While Disney+ Charges More, Warner Bros. Reportedly Gearing Up to Offer Free Streaming Service

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Godzilla, Batman, and Harry Potter

Credit: Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. could be poised to give Disney+ some serious competition.

disney-plus-losing-subscribers

Former Disney CEO Bob Chapek put a lot of faith and focus into Disney+. The streaming service took precedence over many other things at the Walt Disney Company, and he was determined to turn a profit from the new idea. While it seems current and returned CEO Bob Iger is confident that Disney+ will be profitable soon, there may be yet another competitor drawing away subscribers soon.

bob chapek disney plus
Credit: Disney

Related: James Gunn Angers Warner Bros. Leadership Over Recent Remarks

When it comes to producing entertainment, there is arguably no corporation larger than Disney, but they don’t quite have a monopoly on the industry yet. For years, Warner Bros. has held out as another option, producing some of the most well-loved and culturally significant films in western culture for decades. Now it looks like fans of their content may soon be able to access it all in one place!

Dobby in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Credit: Warner Bros.

Disney+ changed the streaming landscape forever. For years Netflix held the field, offering content from Disney, Warner Bros., Universal, and practically every other studio, making it a one-stop-shop for audiences. Disney+ arrived, and soon all their content had been removed from Netflix, and soon, other companies followed. Within a few short years, viewers saw things like Discovery+, Paramount+, Peacock, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video and others. The time of paying one small fee for access to content from every studio was over, and it became almost like paying for cable or satellite again.

Dustin, Mike and Max at school in Stranger Things Season 4
Credit: Netflix

Warner Bros. seems to be looking to make another significant change to streaming. According to a recent report from Bloomberg, covered by The Direct, Warner Bros. Discovery is in the process of developing its own streaming service for free! Though ad-supported, this service would host all their content under the name WBTV and will offer another alternative to Disney+, which has an ad tier that subscribers still have to pay for.

Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin in 'The Batman' (2022)
Credit: Warner Bros./DC Studios

This new service would also deal a significant blow to HBO Max, which currently carries many of Warner Bros. Discovery’s popular titles, like the Harry Potter franchise, Peacemaker (which is currently the highest-rated DC content), and the bulk of their DC Studios and DC comics related content. While HBO Max would still have its originals, without Warner Bros. Discovery content, they would have much much less to draw in subscribers. Since the streaming service is owned by Warner Bros., it begs the question: will they continue with the service?

General Zod fighting Supergirl
Credit: DC/Warner Bros. Discovery

Related: DC Director Reveals New Information After Warner Bros. Pulls ‘The Flash’

These plans are all still very early in the process, so viewers shouldn’t cancel their subscriptions just yet. It will be interesting, however, to see how a free, ad-supported streaming service from such a popular entity as Warner Bros. Discovery will change the face of streaming. If it’s a success, it could force the hand of services like Netflix and Disney+, but if not, it may end up that WBTV begins charging for their service as well.

What do you think about a Warner Bros. streaming service? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments below!

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