Waiting for the branding geniuses to call it Paramount+ with SHOWTIME and HBO Max.

I thought part of the name change was so that the HBO brand wasn't tarnished by all the other crap (ie: Discovery shows) they were putting on the service?

And the company will get $50 million for coming up with it

How about PAST MAX?

I'm sure McKinsey sold them a some stupid reason why they show change the name to Max and then sold them the idea, they should go back to HBO Max. I really don't get how companies like McKinsey can exist. They get paid a ton of money for their insight and analysis and every analysis is the same. If you lay off people, you save money and booster your numbers in the short term. The short term part they leave out, but that's what happens.

Yes this guy loves movies and the industry. He’s cashing out and making his vacation plans

Ted Turner is still alive. Maybe he'd like to get TCM back and keep it alive with Spielberg, Scorsese and friends.

So my annual P+ sub comes up for renewal in a few days but now that they are merging with HBO, I am not sure what to do. I may just let it lapse and see what happens. My HBO Max annual sub ends soon as well.

Any thoughts or recommendations?

I imagine that Paramount Plus and HBO Max don't actually merge for a couple years. Much like Disney's approach when they picked up rival streamers.

It still has some hurdles ahead like getting government approval. If this goes through minimum sometime in 2027. And the merging of the services still won’t happen for awhile after that. I think you’re safe signing up another calendar year.

Paramount+ doesn't charge extra for 4K or at least it's included at a lowered tier. HBO Max gouges for 4K. As stated will the new service be pricey on every package.

I always figured they were cover for the execs who know what they want to do but can then blame the outcome on the consulting companies. Or it's paying off their buddies. Or they're just really really dumb but can keep their jobs by moving chairs around the table.

Management consultants exist for one reason - so company executives have someone external to blame when things go bad or the wrong decision is made. They serve as fall guys.

Take it from someone who once worked for Andersen Consulting.

Showtime, Paramount And Max?

Wonderful SPAM!*



*(with HBO)

Got this email the other day. Damn. Remember when streaming was cheap?

Yes, that sounds expensive. But in the bigger picture that is a little less than $20/month. Basically about the price of 1 BD or 4K disc a month, instead it's all you can watch.

I passed on 4K for HBO Max because to me it's not really worth the extra cost.

Yeah, it is not bad on its own but it isn't like Spotify where it is all encompassing. Then you have to supplement with various other streaming services to get possibly everything you want. And all of them are going up too.

I used to do annual subs only, but I am getting to the point where I may just start subscribing to one, exhaust it for a few months and then just move to the next one. Unfortunately, that kills a lot of impulse movie watches if it isn't showing on that channel at the moment.

Why compare it to Spotify? Music is a completely different product. I used to love how easy it was to rip CDs. And you could theoretically consume music every minute of your day while you go about doing other things.

As with everything, we have to make choices, like right now I'm paying for Apple TV and Hulu but not Disney.

I have the Disney+/Hulu/Max Commercial Free Bundle. I pay $32.99 a month and Max is only in HD, but it's cheaper than paying $20 for Max.

I keep wondering if/when HBO Max and Paramount merge streaming will it be same as their separate prices added together, a little less, or exceptionally more. I suspect it will be high.

Well, if there's any "good news," it's that this likely won't happen until 2028, so hopefully current pricing for both services will be frozen until they merge. Hopefully.