WBD Brings All Company Content Together for First Time via Prime Video in France; Strikes Deal with Paramount, Comcast in Europe
The “cut content to the bone” era may be over at HBO Max, but the streamer is not resting or taking stock. Its parent company Warner Bros. Discovery seems to be moving directly into the next phase of its existence, and that phase may be as an entertainment “arms dealer.”
WBD is continuing to strike deals with other big media companies to distribute its content, this time in Europe. This week, the company agreed to a pact with SkyShowtime, the European streamer jointly operated by Comcast and Paramount. The deal gives SkyShowtime the exclusive streaming rights to 21 European HBO Max shows that are either planned or already in production.
HBO Max stopped production of its European original series in July of 2022, as part of the company-wide efforts at WBD to make up for over $5 billion in costs stemming from the merger of Discovery and WarnerMedia in March. Now, some of the European series that were abandoned will live on via the SkyShowtime platform.
That’s not the only new arrangement WBD has made in Europe this week. According to Deadline, WBD and Amazon now have a deal that will add WBD content, including plus 12 linear channels, for Prime Video users in France. Starting in March, French Prime Video subscribers will be able to sign up for the “Warner Pass,” which will give them access to the new content lineup. Prime subscribers in France will also get free access to the new HBO Max series “The Last of Us” for a week to promote the Warner Pass.
This will be the first time that Warner Bros. Discovery has brought all of its disparate content under the same umbrella since the merger. In addition to traditional channels including Cartoon Network, CNN, Discovery, Eurosport, Warner TV, and more, subscribers will also have access to all of HBO’s content as well.
WBD hasn’t been shy about working with Amazon the United States either. In November 2022, WBD announced it was sending the animation rights to DC Comics characters to Prime Video, so that Amazon could develop its own series based in the DC universe.
Licensing content is a quick way for media companies to bring in cash. It allows WBD to keep collecting residual checks without having to spend time and money developing shows for itself. While licensed content that becomes a huge hit will bring in more profits for the company that it’s been licensed to (meaning a missed opportunity for WBD), the company has seemingly been happy to be cashing a steady stream of checks from whatever platforms want to pay them without having to navigate the expensive and risky processes of having to shoulder the entire creation burden on its own.
Executives at WBD are likely thrilled with the progress they’ve made in moving the service toward profitability. The next pivotal step for the company comes in spring, when it plans to merge HBO Max with its other streaming service discovery+.
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