Canadians eagerly awaiting the debut of HBO’s upcoming adaptation of the beloved series Harry Potter will be able to catch it on Crave in Canada when it premieres early next year. The exclusive rights to HBO programming, which includes popular shows like The White Lotus and upcoming seasons of The Last of Us and House of the Dragon, currently belong to Bell Media’s Crave.
However, the future of these rights is uncertain as Paramount Skydance is in the process of acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of HBO and HBO Max, in a deal valued at $110 billion US. This acquisition is pending federal approval expected by the end of the year, raising questions about existing deals with Canadian broadcasters like Crave and the potential need for viewers to subscribe to another service in the future.
The implications of this deal extend beyond just HBO content, as Paramount’s streaming service, Paramount+, and its free ad-supported TV service, Pluto TV, are already available in Canada. Paramount Skydance’s CEO has expressed interest in merging these platforms with HBO Max into a single streaming service to enhance competitiveness in the market.
Despite the potential changes, Bell Media reassures viewers that their long-term deal with Warner Bros. Discovery secures Crave as the home of HBO and HBO Max programming in Canada for the foreseeable future. While the specifics of the current agreement’s expiration date remain unclear, Bell Media aims to continue offering the popular content to Canadian audiences.
If Paramount+ introduces HBO content in Canada, it may not necessarily mean the complete removal of the content from Crave, as seen in the U.S. where certain HBO library titles have been available on multiple platforms. The future integration of Pluto TV, Paramount+, and HBO Max could also impact other Canadian streamers like Corus Entertainment, the distributor of Pluto TV in Canada.
Rogers Sports & Media, another Canadian distributor, has a partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery to broadcast brands like HGTV and Food Network, offering on-demand content through its Citytv+ streaming service. As the landscape of streaming services evolves in Canada, the impact of these corporate acquisitions and mergers on viewers and distributors remains to be seen.