in a statement.

As part of the rollout, the company said it will produce 100 local originals in Latin America over the next two years. Additionally, UEFA Champions League events will become available to subscribers in Mexico and Brazil later this year, the company said. A spokesperson for HBO Max told The Verge that local originals are only being produced in Latin America right now. There will be no Caribbean originals.

The launch also makes HBO Max available to US subscribers traveling in these newly supported regions, so long as they are on the service’s ad-free tier, the company said in a press release. Likewise, Latin America-based subscribers will be able to stream HBO Max when traveling in the US. As part of its global expansion, HBO Max is expected to launch in Europe later this year.

To sweeten the deal, the company is offering the service to new subscribers in Latin America and the Caribbean at a 50 percent discounted rate for as long as they maintain their subscription if they sign up before July 31st.

HBO Max has already revealed star-studded content offerings from high-profile talent such as Mindy Kaling and Greg Berlanti, as well as aggressive plays for catalogue fare such as South Park and Rick And Morty.

It is also co-producing on series with European partners such as Sky, as revealed by TBI, and earlier this week unveiled a new drama with Channel 4.

Sarah Aubrey

Sarah Aubrey, head of original content for HBO Max, said the service would launch with around 80 originals in total, made up of 50 HBO Max series and 30 shows from sibling HBO.

“It is huge number but Netflix has set the bar at a pace with new shows just for you. There is always something new to check out and that has accustomed viewers to wanting something new, I’d say, once a month if not sooner,” she told the Video Exchange Streaming event in London on Wednesday.

“And that isn’t just one demo, that is across all demographics. So yes it sounds a lot but if you look across a year and that we have to go from kids to adults then we feel confident it is a good amount to start with. And then, like all the platforms, we’ll launch and get data and see how people are watching.

“We will also have all of HBO’s new content so it will be a very robust slate of originals,” said Aubrey, who was appointed in the summer. The exec said she was keen to expand international co-productions, adding the partners outside of the US were a key part of the HBO Max ecosystem.

“The goal is to very quickly and aggressively get into this game in a way that it feels like if you want to be a part of this cultural conversation and have consistent new shows of quality, then you have to have HBO Max.”

With HBO content tending to skew older, Aubrey added that her focus was “primarily on 18-34’s, millennials and generation z just because HBO has such a robust slate.”

The service will launch next year in the US before being rolled out first into Latin America in 2021 and then Europe, where WarnerMedia execs will have to navigate a series of existing services and output deals.

HBO content is already piped via direct-to-consumer services in Spain and the Nordics with HBO España and HBO Nordics, while Sky recently unveiled an extended output deal in the UK.

Sandra Dewey, president of business operations and productions, said there would be a “bit of navigating the existing platforms and services and working out how quickly we can meld the pieces together,” adding that the company would focus on a Latin American launch first.

“We plan to roll out internationally and initially that push will be into Lat Am and then Europe. Unlike other platforms, we are already in business in lots of those places so part of our challenge is to harmonise that as we move forward,” she said. “But Europe is our second target in terms of these plans, because we know to succeed we have to succeed there.”

It was also revealed that the service will cost a hefty $14.99 per month, which is more than the $12.99 per month it costs for a standard Netflix plan. Current HBO subscribers via AT&T and DirecTV, along with HBO Now subscribers, will have immediate access to HBO Max at no extra charge. Also, an ad-supported version of HBO Max (price TBD) is also planned to launch in 2021. The company has not said whether an annual subscription rate will be made available.

HBO Max has at least 16 scripted series in various stages of development, including a Gossip Girl reboot, an Adventure Time revival and the Kaley Cuoco drama The Flight Attendant. (To view the complete slate, click here.) These original series will release new episodes weekly, rather than all at once, Netflix-style.

In addition to original series, HBO Max will feature a robust selection of library content. The service will house all episodes of Friends, The Big Bang Theory, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Pretty Little Liars, as well as all of HBO’s programming.

HBO Max will also serve as the streaming home for all new CW dramas produced by Warner Bros. The deal begins with Batwoman and Katy Keene, which will drop on the premium service after they have concluded their freshman runs.

The HBO Max announcement comes just days before the launch of two other subscription services: Apple TV+ (on Friday, Nov. 1) and Disney+ (on Tuesday, Nov. 12). Also on tap is Peacock, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, which is set to bow in April 2020.

WarnerMedia confirmed the service on Twitter, announcing that the service is set for a spring 2020 debut.

A promo video for the upcoming service shows a mix of HBO content like Game of Thrones and Sesame Street, along with Warner's cable staples like Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, DC Entertainment films like Wonder Woman and mentions that content will also come from brands like Adult Swim, CNN and others.

In addition to those shows, the service will have the exclusive rights to The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and Pretty Little Liars. The CW network's upcoming Batwoman show and Riverdale spinoff Katy Keene is also destined to stream on HBO Max, resulting from The CW winding down its previous streaming deal with Netflix.

Pricing has not yet been announced for HBO Max. WarnerMedia also owns the DC Universe streaming service, which will remain live concurrently with HBO Max reports GameSpot. DC Universe offers a comic book library in addition to original shows like Titans and Doom Patrol.

Netflix confirmed the departure of Friends from the service with its own tweet, fittingly themed with a coffee emoji.

HBO Max's reveal marks the latest in a line of streaming services gearing up to take on Netflix after years of having content on the latter service. Disney Plus is launching Nov. 12 in the US, becoming the exclusive streaming service for 2019 movies from Disney, like Captain Marvel and Avengers: Endgame. NBCUniversal is also planning a streaming service, which the company has so far said will launch in 2020.

The company’s WarnerMedia division announced Tuesday that it will call the online platform “HBO Max,” following through on a pledge to make the premium network the heart of its streaming strategy. It also said the sitcom “Friends” -- currently a popular show on Netflix -- will be going to the new service, which is slated to debut next spring.

AT&T acquired Time Warner for $85 billion last year, and the new streaming service is a key test of its efforts to capitalize on a sprawling telecom and media empire. It’s racing with Walt Disney Co. and Comcast Corp.’s NBCUniversal, which are also launching new streaming services.

All three companies are playing catch-up to Netflix, which has nearly 150 million customers for its streaming service. Netflix already operates around the world, while the new products will start in the U.S. HBO Max also is coming later than originally expected: WarnerMedia had previously been aiming to release the service at the end of this year.

But Netflix will have to replace many of its popular rerun series as those shows go to other platforms. The company’s stock dipped on the news that “Friends” would be leaving, and Netflix lamented the move on Twitter.

HBO Max will include 10,000 hours of programming from across the WarnerMedia group of networks and studios, including the new DC Comics show “Batwoman,” reruns of “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” and “Pretty Little Liars,” documentaries from CNN, kids’ programming from Cartoon Network and anime from Crunchyroll.

“HBO Max will bring together the diverse riches of WarnerMedia to create programming and user experiences not seen before in a streaming platform,” Bob Greenblatt, chairman of WarnerMedia’s entertainment and direct-to-consumer operations, said in a statement.

WarnerMedia Chief Executive Officer John Stankey has said HBO Max will build on HBO, which has 35 million customers in the U.S. The network has a library that includes “The Sopranos,” “Sex and the City” and “Game of Thrones.” Upcoming HBO shows include a science-fiction program created by producer Joss Whedon, a satire from “Veep” creator Armando Iannucci, and a horror series produced by J.J. Abrams and Jordan Peele.

Greenblatt will try to lure new customers to HBO Max with new original series and movies exclusive to the service. Kevin Reilly will oversee the development of those originals series, and has already ordered more than half a dozen shows. Actress Anna Kendrick will star in a romantic-comedy series, and Kaley Cuoco, from Warner Bros.’ “The Big Bang Theory,” will appear in a thriller produced by Greg Berlanti.

Berlanti scored one of the richest deals in TV history last year, part of a growing arms race for Hollywood talent. WarnerMedia touted its deals with Berlanti and actress Reese Witherspoon, both of whom will produce original series for the service.

New deals with Warner Bros. Television and others for HBO Max announced today include:

• The exclusive streaming rights at launch to all 236 episodes of “Friends” — one of the biggest hits on television and in streaming
• The exclusive streaming rights at launch to all episodes of fan favorites “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” and “Pretty Little Liars”
• The exclusive streaming home to a string of new Warner Bros.’ produced dramas for The CW beginning with the fall 2019 season, including the highly-anticipated new DC Entertainment series “Batwoman,” and “Katy Keene” (spinoff of “Riverdale”)
• New exclusive movie production deals with Greg Berlanti, one of Hollywood’s most prolific and successful producers, and Reese Witherspoon, Academy Award® and Emmy Award®-winning actress and producer; Berlanti will produce an initial four movies focused in the young adult space, while Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine will produce at least two films

HBO Max, scheduled to launch commercially in spring of 2020, is anticipated to premiere with 10,000 hours of premium content.

“HBO Max will bring together the diverse riches of WarnerMedia to create programming and user experiences not seen before in a streaming platform. HBO’s world-class programming leads the way, the quality of which will be the guiding principle for our new array of Max Originals, our exciting acquisitions, and the very best of the Warner Bros. libraries, starting with the phenomenon that is ‘Friends,’” said Robert Greenblatt, chairman, WarnerMedia Entertainment and Direct-To-Consumer.

“Under the leadership of two of the strongest creative visionaries — Casey Bloys (HBO) and Kevin Reilly (original content and acquisitions) — and two of the most experienced digital experts — Tony Goncalves and Andy Forssell — I have no doubt they and their dedicated teams will deliver the world’s best storytelling to audiences of all ages wherever and whenever they want it.”

Max Original series previously announced include:

• “Dune: The Sisterhood,” an adaptation of Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson’s book based in the world created by Frank Herbert’s book Dune, from director Denis Villeneuve
• “Tokyo Vice,” based on Jake Adelstein’s non-fiction first-hand account of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police beat starring Ansel Elgort
• “The Flight Attendant,” a one-hour thriller series based on the novel by Chris Bohjalian, which will star Kaley Cuoco, who is also executive producing alongside Greg Berlanti
• “Love Life,” a 10-episode half-hour romantic comedy anthology series starring “Pitch Perfect” star Anna Kendrick, who will also executive produce alongside Paul Feig
• “Station Eleven,” a postapocalyptic limited series based on Emily St. John Mandel’s international bestseller, adapted by Patrick Somerville and directed by Hiro Murai
• “Made for Love,” a 10-episode, half-hour, straight-to-series adaptation based on the tragicomic novel of the same name by Alissa Nutting, also from Somervilleand directed by S.J. Clarkson
• “Gremlins,” an animated series from Warner Bros. Animation and Amblin Entertainment based on the original movie

Highlights of HBO programming previously announced for 2020 and 2021 include:

• Stephen King’s “The Outsider,” a dark mystery starring Ben Mendelsohn, produced and directed by Jason Bateman
• “Lovecraft Country,” a unique horror series based on a novel by Matt Ruff, written and executive produced by Misha Green, and executive produced by Jordan Peeleand J.J. Abrams
• “The Nevers,” Joss Whedon’s new science fiction series starring Laura Donnelly
• “The Gilded Age,” the opulent world of 1885 New York from “Downton Abbey’s” Julian Fellowes
• “Avenue 5,” high satire aboard a space-bound cruise ship from Armando Iannucci(“Veep”), starring Hugh Laurie and Josh Gad
• “The Undoing,” a psychological thriller from David E. Kelley, directed by Susanne Bier starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant
• “The Plot Against America,” reimagined history based on Phillip Roth’s novel written and executive produced by David Simon and Ed Burns, starring Winona Ryder and John Turturro
• “Perry Mason,” the classic legal drama for a new generation, executive produced by Robert Downey, Jr. and Susan Downey, with Matthew Rhys in the title role
• “I Know This Much Is True,” a complex family drama starring Mark Ruffalo playing twin brothers, one of whom has schizophrenia, based on the best-selling novel by Wally Lamb, written and directed by Derek Cianfrance.

Casey Bloys, programming president of HBO, continues to oversee content on the HBO service, with investment in HBO original programming having been increased 50% over normal spending.

Kevin Reilly, president of the Warner Media Entertainment Networks that include TNT, TBS, and truTV, also serves as chief content officer of HBO Max overseeing all new Max Originals and library content.

Tony Goncalves, CEO of Otter Media, now oversees the development of HBO Max with Andy Forssell, also from Otter Media and formerly CEO of Hulu, as the general manager.

Some of Hollywood’s most successful creators and producers are looking forward to the new service, including the following who are either producing for HBO and/or an upcoming HBO Max Original:

Anna Kendrick
“WarnerMedia has three things going for it with this new streaming service. One, they have an incredible history and legacy of storytelling. Two, they’re super future-focused and trying to be the best. And three, they’re letting people like me embarrass myself episode after episode until I find love. I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of this family.”

Issa Rae
“What’s exciting about HBO Max is that we have so many more resources and so many more voices of support for our show, and it’s an opportunity for other creators to have a bigger platform. I’m thrilled that my show will still be on HBO but now it will also be part of a new service that will reach more and more people.”

Greg Berlanti
“What I’ve always loved about creating shows that connect with a young audience is that these fans grow up with the programs and will remember them for the rest of their lives. Now I get to do even more of that for HBO Max, where viewers will be able to discover shows on their own time, in their own way. Like any great novel, these shows will be there waiting for you. As a fan, what I’m personally most excited to watch on the service are all the great Warner Bros. movies that affected our entire culture and changed the way we live.”

Damon Lindelof
“Working with HBO has been an entirely different level. People really care about these shows and they invest at such a high level. And now with HBO Max in the family, what I'm feeling is a greater sense of understanding and belonging that the family went from being a nuclear family to now there's a couple more kids and there's aunts and uncles and there's cousins and they're all cool. I want to go to that family reunion!”

Lena Dunham
“To be able to work for a company that’s allowed me to grow as an artist, as a woman, as a creator is a real gift. I love being part of this specific group of HBO programs that have meant so much to me. And lots of people are obsessed with the concept of streaming and now HBO Max is the future of the medium because it’s all just about continuing to tell really smart stories, and to me, that’s evergreen. I’m working on more projects for HBO as well as something very exciting for HBO Max and I’m just in heaven.”

Nicole Kidman
“It’s the dream of every artist to create art that inspires and even changes people. I’ve had a glorious experience doing ‘Big Little Lies’ on HBO and I’m so happy to also be developing a brand-new original drama series for HBO Max. This bigger platform will enable even more people to see the work that I and so many of my friends have poured our hearts into creating.”

George R.R. Martin
“Back in 1991, after a decade in television, I began writing a series of novels that I knew would never be filmed. A GAME OF THRONES and its sequels were too big, too complex, too dark, too sexy, with a cast of thousands, gigantic battles, massive castles, direwolves, ice wights, and dragons. Too sprawling for a feature film, too expensive for television. I should have remembered, ‘It's not television, it's HBO.’ Working with HBO during the past decade has been a dream come true. What they did could not be done, but they did it anyway. And now they are embarked on a new venture. No, they won't be tying their shows to the legs of ravens as I suggested... instead they are launching an exciting new streaming platform that will carry all the great HBO programming around the world... classic old shows and thrilling new shows, including (I hope) a return to my world of Westeros. Sign me up!”

Kaley Cuoco
“I have been part of the Warner Bros. Television family for over 12 years. I treasure my time on ‘The Big Bang Theory,’ and I am thrilled that our relationship continues to flourish in my new role as a producer on ‘The Flight Attendant.’ When I read the book more than a year-and-a-half ago, I was instantly obsessed with it — and with the idea of bringing it to the screen. I could not be happier to collaborate with the team at HBO Max to make this dream a reality. WarnerMedia has a long history of supporting storytellers and empowering them to fulfill their greatest potential. I am proud to be working with them on this series and cannot wait for viewers to have the opportunity to see it.”

“Friends” was created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman and aired for 10 seasons on NBC from 1994 to 2004. The show revolved around six friends and made stars out of its ensemble -- Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television.

“The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” was created by Andy Borowitz and Susan Borowitz, and ran for six seasons on NBC from 1990 to 1996. The show revolved around Will Smith as a street-smart teenager from West Philadelphia who is sent to move in with his wealthy aunt and uncle in their Bel-Air mansion after getting into a fight in his hometown. The show made Smith a star. Also starring in the comedy were James Avery, Daphne Maxwell Reid, Janet Hubert-Whitten, Alfonso Ribeiro, Karyn Parsons, Tatyana M. Ali and Joseph Marcell. It was produced by The Stuffed Dog Company, Quincy Jones Productions-Quincy Jones/David Salzman Entertainment and NBC Productions.

“Pretty Little Liars” was developed by I. Marlene King, based upon a series of books by Sara Shepard, and aired for seven seasons on ABC Family/Freeform from 2010 to 2017. The series follows the lives of five high school girls whose clique falls apart after the leader of the group, Alison, goes missing. The series features an ensemble cast, including Troian Bellisario, Ashley Benson, Lucy Hale, Shay Mitchell, Sasha Pieterse and Janel Parrish. It was produced by Alloy Entertainment, Long Lake Productions and Russian Hill Productions in association with Warner Horizon Scripted Television.

About Warner Media

Warner Media is a leading media and entertainment company that creates and distributes premium and popular content from a diverse array of talented storytellers and journalists to global audiences through its consumer brands including: HBO, HBO Now, HBO Max, Warner Bros., TNT, TBS, truTV, CNN, DC Entertainment, New Line, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies and others. Warner Media is part of AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T).

Cautionary Language Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
Information set forth in this news release contains financial estimates and other forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results might differ materially. A discussion of factors that may affect future results is contained in AT&T’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. AT&T disclaims any obligation to update and revise statements contained in this news release based on new information or otherwise.

WARNERMEDIA ENTERTAINMENT & DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER COMMUNICATIONS

Kevin Brockman
818.559.7946
Kevin.Brockman@warnermediagroup.com

WARNERMEDIA CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS

Keith Cocozza
212.484.7482
Keith.Cocozza@warnermediagroup.com