iWorld
Discovery Plus, HBO Max to merge into one streaming service
Mumbai: Discovery, which is expected to close its acquisition of WarnerMedia in the second quarter of 2022, confirmed its plans to combine its streaming service Discovery Plus and WarnerMedia’s HBO Max into one service rather than offer the two platforms as a bundle.
Discovery chief financial officer Gunnar Weidenfels who addressed the Deutsche Bank 30th Annual Media, Internet and Telecom Conference said that Discovery is making preparations to combine the two streaming services. But before they are combined, the first step of integration will be some form of bundling as the company figures out the best way to merge the two platforms.
On 11 March, Discovery Inc stockholders approved various matters relating to the acquisition of WarnerMedia from AT&T to create Warner Bros-Discovery Inc. The transaction will bring together WarnerMedia’s entertainment, sports and new assets with Discovery’s non-fiction, international entertainment, and sports business.
Direct-to-consumer service Discovery Plus had 22 million subscribers, while HBO Max had 73.8 million subscribers at the end of 2021.
Gaming
Sony raises PS5 prices for second time in under a year
US disc edition jumps $100 to $649.99 as memory costs surge.
MUMBAI: Sony just hit the pause button on affordable gaming because when memory prices skyrocket, even the Playstation has to pay the premium. Sony has announced its second price increase for the Playstation 5 range in less than a year, citing pressures in the global economic landscape and a sharp rise in memory component costs driven by AI demand.
In the US, the PS5 disc edition will rise from $549.99 to $649.99, a $100 hike while the digital edition increases to $599.99. The more powerful PS5 Pro will jump $150 to $899.99. The Playstation Portal remote player will also rise by $50 to $249.99. The new prices take effect on 2 April 2026.
Similar increases have been applied in the UK (£90 per model), Europe and Japan. Sony last raised PS5 prices in the US in August 2025.
“We know that price changes impact our community, and after careful evaluation, we found this was a necessary step to ensure we can continue delivering innovative, high-quality gaming experiences to players worldwide,” Sony said in a blog post.
The hikes come amid an unprecedented surge in memory prices, as manufacturers prioritise supply for AI data centres. Analysts say Sony had likely secured price protections for components that have now expired, forcing the company to protect its hardware margins.
Ampere Analysis research director of games Piers Harding-Rolls told CNBC that further increases from Microsoft and Nintendo would not be surprising, though Nintendo may hesitate to raise the price of its recently launched Switch 2 while establishing the new platform.
The increases arrive eight months before the highly anticipated release of GTA 6, which is expected to drive strong console sales. However, early reactions online have been a mix of disappointment and resignation, with growing concern that premium gaming is increasingly becoming a hobby for higher-income players.
In a sector already grappling with tariffs, inflation and component shortages, Sony’s move underscores a tough reality: even the most popular consoles are not immune to the rising cost of keeping up with the latest technology.
