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There is no ethical consumption of HBO’s Harry Potter series

2026-03-29T16:15:27-04:00

In the coming years, HBO wants its new Harry Potter series to become "the streaming event of the decade" as it adapts each of the franchise's seven original books. The show could very well become a hit that captures the imaginations of a new generation of fans who weren't there for the first wave of Pottermania that intensified with the releases of each book and Warner Bros.' subsequent film adaptations. And if this Harry Potter is a success, it could give author J.K. Rowling a reason to consider writing more stories set in the magical world that turned her into a billionaire.

But all of that hinges on whether people will actually watch HBO …

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HBO Max and Paramount Plus could become one streamer

2026-03-02T11:21:09-05:00

Now that Paramount Skydance has become the frontrunner to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, CEO David Ellison wants the two studios' streaming services to become one.

During a call with investors on Monday, Paramount Skydance head David Ellison insisted that, if his deal to acquire the entirety of Warner Bros. Discovery for about $110 billion receives the necessary regulatory approvals, he plans to merge Paramount Plus and HBO Max. Ellison noted that combining the services together would give Paramount Skydance "a little over 200 million direct to consumer subscribers," but he insisted that the company would want the HBO brand to "operate with in …

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Warner Bros. Discovery agrees to $110 billion Paramount merger

2026-02-27T16:53:28-05:00

Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Skydance's merger agreement is now official. On Friday, the two companies announced plans to merge into a massive media company that will fold WBD's studio, linear channels, streaming service, and gaming segment into Paramount.

Though WBD initially signed onto an $83 billion agreement to merge part of Warner Bros. with Netflix, Paramount persisted with a hostile takeover bid, followed by a series of offers. That persistence paid off, as WBD determined that Paramount's "best and final" offer is "superior" to Netflix's deal. On Thursday, Netflix declined to match Paramount's bid, calling it "no longer fina …

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Netflix walks away from its deal to buy Warner Bros. after Paramount came back with a better offer

2026-02-27T18:24:05-05:00

Netflix has dropped its $83 billion deal to acquire the Warner Bros. studio, HBO, and its streaming service HBO Max. In an announcement on Thursday, co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters say the streamer is "declining to match" the new bid made by Paramount:

The transaction we negotiated would have created shareholder value with a clear path to regulatory approval. However, we've always been disciplined, and at the price required to match Paramount Skydance's latest offer, the deal is no longer financially attractive, so we are declining to match the Paramount Skydance bid.

We believe we would have been strong stewards of Warner Bros.' i …

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HBO Max’s password-sharing crackdown is going global

2026-02-26T11:16:37-05:00

HBO Max's password-sharing crackdown is going to get a lot bigger. During an earnings call on Thursday, Warner Bros. Discovery streaming head JB Perrette said a global expansion "will start in 2026," as reported earlier by The Wrap.

Warner Bros. Discovery has ramped up its paid sharing initiative in the US over the past year, introducing "more aggressive" prompts in August that push people toward paying an extra $7.99 per month to add another user to their account. Now that HBO Max has launched in several European countries and Latin America, with rollouts planned in the UK, Ireland, and the Asia-Pacific, the streamer likely sees more oppor …

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The Pitt has a sharp take on AI

2026-02-19T18:09:26-05:00

Each episode of HBO's The Pitt features some degree of medical trauma that almost makes the hospital drama feel like a horror series. Some patients are dealing with gnarly lacerations while others are fighting off vicious blood infections that could rob them of their limbs, and the chaos of working in an emergency room often leaves The Pitt's central characters shaken. But as alarming as many of The Pitt's more gore-forward moments can be, what's even more unsettling is the show's slow-burning subplot about hospitals adopting generative artificial intelligence.

In its second season, The Pitt once again chronicles all the events that happen …

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HBO Max is finally launching in the UK next month

2026-02-09T07:37:16-05:00

Warner Bros. Discovery has announced that streaming service HBO Max will make its long-awaited debut in the UK and Ireland on March 26th, having previously promised that a launch would happen in early 2026. Until now, most HBO content has been exclusively available in the UK through Sky or the streaming service Now TV.

In the UK, the cheapest tier, Basic with Ads, will cost £4.99 per month, with Standard with Ads for £5.99. The standard plan without ads will cost £9.99, and the Premium plan will be £14.99. There'll be changes for TNT Sports customers too, who from March 26 will access their sports content through HBO Max, rather than throug …

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HBO is turning Baldur’s Gate into a TV show

2026-02-06T12:29:32-05:00

HBO is developing a Baldur's Gate TV show that will continue the story of Larian Studios' hit RPG Baldur's Gate 3, according to Deadline. The Last Of Us co-creator Craig Mazin will serve as the show's creator, writer, executive producer, and showrunner.

While it's set to feature new protagonists, the plan is for existing characters from the game to return, and Mazin plans to reach out to cast members from Baldur's Gate 3 with "ideas for them to participate in the TV adaptation and ways that would make that possible," Deadline says. (I hope the whole main cast returns because they're all so great.)

It's unclear when this new Baldur's Gate s …

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Game of Thrones shows its playful side in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

2026-01-15T13:38:50-05:00

Though House of the Dragon tells a different story than Game of Thrones, there are enough tonal similarities to make the spinoff feel more like a remix of its predecessor than a show with its own distinct voice. That's part of what made it a little hard to get excited when HBO first announced that it was producing yet another Game of Thrones prequel focused on digging into the annals of Westeros' bloody history. But unlike House of the Dragon, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms takes a unique and very refreshing approach to fleshing out the details of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire books. It even has a sense of humor.

At just six e …

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Paramount sues after Warner Bros. Discovery rejects its latest deal

2026-01-12T12:19:34-05:00

Paramount is turning up the pressure on Warner Bros. Discovery in the wake of its merger with Netflix, as it's now suing the David Zaslav-helmed company in an attempt to get more details surrounding the agreement. In addition to the lawsuit, Paramount CEO David Ellison revealed that the company plans to nominate directors to WBD's board to vote against its deal with Netflix.

After fielding offers from a range of companies, including Paramount, WBD settled on a deal with Netflix, which will acquire the company's studio, HBO, and HBO Max for $82.7 billion. But Paramount isn't taking no for an answer; the company launched a $108.4 billion host …

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