Data shows HBO Max and Discovery+ would make a formidable streaming player if combined
HBO Max
- The streaming search engine Reelgood provided an analysis of HBO Max and Discovery+'s content libraries.
- The two services are now under one roof after WarnerMedia and Discovery merged.
- A combined service would have the biggest TV library of any major platform.
WarnerMedia and Discovery completed their merger this month, forming the new company Warner Bros. Discovery.
The merger puts two major streaming services, HBO Max and Discovery+, under the same roof. It's expected that Warner Bros. Discovery will eventually combine the platforms for one mega streaming offering.
CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels confirmed as much last month, saying that a combined product would be a "a phenomenal consumer value proposition," but that the company would offer a bundle option first to get things rolling.
The streaming search engine Reelgood provided Insider with an analysis of the US content libraries of nine major streaming platforms as of April 11, including Max and Discovery+. The analysis shows what a combined product could be like.
Max has 2,586 movies available on the platform, while Discovery+ has just 417.
But what the latter lacks in movies it makes up for in TV shows. Discovery+ offers 2,139 total TV shows thanks to Discovery's vast library of unscripted content from Animal Planet, HGTV, Food Network, and more.
Max's TV library, which is comprised of 787 series, is smaller than most of its rivals. Services like Netflix, Hulu, and Prime Video have thousands of shows.
Combined, the two services would offer 2,926 TV shows, topping the current leader, Netflix. It would have 3,003 movies, the third most behind Prime Video and Netflix.
A combined service would be a formidable player in the streaming space.
Not only does Max have a robust movie library, it has the most "high-quality" movies of any of the major streamers, according to Reelgood. Reelgood defined "high quality" as any movie on the service that had a 7.5 score on IMDb or higher, which would include Warner Bros. films like "Dune" and "King Richard" that are currently on Max. Discovery+'s unscripted TV library would fill an area that Max could improve on.
HBO Max currently offers an ad-supported plan at $9.99 per month and an ad-free plan at $14.99 per month, making it one of the most expensive services. Discovery+'s ad-supported plan is $4.99 per month, while its ad-free plan is $6.99.
It's unclear what a combined service would cost, but bundling options for other platforms could provide an idea if Warner Bros. Discovery wants to be competitive in the space.
The Disney bundle — which includes Disney+, Hulu with ads, and ESPN+ — costs $13.99 per month. The company Paramount will offer a Paramount+ upgrade this year that is essentially an in-app bundle of Paramount+ and Showtime. It will cost $11.99 for the ad-supported version and $14.99 without ads.
Here's a recap of the HBO Max and Discovery+ content libraries in the US as of April 11, according to Reelgood:
Total movies:
- HBO Max — 2,586
- Discovery+ — 417
- Combined — 3,003
Total TV shows:
- HBO Max — 787
- Discovery+ — 2,139
- Combined — 2,926
This post was updated after Reelgood provided a new count of the number of TV shows on HBO Max.