Warner Bros. Discovery is set to shut down its standalone discovery+ streaming service in India, ending the platform’s direct-to-consumer operations in the market.
New subscriptions to discovery+ in India have been stopped as of September 3, 2026, with the app and website scheduled to discontinue operations on November 3.
Existing subscribers will retain access based on their current billing cycles, with different arrangements applying to monthly and annual customers.
For monthly subscribers, automatic renewals will stop on October 3. Customers will continue to use Discovery+ until the end of their existing billing period, after which their access will end.
Annual subscribers whose current subscription periods expire between October 3 and November 3 will also retain access until their existing plans end. These subscriptions will not be renewed.
Customers whose annual subscriptions extend beyond November 3 will receive a pro-rated refund covering the unused portion of their remaining subscription.
The company has not disclosed what will happen to Discovery+ content in India after the standalone service closes. It is also unclear whether the content will move to another platform or be made available through a different distribution arrangement.
The decision comes as major media companies continue to reassess their streaming businesses, with greater emphasis on consolidating platforms, managing costs and determining how best to package and distribute content.
Warner Bros. Discovery has been undergoing broader strategic changes amid a proposed US$110 billion acquisition by Paramount Skydance. If completed, the transaction would bring together major entertainment assets from both companies and could significantly reshape their streaming operations.
Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison has previously indicated that Paramount+ and HBO Max could ultimately be combined into a single streaming offering.
At the same time, Warner Bros. Discovery has been operating under interim merger-related restrictions that limit certain major strategic decisions while allowing the company to continue normal activities, including licensing arrangements and partnerships.
The closure of Discovery+ in India therefore comes at a significant point for Warner Bros. Discovery as the company reassesses its global streaming strategy.
Discovery+ launched as a standalone service offering factual, lifestyle, documentary and entertainment programming from the company’s extensive portfolio. Its withdrawal from India highlights the growing shift away from maintaining separate streaming platforms in every market.
For Indian subscribers, the immediate impact will be losing access to the standalone discovery+ service once the relevant subscription periods expire. The company has yet to provide details on whether its programming will remain available through another service or distribution partner in the country.
The November 3 shutdown will formally mark the end of discovery+ as a standalone streaming platform in India, while its future content distribution in the market remains to be determined.
