Warner Bros. Discovery Confirms Plan To Create Single, ‘Awesome’ Global Streaming Product

By Jon Lafayette
( Broadcasting & Cable )
published

Ad-supported and ad-free products will be part of the strategy, streaming head JB Perrette said

JB Perrette at Warner Bros. Discovery upfront 2022
JB Perrette on stage at the Warner Bros. Discovery upfront in New York. (Image credit: Getty Images for Warner Bros. Discovery)

HBO Max and Discovery Plus, brought together when Discovery acquired WarnerMedia, are still likely to be combined, the newly combined Warner Bros. Discovery told media buyers.

“In the not-too-distant future, we see a unique possibility to bring all these incredible stories and brands that shape culture, that delight, amaze and inform global consumers, and bring home these remarkable moments across all these genres, in one, awesome global streaming product,” JB Perrette, Warner Bros. Discovery’s head of global streaming, said at the company‘s upfront in New York Wednesday.

Chief financial officer Gunnar Wiedenfels described a similar plan to investors in March. After the upfront, Perrette told Broadcasting+Cable the company wasn’t ready to discuss a more exact timetable for bringing the services together.

Also: Warner Bros. Discovery Touts Content Portfolio Strength at Upfront Presentation

“The winners in the streaming business are those companies that can provide the biggest global consumer base with the greatest stories from brands that act as curators for clear and compelling propositions across a diverse set of genres that provide the broadest choice, and yet all delivered in a simple and personalized consumer experience that makes it easy to discover and enjoy,” Perrette told the upfront. “We believe that with the potential of HBO Max and Discovery Plus, we are uniquely positioned to do just that.”

The WBD upfront showed off its brands, including HBO, Harry Potter, Looney Tunes, Cartoon Network, CNN, Discovery, Food Network, HGTV, the Olympics and the NBA.

“While we're continuing to develop our strategic plans, we believe we can deliver all this goodness at a great value for consumers,” Perrette said.

Upfronts 2022: Click Here for Complete Coverage

WBD’s strategy will be to offer consumers both ad-free and ad-supported products at attractive prices. The Walt Disney Co. recently announced an ad-supported version of Disney Plus, and Netflix is working on its own tier with ads.

“One of the distinct advantages we have is that we were an early proponent of this model and have been in the market already with well-established, ad-light products,” Perrette said. ■ 

Jon Lafayette
Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.