'Doom Patrol' season 2 will debut simultaneously on HBO Max and DC Universe in June
- "Doom Patrol" season two will debut simultaneously on HBO Max and DC Universe on June 25.
- It raises questions about the longevity of DC Universe, the fan-centric streaming service that launched in 2018.
- Some people close to the DCU service previously told Business Insider that they thought it wasn't a priority for parent company WarnerMedia as it prepared to launch HBO Max, its more expansive Netflix competitor.
- Some streaming experts also said they thought DCU would struggle to grow a subscriber base if WarnerMedia wasn't committed or if it lacked much exclusive content.
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The second season of "Doom Patrol," formerly a DC Universe exclusive, will debut on HBO Max and DCU on June 25, the services' parent company WarnerMedia announced on Wednesday.
The first season debuted last year on DC Universe, a fan-centric streaming service that launched in 2018 and includes a small batch of original TV shows based on DC Comics properties and a library of digital comics. Previously, HBO Max — WarnerMedia's more expansive streaming platform that launches May 27 — had announced that season two of "Doom Patrol" would also stream on the platform as a Max original. But it wasn't clear when it would be available, or if it would debut simultaneously on the two platforms.
During a Television Critics Association panel in January, HBO Max content chief Kevin Reilly said regarding HBO Max and DCU: "We have to figure out those two subscriptions and we haven't worked out the mechanics of what that's going to look like."
It seems the mechanics have been worked out regarding "Doom Patrol," as Wednesday's announcement said that season two episodes would air simultaneously on both platforms. A crew member who has worked on multiple DC Universe shows told Business Insider that HBO Max had been heavily involved in season two.
The move raises question about the longevity of DC Universe as a standalone service. Some former employees of Warner Bros. Digital Labs, the studio's product-focused division that works on WarnerMedia streaming services like DCU, previously told Business Insider that they felt DCU wasn't a priority for the company as it prepared to launch HBO Max. And high-profile DC projects like Green Lantern and Justice League Dark series are in development for HBO Max rather than DCU.
Some streaming experts also previously told Business Insider that they thought DCU would struggle to grow a subscriber base if parent company WarnerMedia wasn't committed to it and if it lacked much exclusive content.
"A lot of its content doesn't have an exclusive feel, which niche services need to secure long-term subscribers," said Richard Cooper, the research director at data company Ampere Analysis.
"Doom Patrol" isn't the only DC Universe series that's not exclusive to the service. "Stargirl" premieres Monday on DCU and will air the next day on the CW Network. The network also recently acquired the rights to season one of DCU's "Swamp Thing," which was abruptly canceled last year.