Following its $110 billion merger with Warner Bros Discovery, Paramount Skydance has already moved to make changes that will hit consumers.
One of the first initiatives is to charge more for Discovery+, raising prices on both the ad-supported and ad-free options.
Here's what to know
According to The A.V. Club, Discovery+ now costs $6.99 a month with ads and $11.99 without them, reflecting increases of $1 and $2, respectively. People who subscribe now will pay those rates right away, while existing customers have about a month before the change reaches their bills.
The timing links the controversial merger almost directly to a higher monthly charge for Discovery+ subscribers, as the outlet noted.
Subscribers use Discovery+ for programming from HGTV, Food Network, TLC, ID, Discovery, Animal Planet, and Magnolia Network, including the 90 Day Fiancé franchise as well as Deadliest Catch and Sin City Rehab.
Discovery+ has long functioned as a lower-cost add-on for comfort viewing and reality TV, and the increase lands alongside several other subscriptions in the same household budget. HBO Max also includes most of Discovery's offerings, making the Discovery+ subscription increasingly niche. The news was mostly met with mockery in The A.V. Club's comments section.
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"Time to cancel my non-existent Discovery+ membership," a user quipped.
More background
With roughly $80 billion in post-merger debt, the newly combined company is already prompting worries that Discovery+ could be only the first place where customers are asked to shoulder the cost, The A.V. Club reported.
That could eventually put other Skydance-linked streaming services, such as Paramount+ and HBO Max, in line for increases if the company presses for more revenue.
The outlet said the increase fits a familiar pattern in media, where companies take on enormous debt in pursuit of scale, then charge viewers more to keep access to the shows and channels they already had.
The A.V. Club reported David Ellison, Skydance's CEO, sent a company-wide memo outlining four priorities for the new empire: "Win in storytelling," "Become the most technologically capable media company," "Lead in a crowded market," and "Win trust every day."
That also drew snark from commenters on The A.V. Club.
"Wow, he spent all of five minutes writing those," a user quipped.
What can be done?
Existing Discovery+ subscribers have about a month to decide whether the service's HGTV, TLC, Food Network, and Discovery lineup is still worth the added monthly expense.
Anyone signing up now has no such buffer, since the higher rates apply immediately. Viewers interested in the network's franchises now have to make that choice at $6.99 or $11.99 per month instead of the previous prices.
On the company's side, the clearest motive so far is revenue after the closing of the merger.
"Skydance stock has dropped in the last two weeks, their credit rating has been downgraded, and they're stuck with a lot of junk debt," a commenter explained. "They need cash fast."
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