Paramount is holding talks with multiple suitors with a view to merging its Paramount+ streaming service with an existing platform.
CNBC reported Paramount executives were having active discussions with both media and tech company executives with a view to whether a structure could be established that would enable Paramount+ to be merged with another platform and be co-owned.
It’s thought that a merger between Max and Paramount+ could strengthen both platforms and allow them to better compete with Netflix and Disney. The latter offers a suite of platforms that in the United States encompasses Disney+, Hulu and ESPN.
In Europe, such a move would have implications for SkyShowtime, the streaming joint venture between Paramount and Comcast.
Warner Bros. Discovery held preliminary merger talks for the entire Paramount Global business earlier this year, but did not proceed.
Talks earlier this year with Comcast’s NBCUniversal to merge Paramount+ into Peacock also failed to progress.
Should Paramount strike a deal there would instantly be pressure on the remaining players to make an agreement of their own. Super aggregators have already made their own decision with a series of offers that bundle the top streaming platforms for a subscriber discount.
