The economics of Discovery+ justify continuing as a standalone streamer after the launch of its unified HBO Max offering, says WBD CEO David Zaslav, “Why would it be discontinued?”

The motivation to continue offering Discovery+ as a standalone streaming service after a combined offering with HBO Max, which debuts later this spring, is largely financial, says Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav. Discovery.

The announcement of the decision, which broke earlier this month, followed months in which executives announced their efforts to “harmonize” HBO Max and Discovery+ into a single outlet with an improved user interface and more efficient operations. However, pricing has been an emerging issue, with Discovery+ currently priced at $5 and $7 per month and HBO Max at $10 and $16.

“Cheer is very low and it’s profitable,” Zaslav said on the company’s quarterly conference call about Discovery+. “Many of these people will want to upgrade to a larger product that is more robust and has a longer range. … Our strategy is: ‘Leave no submarine behind.’ We have profitable subscribers who are very satisfied with the Discovery+ Plus product offering. Why should we close it?”

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Since WarnerMedia and Discovery merged last spring, copious amounts of Discovery fare have been featured on the HBO Max home screen. To weave together fancy script titles like The White Lotus and Warner Bros films that love the lifestyle and unscripted Deadliest catch And 90 day fiance remains something of a work in progress. The company hasn’t revealed detailed plans for integrating the two services, but it does promise updates on pricing, content, branding and other aspects during a press event on April 12.

During the conversation, Zaslav emphasized how different the viewership is on Discovery+ compared to HBO Max. Discovery+ is watched a lot — “hours a day” — but “passively,” he said, and mostly “during the day or on the edge.” HBO Max, on the other hand, is more likely to be watched by families in the evenings.

Like its traditional media peers, WBD has published virtually no empirical data on streaming viewership. Even subscriber counts are now aggregated into a single, composite measure, including linear subscribers from HBO.

Zaslav’s comments came after the company presented a mixed fourth-quarter report, with results that fell short of Wall Street expectations in many categories, but streaming showed progress and smaller losses. Free cash flow beats guidance, and the company insists it beats its own projections for the profitability and reach of its streaming portfolio through 2025.