DC Universe is no longer offering yearly subscriptions. Since its inception a few years ago, DC Universe was considered the one-stop-shop for all things DC. Having a DC Universe membership allowed fans to read comics online while having a plethora of live-action and animated TV shows available to stream. Unfortunately, DC Universe hasn't been as big of a success as Warner Bros. had likely hoped.
DC Universe was a unique streaming service as it offered more than just movies and TV shows, but the lack of original content has been a big issue for the website. The service has no doubt had some successful series like Titans and Doom Patrol, but it hasn't been enough to keep DC Universe as successful as other streaming giants like Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+. The service has also no doubt lost viewers to HBO Max, which has also boasted an impressive collection of DC content. The fate of DC Universe has remained unclear for quite some time, and now people's options for subscriptions have become limited.
DC Universe no longer allows fans to subscribe for a whole year. Instead, the website now only has the option for a monthly subscription priced at $7.99 before tax. Fans could previously subscribe to the streaming service for $74.99 per year, which would save viewers around $20, but that option is no longer available on the site.
As mentioned above, HBO Max has caused some big competition for DC Universe, despite them both being owned by WarneraMedia. HBO has used DC movies and TV shows to attract fans to their streaming service, and have even managed to take some of DC Universe's original series. Doom Patrol was originally a DC Universe exclusive, but season 2 was available on HBO Max when the series returned last month. The animated Harley Quinn series is also coming to HBO Max, with other "exclusive" shows like Stargirl also airing on the CW. While spreading out DC Universe's content between different services and networks has been a big help to fans, it diminishes the number of people who will shell out extra money for a DC Universe subscription.
Even though comic readership spiked by 35% on DC Universe back in May, it may not be enough to save the streaming service. Taking away the option to subscribe for a full year is a big red flag, as it indicates that DC Universe may not be around this time next year. It hasn't been confirmed that DC Universe is merging with HBO Max just yet, but that seems to be a huge possibility, especially after DC Universe started offering a discount to HBO Max to its subscribers. It's possible that DC Universe could stay afloat as a hub for DC comics while letting HBO Max handle exclusive movies and TV shows, but for now, the fate of DC Universe will remain unclear.
Source: DC Universe