HBO Max and Paramount+ Will Become One Streaming Service: What Subscribers Need to Know
Short answer (as of October 7, 2026): HBO Max and Paramount+ are going to be combined into one streaming service, but nothing changes for subscribers yet. Skydance, the company formed when Paramount closed its purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, said its streaming products “will unify into a single service over time.” It has not announced a launch date, a name or a price for the combined service.
- Both apps keep running separately for now. Your plan, price and login stay the same until HBO Max, Paramount+ or your TV provider tells you otherwise.
- A bundle is likely to come first. Skydance CEO David Ellison said the two services will be “operated separately” in the near term, with “things like bundling” possible “in the relatively short term.” He gave no price or date.
- DIRECTV customers: DIRECTV hasn’t announced any changes to its HBO Max or Paramount+ with SHOWTIME add-ons. Both are still sold separately, and both are still included in the PREMIER package.
Below you’ll find what’s confirmed and what isn’t, what you pay today, and a checklist for each way people get these services. Questions about premium channels on DIRECTV? Call American TV at 1-855-690-9884.
What we know vs. what hasn’t been announced
| Question | Status as of Oct. 7, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Will HBO Max and Paramount+ become one service? | Confirmed. Skydance’s Oct. 6 closing announcement says its streaming products “will unify into a single service over time.” |
| When will the combined service launch? | Not announced. Ellison: “It’ll take a period of time to do that.” |
| What will it be called? | Not announced. |
| How much will it cost? | Not announced. No plans, tiers or prices have been released. |
| Will there be an HBO Max + Paramount+ bundle first? | Expected, but no details. Ellison said bundling could come “in the relatively short term” and added, “I can’t be specific about that yet today.” |
| Does anything change with my current subscription? | No changes announced. Both services keep operating separately for now. |
| What happens to annual plans, profiles and watch history? | Not announced. |
| Will DIRECTV’s HBO Max and Paramount+ with SHOWTIME add-ons change? | No changes announced by DIRECTV. |
| Who runs the two services? | Casey Bloys, longtime head of HBO, is now co-chair and chief content officer of Skydance’s streaming division, overseeing both HBO Max and Paramount+. |
One more detail: Skydance’s statement refers to its “direct-to-consumer streaming products” as a group. It doesn’t list each service by name, so it hasn’t said exactly which apps will be folded in or whether any brand names will survive.
What you pay today (benchmark before anything changes)
Write down what you pay now so you can compare it with whatever bundle or combined plan Skydance announces. These are list prices before tax, checked on each company’s own site on October 7, 2026:
| Service and plan | Price as of Oct. 7, 2026 |
|---|---|
| HBO Max Basic with Ads (direct) | $10.99/mo. or $109.99/yr. |
| HBO Max Standard (direct) | $18.49/mo. or $184.99/yr. |
| HBO Max Premium (direct) | $22.99/mo. or $229.99/yr. |
| Paramount+ Essential (direct, with ads) | $8.99/mo. |
| Paramount+ Premium (direct, includes SHOWTIME) | $13.99/mo. |
| HBO Max add-on through DIRECTV | $18.49/mo. (current rate after any promo) |
| Paramount+ with SHOWTIME add-on through DIRECTV | $13.99/mo. (current rate after any promo) |
That works out to $19.98 a month for both ad-supported plans bought directly (HBO Max Basic with Ads plus Paramount+ Essential), and $32.48 a month for HBO Max Standard plus Paramount+ Premium. Use those numbers to judge whether any future bundle actually saves you money.
Subscriber checklist: what to do based on how you pay
If you pay HBO Max or Paramount+ directly
- Don’t cancel because of this news. Nothing has been announced that ends either app or changes its price.
- Write down your plan and renewal date. In HBO Max, open your profile (or Settings on a TV) and choose Subscription to see your plan and who bills you.
- Think twice before locking in a new annual plan. Neither company has said how annual subscribers would move to a combined service. Staying on monthly billing keeps your options open.
- Trust only official notices. Any change will show up in the app, your account page or an email from the service. Sign in directly instead of clicking “migration” links in unexpected emails.
- Done with Paramount+ either way? Here’s how to cancel a Paramount+ subscription.
If you get HBO Max as a DIRECTV add-on
- DIRECTV says the add-on includes the HBO channels (starting at channel 501), HBO On Demand and the HBO Max app, which you sign into with your DIRECTV login. The current rate is $18.49 a month. DIRECTV is advertising the first 2 months free when you add it, after which it renews at the regular rate.
- Your billing runs through DIRECTV, so any future changes to how HBO Max is packaged should come from DIRECTV. DIRECTV allows one HBO Max account per DIRECTV account holder.
- Not sure where the channels are? See what channel HBO Max is on DIRECTV.
If you get Paramount+ with SHOWTIME as a DIRECTV add-on
- DIRECTV says the add-on includes the Paramount+ with SHOWTIME channels (starting at channel 545), On Demand and access to the Paramount+ Premium plan in the Paramount+ app. The current rate is $13.99 a month. DIRECTV is advertising $6.99 a month for the first 3 months.
- Check for double billing. If you also pay Paramount+ directly, DIRECTV says you must cancel that subscription and then either sign up with a different email address or wait until your billing cycle ends and link your DIRECTV login at paramountplus.com/link.
- Paramount+ app access through DIRECTV requires CBS to be part of your DIRECTV subscription. Wondering about commercials? See whether Paramount+ has ads on DIRECTV.
If you have DIRECTV PREMIER or the MyEntertainment Genre Pack
- PREMIER: DIRECTV includes HBO Max, Paramount+ with SHOWTIME, STARZ and Cinemax in the package. You don’t need to do anything. Just don’t keep paying for the same services directly.
- MyEntertainment ($42.99/mo. plus tax): DIRECTV lists Disney+, the Hulu bundle and HBO Max Basic With Ads as included. Paramount+ isn’t part of the pack, and it isn’t on DIRECTV’s current list of premium add-ons for Genre Packs either. Compare the pack in our MyEntertainment vs. Sling Blue vs. Philo guide.
- For the full list of premiums you can add, see DIRECTV premium channel add-ons.
If HBO Max or Paramount+ comes through another provider or bundle
- The HBO Max help center lists billing partners including Amazon Appstore, Cox, Prime Video Channels, Roku, Samsung, Xfinity and Xumo, plus the Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max Bundle. If one of these bills you, any change to your plan should come from that company.
- Do the same check for Paramount+: open your account page and see who bills you. Then you’ll know where an official notice would come from.
- No third-party bundle changes tied to the combination had been announced as of October 7, 2026.
Want HBO, SHOWTIME, CBS and your other channels in one guide on one bill? Call 1-855-690-9884 to compare DIRECTV packages at your address.
Things that are reported, not confirmed
- Tech first, product later. Ellison said Skydance has already moved Paramount+, BET+ and Pluto TV onto shared technology and wants to do the same with the newly acquired services “as quickly as possible.” Deadline, citing unnamed sources, reports that this tech work is expected to take about a year. Skydance hasn’t tied that to a launch date for a combined app.
- Plans can change. After the 2022 WarnerMedia–Discovery merger, the company dropped its plan to fold Discovery+ into Max and later brought back the HBO Max name. Treat any launch timeline you see as unofficial until Skydance announces one.
For the bigger picture on the merger itself, including the court settlement, carriage rules for TV providers and DIRECTV channel numbers for CBS, CNN and TNT, see our guide to what the Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery merger means for TV customers.
Frequently asked questions
Are HBO Max and Paramount+ merging into one app?
Yes, eventually. Skydance said on October 6, 2026 that its streaming services will unify into a single service over time. It hasn’t announced a launch date, name or price, and both apps keep operating separately for now.
Do I need to cancel HBO Max or Paramount+ now?
No. No changes to existing subscriptions have been announced. Keep the service you watch, note your plan and renewal date, and wait for official pricing before changing anything.
Will the combined service cost more?
Pricing hasn’t been announced. As of October 7, 2026, HBO Max starts at $10.99 a month and Paramount+ at $8.99 a month when bought directly, so both ad-supported plans together cost $19.98 a month.
What happens to HBO Max and Paramount+ on DIRECTV?
DIRECTV hasn’t announced any changes. As of October 7, 2026, HBO Max ($18.49/mo.) and Paramount+ with SHOWTIME ($13.99/mo.) are still separate add-ons, both are included in PREMIER, and MyEntertainment includes HBO Max Basic With Ads.
Is there an HBO Max and Paramount+ bundle yet?
Not yet. Skydance’s CEO said bundling could come in the relatively short term but didn’t give details. Until a bundle launches, each service is billed separately.
Questions about adding HBO Max or Paramount+ with SHOWTIME to a DIRECTV package? Call American TV at 1-855-690-9884.
Details reviewed October 7, 2026 (ET). Based on Skydance’s October 6, 2026 closing announcement and coverage from Broadband TV News, Deadline and Variety. Prices are list prices checked October 7, 2026 on the HBO Max help center, the Paramount+ plan page and DIRECTV’s premium channel and Genre Pack pages; promotions, prices and package contents are set by each provider and may change. Launch timing, name and pricing for a combined service had not been announced as of this date. HBO, HBO Max, Paramount+, SHOWTIME, Skydance, DIRECTV and related marks belong to their respective owners. American TV is an independent dealer and resource site.