Discovery+ will remain as a standalone streaming platform after all

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Over the last several months, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) has been working to smush
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and
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together into a single, giant streaming service, which is expected to
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. However, it seems the company has rethought its strategy, as Discovery+ is sticking around as a standalone platform.

"Our plan for the enhanced platform that will bring together HBO Max and Discovery+ content remains unchanged," WBD spokesperson Jeff Cusson told Engadget. "In addition, we have decided to keep the lower-priced offering of Discovery+ in the US marketplace."


According to
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, which first reported the news, executives were concerned that a sizable number of the current 20 million Discovery+ subscribers may not be willing to pay a higher price for a service that features HBO Max content. It doesn't seem that there are plans to keep HBO Max as a standalone app as well. As such, folks who want to watch shows like
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and Succession without a cable subscription may need to pay more for a service that combines HBO Max content and most of the offerings from Discovery+.

Discovery+ costs $5 per month with ads or $7 to go ad-free, while the ad-supported version of HBO Max costs $10 per month (or $16 without ads). The upcoming service is expected to be pricier than HBO Max.

The report suggests the new service and Discovery+ will feature Shark Week content and lifestyle shows from the Magnolia Network. Other programming will be available on both platforms.

Discovery+ has low operating costs and is turning a profit, according to the Journal's sources. However, WBD is cutting billions in costs since it
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as a result of a merger between WarnerMedia and Discovery. The company has been
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from HBO Max and canceling streaming-exclusive projects, reportedly in favor of
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.

Meanwhile, the report suggests that WBD is gearing up to roll out its own free, ad-supported (FAST) service with streaming channels that feature content from across the portfolio. This move makes sense, as the company recently
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to offer an array of FAST channels featuring shows like Westworld and The Nevers, which it
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.

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