HBO’s future on Crave is uncertain as Paramount Skydance merges Warner Bros. Discovery

Canadians await HBO’s highly anticipated TV and streaming adaptation harry potterset to Premiere early next yearWill watch it on Crave in Canada.

But it’s unclear how long the Bell Media-owned streamer will keep exclusive rights, including HBO programming harry potter and series like white lotusas well as the upcoming final season the last of us And dragon house.

Paramount Skydance is set to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery — which owns HBO and its streaming service, HBO Max — in an acquisition worth $110 billion US (about $150 billion CDN), pending federal approval. expected to happen By the end of the year.

It’s unclear what this means for Warner Bros. Discovery’s existing deals with Canadian broadcasters and streamers, including Crave, or whether Canadian viewers will have to subscribe to another service to watch their favorite shows.

The deal could also have a broader impact on streaming in Canada.

Paramount’s subscription service, Paramount+, is already available in Canada, along with its free ad-supported TV (Fast) service, Pluto TV.

Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison has indicated that he wants to bring those platforms and HBO Max together into a single streaming service.

“We think this really positions us to compete with the leaders in this space,” Ellison said on a recent investor call. Guardian.

What about the shows you crave?

Crave has streamed HBO and HBO Max programming since signing a licensing agreement with the company’s former parent, then-AT&T-owned WarnerMedia. in 2019. there was a new deal killed in 2023 – A year after Discovery bought WarnerMedia to create Warner Bros. Discovery – and this happened Renewed and expanded in 2024.

Bell Media is trying to allay concerns that the deal could change any time soon.

“Crave remains the home of HBO and HBO Max programming in Canada for many years to come through a long-term agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery,” Bell Media spokesperson Nicole Stranges said in an email to CBC News on Thursday.

It is unclear when the current agreement will expire.

in statements to broadcast communication And hollywood reporter Earlier this week, Bell Media said its deal with Warner Bros. Discovery would see HBO and HBO Max programming on Crave “for the foreseeable future.”

Even if Paramount+ begins offering HBO content in Canada, it may not disappear from Crave entirely. For example, in the US, some HBO library titles – such as sex and the City And six feet Under – Also streamed on other platforms, including netflix.

Could this deal affect other Canadian streamers?

If Ellison attempts to put Pluto TV under a larger platform with Paramount+ and HBO Max, it’s unclear what it will mean for Corus Entertainment — Global TV’s parent company — the Canadian distributor of the free streamer.

Corus did not respond to questions before CBC News deadline.

Rogers Sports & Media struck a deal with Warner Bros. Discovery in 2024 to become the Canadian distributor for brands including HGTV, Food Network and Discovery. In addition to broadcasting those channels to cable subscribers, Rogers offers on-demand programming from those networks through its CityTV+ streaming service.

“We are proud to partner with these beloved brands – Discovery, Food Network, HGTV, Magnolia Network and Investigation Discovery (ID) – and to continue offering this great content to Canadian audiences,” a spokesperson for the company said in an email to CBC News on Thursday.