DC Universe Ends Yearly Subscriptions

DC Universe has quietly ended its annual subscription package to users. A visit to the official DC Universe site quickly confirms that the $7.99 monthly rate for the streaming service is now the only package available. This move comes as the industry has been taking careful note of a lot of shifts in the DC Universe operating strategy – or rather, the slow decline of it. No official announcement from DC or Warner Bros. About why the change was made to the DC Universe subscription plan, but there have been a couple of recent markers that are now definitely worth a second look…

On June 30th DC Universe subscribers were offered the option of adding HBO Max to their service plan for an additional $4.99 a month – basically shaving off the regular price of HBO Max ($14.99/mo) by a substantial amount. While that offer looked like a kind benefit to offer loyal DCU users a wider berth of content, it could be argued that the move was also a great way to start the transition process of getting DC Universe subscribers moved over to HBO Max.

There have also been big content shifts between DC Universe and HBO Max as of late. The Stargirl series announced its season 2 renewal with the caveat that it is now airing on The CW weekly, and streaming completed seasons on HBO Max – bypassing DC Universe altogether. Doom Patrol aired its season 2 on HBO Max (where it’s been well-hyped) as well as DC Universe; DC’s Harley Quinn adult animated series is heading to HBO Max next month, and it wouldn’t be surprising to hear that flagship series Titans goes for season 3 on HBO Max. Classic DC films like the Batman movies and newer films like Birds of Prey are now being pushed to HBO Max as well, to fill out the service’s DC content lane. The writing seems to be on the wall…

DC Universe subscribers have been vocal in their concerns about where the service is headed. The transition seems easy to make in terms of TV / Movie content; all the “DC Universe Originals” could presumably get along even better in front of a wider HBO Max audience. However, the real loss fans point to is the massive library of DC Comics that have been digitized and offered as part of DC Universe’s service. AT&T and Time Warner Media no doubt have plans for that content, no matter what happens.

DC Universe is still currently available for $7.99 / month subscriptions, after a free trial.