HBO Max to take on Apple TV+ in May 2020 [u]
Mikey Campbell
An already competitive streaming video field will get even more crowded in mid 2020, as AT&T's WarnerMedia plans to debut its awaited HBO Max service in May for $14.99 a month, executives said on Tuesday.
Announced at a special event held on the Warner Brothers Studio lot in Burbank, Calif., the launch of HBO Max is an important milestone for AT&T, which pumped some $134 billion of investments and acquisitions into a merger involving Time Warner and DirecTV.
U.S. customers will get first crack at HBO Max and its initial offering of 10,000 hours of content, reports CNBC. The service costs $14.99 a month and is free for HBO Now subscribers and AT&T customers, reports Engadget. An ad-supported version of the service is scheduled to hit market in 2021, with executives aiming to hit 75 to 90 million worldwide subscribers by 2025.
Along with a slew of movies, many from Warner's vast archives, HBO Max will feature HBO original series like "The Wire," content from the DC universe, Sesame Street and shows from AT&T subsidiaries Cartoon Network, CNN and Crunchyroll, among others. The service will also be the exclusive home "Friends" after AT&T pulls the sitcom from Netflix in the coming months.
HBO is working on a slate of 88 new series in 2021, including projects from Ridley Scott according to Recode's Peter Kafka.
To help set HBO Max apart from the crowd, AT&T intends to invest between $1.5 billion to $2 billion in content next year, with an additional $1 billion earmarked for 2021 and 2022, reports Reuters. The outlay compares to a reported $6 billion in funds Apple is infusing into Apple TV+ originals and a far cry from the $15 billion Netflix designated for 2019 operations.
When it launches in May, HBO Max will face stiff competition from industry stalwarts Netflix and Amazon, as well as upstarts Apple TV+ and Disney+. Apple's streaming product goes live on Friday with a handful of original movies, series and specials.
Update: Pricing details added.
William Gallagher
Andrew O'Hara
Mike Wuerthele
13 Comments
Can someone explain the difference between HBO Now and HBO Max? Is it going to have more exclusive content that HBO Go/Tv channel won't have?
Yeah I’ll pass on that one. Disney, and Apple TV+ is enough for me. Already have Amazon, Netflix and CBS.
am i wrong in assuming that in the states it is cheaper to get a package of channels for one price as opposed to multiple monthly subscriptions? obviously no if you just want hbo, but if you want hbo, disney, and three more at $15 a month for $75 before nextflix and apple tv (if that is your fancy) is that more expensive than a cable package with hbo and disney?
Please stop trying to claim Apple TV+ is a competitor to any studio like Disney or HBO. Apple TV+ is competing with networks like CBS All access at best.