Paramount Skydance has acquired Warner Bros. Discovery, potentially leading to a merger of HBO Max and Paramount+
Bell Media's current deal for HBO content on Crave is uncertain beyond the 'foreseeable future'
Rogers Sports and Media has signed a deal with WBD for Canadian rights to popular channels like HGTV and Food Network
The acquisition could accelerate U.S. streaming giants' dominance in the Canadian market
Canadian broadcasters face challenges amid cord-cutting and changing viewing habits
📖 Full Retelling
Paramount Skydance, owner of Paramount+, has won a bidding war to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, home to HBO Max, in a deal that could reshape Canada's television landscape as early as 2025, with Paramount's David Ellison already discussing the potential merger of HBO Max and Paramount+ into a single streaming service that would challenge Canadian broadcasters who currently rely on U.S. content to drive profits. The acquisition represents a major turning point in the fast-evolving Canadian TV market where local private broadcasters have traditionally depended on American imports to attract viewers and generate revenue. Bell Media currently holds a multiyear program supply agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery that allows it to feature HBO and HBO Max programming on its homegrown Crave streaming platform, but with the impending change in ownership, the future of this crucial content partnership remains uncertain. 'In addition to the best entertainment, news, and select sports storytelling in Canada, Crave remains home of HBO and HBO Max programming in Canada through a long-term deal with Warner Bros. Discovery for the foreseeable future,' Bell Media stated carefully, avoiding any commitment beyond the current agreement without indicating how long it will last.
🏷️ Themes
Media Consolidation, Streaming Wars, Canadian Broadcasting, Cross-border Media Dominance
Paramount Skydance Corporation (doing business as Paramount) is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate. The company is headquartered at the Paramount Pictures lot in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, with multiple of Paramount's divisions and subsidi...
Bell Media Inc. (French: Bell Média inc.) is a Canadian media conglomerate that is the mass media subsidiary of BCE Inc. (formerly known as Bell Canada Enterprises, the owner of telecommunications company Bell Canada).
HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service, a proprietary unit of Warner Bros. Streaming on behalf of Home Box Office, Inc., which is itself owned by Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) through its Streaming & Studios division.
Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment How Canadians view HBO programming — and much else in the future battle for TV eyeballs north of the U.S. border — is up for grabs after Paramount Skydance, owner of Paramount+, won a bidding war to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, home to HBO Max. Paramount’s David Ellison has talked about merging HBO Max and Paramount+ into one streaming service after completing the WBD acquisition. That prospect, set to mark a major turning point for a fast-evolving Canadian TV landscape, could see local private broadcasters dependent on American imports to drive profits even more sidelined as U.S. streaming giants like Netflix, Prime Video and Disney+ increase their cross-border dominance. Related Stories Business Trump Bought Netflix Debt Amid Paramount's Fight for Warner Bros. Business S&P Puts Paramount on Negative Credit Watch Looking to keep pace, HBO Max and Comcast’s Peacock chose to license their content to local broadcasters and digital platforms, rather than go direct to Canadians with their U.S.-based digital platforms. That had local media player Bell Media signing a multiyear program supply agreement with WBD for HBO Max and HBO fare to feature on its homegrown Crave streaming platform. But with WBD headed to Paramount post-merger, Bell Media will face a far different terrain on which to renew its supply agreement to keep HBO Max series on Crave. That deal was struck in May 2023 and last renewed in Oct. 2024. “In addition to the best entertainment, news, and select sports storytelling in Canada, Crave remains home of HBO and HBO Max programming in Canada through a long-term deal with Warner Bros. Discovery for the foreseeable future,” Bell Media said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, without indicating how long the current supply agr...
