Oh good, ViacomCBS is launching another streaming service

Let’s see, where are we at with the streaming wars? Netflix is out there killing it, of course, with tens of millions of subscribers built up over the last decade. Disney+ just came out and racked up a lot of subscribers very quickly, while Apple TV+ landing with less of a splash. Very soon, NBCUniversal and WarnerMedia will toss their hats into the ring with Peacock and HBO Max respectively.

Obviously, this is a good time to announce yet another streaming service, right? The latest, unnamed service is coming from ViacomCBS, a company that came into existence late last year after a merger. ‘But wait,’ you ask, ‘doesn’t CBS already have a streaming service?’ Yes they do: CBS All Access, home to shows like Star Trek: Picard. According to CNBC, the new service will build on CBS All Access, also bringing in content from Pluto TV, Nickelodeon, BET, MTV, Comedy Central and Paramount Pictures.

Although it’s not entirely clear — we’ll learn more after the company’s fourth quarter earnings call on February 20 — it sounds like the new service (let’s just call it ViacomCBS All Access until we’re corrected) will subsume CBS All Access. After all, why keep that service around if the new one has everything it offers? Then again, apparently ViacomCBS plans to keep around smaller, specialized services like BET+ and Noggin, a pre-schooler-focused streaming service, so maybe not.

Please just roll these smaller services into the bigger one, ViacomCBS. Keeping track of everything is getting ridiculous.

Anyway, the best information right now is that the service will probably cost less than $10 a month, with ads. There will also be an ad-free version, as well as a premium version that includes Showtime.

Speaking of streaming services that should probably subsume other platforms, Variety reports that WarnerMedia is putting together a new film label, Warner Max, to make eight-to-10 mid-budget films per year for HBO Max, which launches in May. “We are going to deliver a collaborative and lean process for talent, make a range of quality films, and provide a platform for each of them to have cultural impact,” said HBO Max chief content officer Kevin Reilly. “Now, HBO Max will be home to a robust collection of the legendary Warner Bros. film library and a new slate of original WarnerMax films.”

Warner Bros. Pictures Group chairman Toby Emmerich also weighed in:

"[W]e’re committed to creating dynamic and compelling films that draw on the depth and scope of the creative resources across WarnerMedia. We’re excited to help make HBO Max a destination for both film-lovers and the creative community, while delivering a win across the entire WarnerMedia organization."

The whole HBO Max thing would make more sense to me if WarnerMedia were rolling HBO Now or Go into it, but apparently those are still gonna be around. Things are gonna get messy before they make sense. At least there will be a lot of good stuff to watch, if we can find it.

To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.

Watch Game of Thrones for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels

h/t Deadline