What the Paramount-Warner deal means for you: Will OSN streaming price go up?

Dubai: Paramount Skydance completed its takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery on Tuesday, October 6, ending a bidding war that lasted more than a year. The deal is worth around $111 billion (about Dh408 billion), including debt. The combined company is now called Skydance.

So what does it mean for viewers in the UAE, from what you stream at home to what you watch in cinemas?

The battle for Warner Bros. took several turns. In December 2025, Netflix agreed to buy Warner Bros.' film studios and streaming business, including HBO and HBO Max, for around $83 billion (about Dh305 billion).

Days later, Paramount Skydance, led by CEO David Ellison, launched a hostile bid for the whole company. It eventually raised its all-cash offer to $31 (about Dh114) per share. Warner Bros. Discovery's board backed Paramount in late February 2026, after Netflix declined to raise its own offer.

The US Department of Justice approved the merger in June. The last hurdle was cleared last week, when a federal judge approved a settlement with a group of US states that had sued to block the deal.

Skydance now controls some of the biggest names in entertainment.

On the film side, that includes Warner Bros. Pictures and Paramount Pictures, along with franchises such as Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings and DC Comics. In television, it owns HBO, CBS, CNN, MTV, Comedy Central, Discovery, TLC, Food Network and HGTV. It also runs two streaming services, HBO Max and Paramount+.

The company will be led by co-CEOs David Ellison and Ynon Kreiz, the former CEO of Mattel. HBO chief Casey Bloys is expected to oversee the combined streaming business.

In the US, Skydance has confirmed that HBO Max and Paramount+ will be combined into a single streaming service. No timeline has been given, and the new service has not been named.

Here, things work differently. HBO content isn't available in the UAE through HBO Max. Instead, Dubai-based OSN holds an exclusive multi-year deal to show HBO programming on OSN+ and OSNtv across the Middle East and North Africa. That covers current shows such as House of the Dragon and The Last of Us, as well as older series like The Sopranos and Succession.

Warner Bros. Discovery also bought a 30 per cent stake in OSN Streaming in March 2025, for a reported $57 million (about Dh209 million). That stake now belongs to Skydance.

Skydance has not announced pricing for its combined service. In the US, both Paramount+ and HBO Max have raised their prices over the past year, and analysts expect a merged service to cost more than either one alone.

In the UAE, HBO shows stream on OSN+, which sets its own prices. Any change for subscribers here would depend on OSN's licensing arrangement with Skydance.

Gulf News contacted OSN to ask whether streaming prices could rise because of the merger.

"OSN has a longstanding strategic relationship with Warner Bros. Discovery, supported by multi-year agreements that remain unchanged following the completion of the transaction," a spokesperson said. "Our content pipeline continues as planned, and we remain focused on delivering strong value to OSN+ customers through a premium, carefully curated entertainment offering that brings together leading global and regional content."

OSN has not announced any price increases.

For moviegoers, the merger means one company now controls two of Hollywood's biggest film slates.

As part of the deal, Paramount Skydance committed to releasing at least 30 theatrical films a year across both studios. Those releases are distributed internationally, including in UAE cinemas.

Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi on Yas Island is developed and operated by Miral under a licensing agreement with Warner Bros. No changes to the park have been announced as a result of the merger.

Skydance is now focused on combining the two businesses, and more details on its streaming plans are expected in the coming weeks.

As part of last week's settlement, the company agreed to set up a five-member independent board to oversee editorial standards at CBS News and CNN. The court also made clear that Skydance could be forced to sell studios and cable channels if it fails to comply with the settlement.