For anyone who hasn’t noticed, the streaming business is changing rapidly, andWarner Bros. Discoveryis eager to make up for the lost time. A new report confirms rumors that the company has plans to launch a free streaming alternative separate from HBO Max or Discovery Plus.
Only last week,Warner Bros. Discovery broke the news that it would keep the cheaper Discovery Plus as a standalone subscription, despite the long-termvision of merging it with HBO Max. In that first report, the company’s intention to break into free streaming was also teased, and it looks like that strategy is starting to take form.
RELATED:Why Is HBO’s The Last Of Us Less Violent Than The Video Game?
In its new in-depth coverage of the streaming landscape,Bloombergbroke down each streamer’s proposal to enter a new sector currently led by Fox’s Tubi, which happened to have its own confusing Super Bowl LVII ad. Warners' free ad-supported proposition would be called WBTV, which would go up against Tubi, Amazon’s IMDbTV, Paramount’s Pluto, and Comcast’s Xumo. Netflix is also said to be exploring ideas to offer another free ad-supported service after launching its Basic with Ads plans just a few months ago.
Another key point highlighted in the article is that companies seem to be backing down on releasing big-budget movies via streaming, a trend kickstarted due to the pandemic and Disney entering the streaming arena, but also one whose effects were arguably suffered by Pixar more than any other studio. The last point highlighted was the possibility of each studio or streamer’s walled gardens coming down, meaning that the likes of Disney, Amazon, and Paramount could be more open to selling streaming rights to some of their prized films in the future.
Whatever the outcome, don’t expectHBO Max to dropThe Last of Usepisodesor any of its premium content for free on WBTV.
