Watch HBO Shows for Free? Warner Bros. Discovery Says It’s Exploring No-Cost, Ad-Supported Streaming Option

variety.com:

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorWarner Bros. Discovery is looking to pull a FAST one — telling investors the company is mulling the launch of a free, ad-supported TV (FAST) service stocked with content from its portfolio of brands to complement its premium subscription biz.The first strategic priority on the streaming side of the house is to merge HBO Max and Discovery+ into a single platform.

That’s slated to hit first in the U.S. in the summer of 2023, the company said Thursday, although WBD did not reveal what it would be called or what it would cost.Warner Bros.

Discovery chief David Zaslav, on the Q2 earnings call, said that once the integrated subscription VOD service is “firmly established in the market, we see real potential and are exploring the opportunity for a FAST, or free ad-supported streaming [TV], offering that would give consumers who do not want to pay a subscription fee access to great library content.” The potential FAST service also would act as an “entry point” to upsell consumers on the paid HBO Max-Discovery+ combo, he added.

It’s possible such a FAST service will include some HBO programming. But to be clear, you wouldn’t get anything like the full complement of HBO original series for free.The content in Warner Bros.