Key Highlights
- On Paramount+ and HBO, he said, “there are more than 200 million [direct-to-consumer] subscribers today, and more than 100 countries and territories worldwide, positioning us to compete effectively with the leading streaming services in today’s marketplace.” Related Stories News "HBO Should Stay HBO": David Ellison Vouches For Network's Post-Merger Independence News Paramount President Jeff Shell Absent From WBD Merger Call With Wall Street Analysts Amid Legal Probe Netflix said in January it ended 2025 with 325 million global subscribers.
- While Ellison’s estimate of the combined Paramount+ and HBO Max footprint is accurate, it is a de-duplicated figure that does not take into account the overlap of subscribers to both services.
- Watch on Deadline Another wrinkle, as AT&T discovered after acquiring Time Warner and trying to mount a major streaming initiative, is the linear distribution agreements at HBO.
- While the linear base is diminishing due to cord-cutting, the premium network is still offered by pay-TV providers, so new negotiations would have to be completed in order to explore all streaming options.
- After merging Skydance with Paramount, Ellison, the tech-friendly son of Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison, has steered an effort to blend the tech stacks of free, ad-supported Pluto TV, Paramount+ and BET+.
