Look, right now, it looks like Paramount is on pace to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, whether we like it or not. I’m not here to tell you whether the lawsuit with the State AGs led by Bonta will win and is justifiable for the block (just look at every analyst and legal expert who saw the filing and see how weak the suit really is).
What I can do is stay optimistic and think about how Paramount wants to monetize and synergize with its newly formed company, name pending. Of course, there are some overlapping businesses that they will need to figure out how to consolidate while maintaining a steady flow (good luck with morals).
More specifically, because Paramount under Skydance has been working behind the scenes to improve the functionalities of Paramount+ (which is using old CBS All Access UX design and infrastructure since 2019) and Pluto into one unit for better ad rates and usability (which is on track to finish by the end of the summer, per Paramount), how will it integrate HBO Max into the mix?
Here’s the thing: HBO Max’s and Paramount+’s user bases don’t mix from the start. Don’t even remind me of the struggles with HBO Max’s whole branding having an identity crisis with the whole Max thing. The problem is that on paper, people see HBO Max as the bigger service because of HBO alone. That’s it. In reality, fight me or not, Paramount+ is more diverse than HBO Max can ever wish I could be, especially after 2022.
If Paramount wants this new supercharged Paramount+ to be the ultimate Netflix competitor it aims to be, it needs to evaluate what it has now and capitalize on what’s missing elsewhere in the market. Even despite their promises for continued licensing.
Let’s break down Super P+ (as we’ll call it here):
What’s Good
CBS
Neither Paramount nor WB is truly in the CW business anymore, but everyone knows CBS has leverage in the broadcast TV world. It’s one of the NFL’s most important partners (despite what Wall Street says), and CBS shows directly compete with Netflix shows in the Nielsen ratings.
Is the 2026-27 lineup looking a little weak, yes. But so are NBC and ABC. Don’t get me started on FOX. CBS is the front runner to win the Broadcast TV race for the next few years. Their shows rate as much as Netflix’s biggest hit. One of them being Tracker, a coproduction with Disney’s 20th Television.
BET
Surprise, surprise. Not really. In my last post, I talked about how important BET has become for Paramount+ since BET+ content migrated from the honestly sparse streaming service that only served the niche audience that was the black community.
I’ll always support black artists, but being thrown in the BET+ corner and keeping the service around for 4 years longer than it truly needed to be (even during the potential sale rumors) to me seemed like a doomed path. Don’t get me wrong, BET+ had a huge community on Facebook that are loyal to the shows available on that service; then again, Paramount+ launched the service boasting BET yet it debuted The Game reboot in 2021, streaming alongside little to no modern BET content or promotion on its channels. Of course, it flopped hard and was written down to FAST services.
Seeing BET content thrive on Paramount+ is a blessing, and I continue to support Paramount as long as they slow down the current release strategy. Releasing 5 different seasons of ongoing series is truly a burnout for fans (see Marvel fans 2021-25).
HBO
It’s clear that HBO doesn’t need to change. HBO is HBO. Everybody wants to be like HBO. Even Paramount’s very own (Paramount+ with) Showtime. Where we stand as of right now, HBO is thriving as much as it did decades before. This isn’t to glaze over the brand HBO but an acknowledgment of how much impacts
What To Go After?
Originals
It’s no secret among insiders that Paramount wants to pivot more towards a female audience. With the success of the Sheridan universe of shows from the Yellowstone universe, Landman, Lioness, and Tulsa/NO King, it’s no surprise that Paramount has a big void to fill once Sheridan and 101 Studios move over to NBCUniversal to produce content for Peacock.
Sports
Paramount+ in the sports world is ok at best. Regional NFL on CBS games, all of the UFC minus the pay-per-view, all of the UEFA Champions League, plus many other soccer/collegic properties, including March Madness that they share with TNT Sports.
With the takeover and, most likely, merger of TNT Sports into CBS Sports, Paramount should continue to pursue maintaining good relations with the league partners at Turner WBD. Especially the MLB and the NHL, which both are looking at renegotiations starting in 2028.
Combined, both properties look to supercharge P+, making it even more compelling for sports fans.
Reality TV
Look, maybe some of our audience may grudge at this, that’s fine. Like what you want to watch. But hear me out. Discovery+ has been thriving, surprisingly, throughout the past few years, even being overshadowed by its bigger brother, HBO Max. The thing about Discovery+ is that it knows its audience, reality TV.
Paramount+ is doing ok at best with its lineup, with CBS classics like Big Brother, Survivor, and The Amazing Race, plus MTV’s The Challenge, which became a Paramount+ exclusive after moving away from the flagship network (which is going through some changes).
Integrating the Discovery network’s content, from HGTV, TLC, Food Network, among others will immediately make Super Paramount+ a leader in this realm by combining lifestyle and factual content with the competition shows CBS and MTV are known for. Especially with a lack of enthusiasm in the streaming space.
Kids & Family
Nickelodeon is doing its best in the new age of streaming. Its new content has been hit-or-miss in terms of popularity, but, of course, SpongeBob is its bread and butter. It outranks other kids’ content rated by Nielsen by miles, minus Bluey, of course.
But Cartoon Network, on the other hand, has been stuck for the past 3 years. Sure, new content has dropped, but they’ve mostly seen their productions sold and licensed to third-party streamers like Disney+/Hulu and Prime Video. That’s not to say Nickelodeon hasn’t done the same. Some of the past live-action series have been co-produced and co-released with Netflix on an international scale.
It’s very likely Paramount will continue to license kids’ content elsewhere, especially from the legacy CN and Nick libraries. But they should capitalize the newly acquired CN library on P+ to bring an even stronger presence on the kids and family front. Even though the new CN productions will likely never make their way onto P+ for the foreseeable future, at least they’re continuing to invest in both brands.
Price(y?)
Look, the economy is not great. I don’t need to lecture you on that. In the year of our lord 2026, consumer need to understand that you don’t need every single service at the same time to enjoy content. Make the most of what subscriptions you subscribe to and not accumulate so much.
Keeping that in mind, how much will this super service cost? Paramount+ is $8.99 with ads, $13.99 without. Both plans include most access to Paramount’s library of CBS, cable content, and movies, plus most live CBS Sports content like the NFL, UFC, and Champions League. Whereas HBO Max Standard with Ads is $10.99, Standard is $18.49, Premium is $22.99. Mostly with the most popular WB shows and movies and a small amount of sports, but mostly the HBO library.
With that in mind, my prediction for the price of Super P+ is $11.99 with ads and $23.99 without. The amount of content value Paramount is inheriting is large and honestly makes it more valuable than the price of Peacock Premium, which costs more than P+ and honestly gives less of a good value.
What About Licensing?
“While I can’t say that the merger will be a net-positive to Netflix, it will be interesting to see how long those goodwill intentions to continue to license actually play out,” said Kasey Moore at What’s on Netflix during our latest discussion. We couldn’t 100% tell how committed Paramount will really be at licensing elsewhere. For me, expect them to license just like Disney recently did for their FOX shows (albeit that deal was to get the Grey’s Anatomy library onto Disney+/Hulu). Maybe they’ll do the same for Yellowstone with Peacock? Or maybe sublicense Big Bang Theory and Friends (which WB spent over a billion on streaming rights to both).
But I digress, I’m not writing this to make it seem like everything is peachy when it’s not. Moral over the past year for Paramount has been weary, especially since the Bari Weiss takeover of CBS News. But, the value in the merger is still there, whether Bonta realizes this or not. That’s for him and the Avengers to figure that out.
