Mario Tama/Getty Images News/Getty ImagesCorporate mergers often seem removed from what’s available on our streaming services, but changes do eventually trickle down to the consumer and the stories they love. Disney’s purchase of Fox, for example, paved the way for the X-Men to be introduced to the MCU, while the 2021 merger of Warner Bros. and Discovery saw movies like Batgirl get unceremoniously abandoned. Now, an unusually dramatic merger might save you a little money, but at the possible cost of creative freedom. When Warner Bros. Discovery signaled that it was for sale, only two serious competitors emerged: Netflix and Paramount. Netflix seemed like the leading choice, and as a streaming-first company, a legacy studio like Warner Bros. would have been a major feather in its portfolio. However, Paramount CEO David Ellison announced a massive, last-second bid that Netflix couldn’t match, and Paramount emerged triumphant. Paramount is certainly the more controversial choice. In 2025, the company attempted to merge with Skydance, only for it to appear that the FCC would block the deal while President Donald Trump remained involved in a lawsuit against Paramount subsidiary CBS. However, Paramount settled the case out of court and has been cozying up to the administration ever since, hiring right-wing pundit Bari Weiss to lead CBS’s reporting and canceling The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, to Trump’s personal approval. David Ellison’s Paramount will merge with Warner Bros. Discovery. | Matt Baron/BEI/ShutterstockAssuming this new service actually creates anything worth watching, however, there will be one bright spot to the merger. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ellison revealed in an investor call that Paramount+ and HBO Max would merge into a single streaming service, meaning viewers won’t have to pay two subscription fees. Something similar happened when WB merged with Discovery, as everything on the Discovery+ platform was brought onto HBO Max. After this latest merger, everything from MILF Manor to The Last of Us will be under the same service, and while there may very well be a price hike coming, it should still be cheaper than the sum of its parts. During the call, Ellison also reassured investors that HBO would remain independent. “Our viewpoint is HBO should stay HBO,” he said. “They built a phenomenal brand. They are a leader in the space, and we just want them to continue doing more of it.” Still, it’s hard to believe that Paramount’s new conservative direction won’t creep into HBO’s future. HBO allowed Nathan Fielder to dedicate a Rehearsal subplot to calling out Paramount for removing an episode of Nathan for You by portraying the company as the Third Reich. It’s also the service where John Oliver leads Last Week Tonight, which offers perhaps the most in-depth criticism of the Trump administration that’s currently airing. Will that continue under new management? They seem to say yes, but corporate actions can speak a lot louder than words.