It’s a deal… finally. Paramount has officially settled a lawsuit brought by 12 state attorneys general aimed at thwarting its merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, as well as another case brought by the Writers Guild of America. Now, the company can go ahead with closing the acquisition, which will bring a host of cable assets, two movie studios, and multiple major streaming services under the same corporate umbrella.

Now that we know the merger is for sure going ahead, what will it mean for streaming customers? We already know that Paramount plans to combine Paramount+ and HBO Max into a single streaming platform, but what other implications are there for subscribers in the deal?

The combination of Paramount+ and HBO Max on a single app will offer a level of convenience for subscribers, who will no longer have to switch between the two to watch the shows and movies of either. But Paramount CEO David Ellison has also said that HBO Max will continue to act with “independence” under Paramount’s direction, so there will probably continue to be separate subscription plans available for both services.

Content cuts could be coming to both HBO Max and Paramount+, as well. Paramount is expected to identify some redundancies in its streaming libraries that are better off removed as it tries to streamline the two businesses, and there are sure to be layoffs at the two services as well. Combining Paramount+ and HBO Max on the same tech stack means fewer engineers needed to look after the software side of things, and the bean counters will likely find other synergies that will impact customers in varying ways.

A price increase for one, or perhaps both, streaming services is likely on the way after the merger. Now that Netflix and Peacock both charge $20 per month for ad-free service, it isn’t a big leap to think that Paramount will see HBO Max as the kind of premium offering that can command a similar fee. Its current subscription options range from $11-$23 per month. And Paramount+ is one of the cheapest streamers on the market at $9 per month for ad-supported service or $14 per month for ad-free, so a price adjustment seems likely for that streamer in the coming months.

It wouldn’t surprise me to see Paramount roll out a new sports-only streaming platform in the future. Now that the company owns the rights to the full NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, as well as MLB and NHL rights, United States soccer, All-Elite Wrestling, and more brought over from TNT Sports, it has a big enough lineup when combined with its own NFL, college football, and UFC rights to offer subscribers a sports-only subscription without streaming entertainment content.

What’s harder to determine is what will become of the smaller streamers in the Paramount and WBD arsenal. Paramount has pledged to keep Pluto TV or another free ad-supported streaming service for the next five years, so we know the company will continue to provide a free offering for the foreseeable future. Indeed, Pluto will probably get more content as a result of the merger, including more titles from WBD-owned cable channels.

But what about discovery+? Certainly, if HBO Max will cease to exist on its own app, there’s no reason to keep a separate app running for discovery+. I lean toward thinking it will continue to be available as a separate, cost-effective streaming plan in the larger WarnerMount ecosystem, but the question remains open, just as it does for streamers like CNN All Access.

Paramount has already shut down the BET+ streaming service, showing it doesn’t want to have a million tiny streaming platforms to keep track of. I can foresee a future where it only offers HBO Max and Paramount+, as well as Pluto TV and maybe the sports-only streamer I mentioned above.

I think viewers can expect Paramount to simplify its streaming offerings after taking over Warner Bros. Discovery. Viewers can expect the same content to be available overall, but it will likely be packaged differently as the company reevaluates which assets are best left on their own, and which should be combined with others. Cuts are also on the way, and viewers should expect price increases at both Paramount+ and HBO Max in the coming months.