The dust is still settling from the shocking news that Paramount Skydance had succeeded in buying Warner Bros. Discovery out from under Netflix, muscling the world’s largest streaming service out of the picture. While there is still much to be determined before the acquisition makes any substantive changes for the public, one of the questions that Paramount CEO David Ellison did answer right away was whether or not Paramount+ and HBO Max would be unified into the same platform. This week, Ellison reaffirmed that, for cost and redundancy reasons, the streamers would be merged once the purchase is finalized. However, while that question appears to be answered, we still don’t know how Paramount plans to integrate the HBO Max titles into the Paramount+ library. While there is currently unfolding precedent for how to handle this type of move, it seems likely that Paramount will choose to forge its own path, instead of following Disney’s blueprint for merging its streaming services.

The path of least resistance for Paramount as it considers its options with its streaming services, is to do what Disney is currently attempting. While the company plans to fully fold Hulu into Disney+ sometime this year, Disney has been taking steps to make the transition as painless as possible for a few years. The one major stumbling block to this route, should Paramount attempt to go that way, is that the Disney Bundle makes it almost a given that anyone who subscribes to Disney+ also subscribes to Hulu, and vice versa. Disney+ on its own is $12 per month, but with Hulu, it is $13. Conversely, Hulu’s cheapest subscription option is $10, as compared to the $13 bundle.

Currently, Paramount+’s base rate is $8 monthly, while HBO Max’s is $11. So, to mirror Disney’s pricing strategy, Paramount would need to package its streamers together for no more than $12. Would that price point be enough to satisfy shareholders who are looking at a $110 billion price tag they have to pay for? That remains to be seen.

The other thing that Disney has done ahead of completely merging the streamers is that for years now, specific Hulu titles have been available to stream on Disney+. Generally, these have either been Hulu-original shows and movies or titles that come from Disney-owned channels or studios. Additionally, for bundle subscribers, there is a Hulu tile built into Disney+ that allows them to access even more of the Hulu library than customers who only subscribe to Disney+.

While there are limitations to this due to licensing agreements, especially with the next-day streams of Fox TV shows, this has been a fairly effective soft launch to an eventual full integration of Disney’s two entertainment streaming services.

If Paramount were to make a similar move, it could begin by making HBO titles like “Euphoria,” “Game of Thrones,” “Hacks,” and others available on Paramount+ alongside “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy” and “Tulsa King.”

Then, as the technology is improved and readied for the added content and traffic, the full Warner Bros. Discovery library can be migrated to the service. There are clear benefits to choosing this option, including increased engagement and less friction for customers who won’t have to switch between apps to watch this content. But the question that is likely of most interest to consumers is whether or not HBO content will become an included part of a Paramount+ subscription — likely the Paramount+ Premium tier alongside the Showtime library — or if it will remain its own subscription, but will become accessible only via the Paramount+ platform.

This latter option would not only force customers to continue paying higher rates — although a bundled price would almost assuredly be introduced — but it would also require them to tap around more to find the titles they want to stream. While it might be the worst possible option for users, it lets Paramount continue to leverage the premium reputation of the HBO brand, while monetizing its library as much as possible. Watching HBO would still be a separate, more prestigious experience, even though it would live inside the Paramount+ app.

Ultimately, I think Paramount may decide to take a down-the-middle approach. Like Disney, it will probably continue to offer HBO Max and Paramount+ as separate subscriptions on the same app, instead of forcing customers to watch both if they only want one. It’s quite possible that Paramount stops there and tries to keep its general entertainment, such as next-day streams of CBS primetime shows, away from the prestige programming found on HBO Max.

However, if it does decide to merge the two libraries, a hybrid model seems to be in order. The importation of a selection of Warner Bros. movies that fit with Paramount Pictures titles makes a lot of sense, and let’s not forget, HBO Max is currently home to “Friends,” which would slide in quite naturally next to fellow 1990s sitcom “Frasier” in the Paramount+ library. And if Paramount+ wanted to take the plunge and go for a full integration, HBO’s prestige TV shows could be housed in a “Premium TV” tab with titles from Showtime.

One argument against any immediate integration of HBO Max content with Paramount+ is that doing so would likely require Paramount to raise prices on its streaming service. The problem here is that the streamer raised its prices in January, and upping the cost of a subscription twice in the same year would be a big ask for customers who have previously thought of Paramount+ as a value-conscious service.

Paramount will likely adopt many of the same tactics used by Disney to merge its streaming services together, but at this point, I believe that a standalone HBO Max subscription option will always be available, and a full integration of the HBO Max catalog with Paramount+’s is still a ways off — if it happens at all.