Streaming in October 2026 is defined by the merger that closed this month: Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery combined into a single company called Skydance on October 6, 2026, under chairman and CEO David Ellison, but the two services you actually use — HBO Max and Paramount+ — did not combine and did not change price as a result of that deal.
The merger's close reshapes who owns what in Hollywood more than it changes what's in your queue today. What has changed for subscribers is a wave of price increases and one app shutdown, plus a solid slate of new October premieres across Netflix, Peacock, and HBO Max. Here's what moved, what it costs now, and what to actually watch this month.
Table of Contents
- What the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger actually changed
- Which streaming prices just went up
- What happened to BET+
- What's new to watch this month
- What to do if you're deciding where to subscribe
- Frequently Asked Questions
What the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger actually changed
The $110 billion merger closed October 6, 2026, after a federal judge approved a settlement resolving an antitrust lawsuit brought by California and eleven other states. That settlement imposes a five-year consent decree requiring the newly combined Skydance to negotiate pay-TV carriage deals as though Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery were still separate companies — a direct response to antitrust regulators' concerns about one company controlling too much negotiating leverage over cable and satellite providers. For streaming viewers, the practical result is narrower than the headline suggests. HBO Max and Paramount+ remain separate apps with separate logins, separate libraries, and separate subscriptions.
Nothing about your existing account changed on October 6. The merger consolidated ownership and corporate leadership, not the viewing experience. Executives have floated the idea of eventually combining Paramount+ and HBO Max, or at least bundling them, but no such move has happened. Casey Bloys, who now oversees both services' streaming operations, has not committed to either a bundle or a full merger of the two apps. Subscribers should plan around keeping both subscriptions separately priced for the foreseeable future rather than waiting for a combined service.
Which streaming prices just went up
Discovery+ raised its U.S. prices on October 13, 2026, one week after the Skydance takeover closed. The ad-supported tier rose $1 to $6.99 a month, and the ad-free tier rose $2 to $11.99 a month. Existing subscribers get 30 days' notice before the new billing takes effect, so a current subscriber won't see the higher charge appear instantly.
Peacock raised prices across every plan back on August 18, 2026 — its fourth increase in four years. Select moved to $8.99 a month, Premium With Ads to $12.99, and Premium Plus to $19.99. That hike came shortly after NBCUniversal reported Peacock's first-ever profitable quarter, suggesting the service used its new profitability as cover to close the gap with pricier competitors rather than to hold the line. Netflix moved earlier in the year: its March 2026 increase left the cheapest ad-supported tier at $8.99 a month, now matching Peacock's entry price exactly, and its top ad-free tier at $26.99 a month — about $7 above Peacock's most expensive plan. Tom's Guide's pricing breakdown shows the two services now compete head-to-head at the entry level while Netflix charges a steep premium at the top end.
- Discovery+ ad-supported: $6.99/month (up $1, effective Oct. 13)
- Discovery+ ad-free: $11.99/month (up $2, effective Oct. 13)
- Peacock Select: $8.99/month (since Aug. 18)
- Peacock Premium With Ads: $12.99/month (since Aug. 18)
- Peacock Premium Plus: $19.99/month (since Aug. 18)
What happened to BET+
BET+ no longer exists as its own app. Paramount bought out Tyler Perry Studios' roughly 25% stake in the service and shut the standalone app down on July 22, 2026.
The library — more than 1,000 hours of content — moved into a "BET Hub" inside Paramount+, and subscribers who lost access to the standalone app were offered a discounted Paramount+ plan as a transition. If you were a BET+ subscriber and haven't logged into Paramount+ yet, the content didn't disappear; it just moved behind a different login. Check whether your discounted transition offer is still active before paying full price for a new Paramount+ subscription.
What's new to watch this month
Three notable films hit three different services within the same October window. Ben Affleck's thriller "Animals" premiered on Netflix on October 9. The same day, Steven Spielberg's "Disclosure Day" premiered on Peacock.
Both titles landed on the same release date on competing platforms, giving subscribers of either service a reason to check in that week. Later in the month, Olivia Wilde's "The Invite" premiered on HBO Max on October 23. TV Insider's October streaming guide lists it alongside the Affleck and Spielberg titles as the month's three biggest streaming-exclusive film premieres, each anchoring a different major platform rather than clustering on one.
- "Animals" (Netflix) — premiered October 9
- "Disclosure Day" (Peacock) — premiered October 9
- "The Invite" (HBO Max) — premiered October 23
What to do if you're deciding where to subscribe
With HBO Max and Paramount+ staying separate and no bundle confirmed yet, budget for both as independent costs if you want access to each library. Factor the Discovery+ increase in immediately if you're on that service, since the 30-day notice window means the new rate is already working its way to current subscribers' bills.
For BET+ content specifically, check your Paramount+ account for the BET Hub before assuming you need a separate subscription — the content is there, just relocated. And if price is the deciding factor between Netflix and Peacock, note that their entry-level ad-supported tiers are now identical at $8.99 a month, so the difference comes down to each service's library rather than cost at that tier.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger combine HBO Max and Paramount+ into one app?
No. The companies merged into Skydance on October 6, 2026, but HBO Max and Paramount+ continue operating as separate streaming services with no confirmed plan to combine them yet.
Is BET+ still available as its own app?
No. Paramount shut down the standalone BET+ app on July 22, 2026, and moved its library into a "BET Hub" inside Paramount+.
Why did Discovery+ raise its prices right after the merger closed?
Discovery+ raised prices on October 13, 2026, one week after the Skydance takeover closed, though the reported reason given was a standard pricing adjustment rather than a merger-specific charge.