Canadians eagerly anticipating the debut of HBO’s highly awaited television and streaming adaptation of the beloved “Harry Potter” series, scheduled to launch early next year, will be able to enjoy it on Crave in Canada. The future of Crave’s exclusive rights to HBO content, including “Harry Potter,” “The White Lotus,” and upcoming seasons of “The Last of Us” and “House of the Dragon,” is uncertain due to Paramount Skydance’s impending acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of HBO and HBO Max, in a $110 billion US deal, expected to receive federal approval by year-end.
The impact of this acquisition on existing agreements between Warner Bros. Discovery and Canadian broadcasters like Crave remains unclear, raising questions about whether Canadian viewers will need to subscribe to a different service to access their favorite shows. Paramount+, Paramount Skydance’s subscription service, is already accessible in Canada, along with its free ad-supported TV (FAST) service, Pluto TV. Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison has expressed interest in merging these platforms with HBO Max into a unified streaming service to enhance competitiveness in the industry.
Crave has been streaming HBO and HBO Max content since reaching a licensing agreement with Warner Media in 2019, with subsequent renewals and expansions post-Warner Media’s acquisition by Discovery in 2023. Bell Media, the parent company of Crave, reassures audiences that they will continue to enjoy HBO and HBO Max content through a long-term deal with Warner Bros. Discovery, emphasizing stability for the foreseeable future. While the specifics of the current agreement’s expiration date remain undisclosed, Bell Media has affirmed its commitment to offering HBO and HBO Max programming on Crave in the foreseeable future.
In the event that Paramount+ begins offering HBO content in Canada, it may not entirely vanish from Crave, as seen in the U.S. where certain HBO library titles have been available on multiple platforms simultaneously. The potential integration of Pluto TV, Paramount+, and HBO Max into a single service could impact Corus Entertainment, the distributor of Pluto TV in Canada, and other Canadian streamers such as Rogers Sports & Media, which secured a deal with Warner Bros. Discovery in 2024 to distribute brands like HGTV, Food Network, and Discovery in Canada.
The evolving landscape of streaming services in Canada, driven by corporate acquisitions and strategic decisions, poses uncertainties for viewers and industry players alike. The outcome of these developments will shape the future of content distribution and viewer experiences in the Canadian entertainment market.