Barely two months after word emerged of a possible Max and Paramount+ merger, it appears the latter has a new suitor.
According to a new Wall Street Journal report, the parent company of Paramount+ recently met with Peacock owner Comcast about teaming up.
The discussions have centered around “joining forces in streaming through a partnership or joint venture,” with the Comcast talks “among several potential strategic options” that Paramount Global “is pursuing,” the Journal reports.
The talks appear to be in the earliest of stages, and the specifics of how a Paramount+ and Peacock merger might work—would it be a Disney+/Hulu-type thing, or more how Paramount+ absorbed Showtime?–would be pure speculation at this point.
Besides, it was only back in December that we learned the CEOs of Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery had mulled a separate merger between Paramount+ and Max.
It’s not clear if Paramount and Warners are still talking, but it has been clear in recent months that the debt-ridden Paramount Global—which just laid off 800 employees and shuttered Noggin, a streaming service for tykes–needs to cut some kind of deal, and fast.
The great streaming consolidation has been going on for some time now. We’ve already seen Max merge with Discovery+, not to mention Disney+’s “one app” experience with Hulu. And Paramount+ itself has more or less absorbed Showtime.
Meanwhile, Disney, Warner Bros., and Fox are plotting a streaming sports bundle that threatens to upend the streaming landscape (although there’s now word that the U.S. Department of Justice wants to pick over the deal).
So, what would happen if Paramount+ merger with Peacock—or with Max, for that matter?
Again, it’s way too early to predict how a Paramount+ combo with Peacock or Max would look, but it would almost certainly involve price hikes.
The priciest Paramount+ plan (including Showtime) still only costs $11.99 a month, the same price as Peacock’s Premium Plus plan.
Those are attractive prices considering that Netflix and Max are (for their 4K streaming plans) are heading into $20/month territory. The ad-free Disney+ and Hulu duo costs $20 a month, too.
But once Paramount+ merges with (fill in the blank), it’s relatively affordable subscription rates will be history.
