Paramount Plus and Peacock could be the next streaming platforms to merge

What do you want to know

• Paramount Global and Comcast are in talks about a potential joint venture or partnership in the streaming industry.
• Comcast, known for its live sports broadcasts, and Paramount Plus could leverage their sports content to compete with collaborations like ESPN, Fox Sports and Warner Bros. Discovery.
• Paramount is facing financial challenges, as evidenced by recent layoffs and debt issues, highlighting the urgency for the company to reach a deal.

Paramount Global and Comcast are discussing a possible joint venture or partnership in the streaming sector, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The two companies have reportedly spoken about a possible streaming collaboration, which could lead to Paramount Plus and Peacock being bundled together as a bundle for subscribers (via Variety). This is just one of the strategic options being explored by Paramount, notes the WSJ.

The news comes about two months after Warner Bros. announced a possible merger. Discovery and Paramount, which could lead to the merger of Max and Paramount Plus, according to Axios. This made sense since Warner Bros. Discovery aims to be a content giant, and Paramount is bringing more content and a mix of popular broadcast and cable channels.

However, both of these services lag behind major streaming platforms like Netflix, Max, and Disney Plus in terms of total viewership. Their merger could reduce costs and offer consumers a more complete offering, particularly in terms of live sports content, as the WSJ points out.

Comcast has built a reputation for offering live sports programming, such as football and soccer games, and Paramount Plus recently broke audience records with the Super Bowl on Sunday. Leveraging their strength in sports could be a strategy to compete with powerful collaboration from ESPN, Fox Sports and Warner Bros. Discovery.

It is unclear whether Paramount and Warner Bros. are still in talks, but what has been evident in recent months is that Paramount, struggling with debt and having recently laid off hundreds of employees, urgently needs to reach a deal.

Comcast and Paramount appear to be in the very early stages of discussions, according to the report, and any details on how a merger between Paramount Plus and Peacock might work would be purely speculative at this time.

Android Central reached out to both companies for a statement, but they were unavailable at the time of this writing.

Rumors of negotiations reflect industry-wide attempts to find a way to make streaming more profitable, by tackling the high costs of running streaming services.