HBO Max: Everything to Know About WarnerMedia’s Streaming Service

WarnerMedia is moving into the already crowded streaming service market this May with HBO Max. The new streaming platform will combine titles from across the Warner Bros. film and TV library as well as introduce original films and series, but it will have to compete with established services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime, as well as CBS All Access, Disney+, Apple TV+, Quibi, and NBCUniversal’s Peacock.

So, how will HBO Max set itself apart? Let’s take a look at everything we know so far about this upcoming service, including its launch date, pricing, and what originals and library titles it will have to offer subscribers.

Jump to: HBO Max Information | HBO Max Originals | Streaming Library

HBO Max arrives in May 2020. WarnerMedia will launch HBO Max on Wednesday, May 27. The tagline for the service will be “Where HBO meets so much more” as a nod to its inclusion of both HBO and non-HBO titles.

It will cost $14.99 per month. That means an HBO Max subscription will cost quite a bit more per month than competitors Disney+ ($6.99), Apple TV+ ($4.99), and Netflix ($12.99).

AT&T customers with HBO subscriptions won’t have to pay extra. AT&T is offering HBO Max at no additional charge to the roughly 10 million HBO subscribers already on its distribution platforms. Meanwhile, HBO Now users who subscribe directly to HBO through HBONow.com will also have access to the service. WarnerMedia is in discussions with distributors like Roku to make sure customers on third-party services get HBO Max, too, so updates on that are to come. Per Variety, subscribers via Charter Communications will also be automatically upgraded to HBO Max.

There is an option to bundle. AT&T customers on premium video, mobile, and broadband services will be offered bundles with HBO Max included at no additional charge.

It will also be available through Hulu. Hulu customers can subscribe to HBO Max directly through Hulu for $14.99 per month. Those who are already subscribed to HBO on Hulu will have access to HBO Max at no additional cost, with some limited exceptions of availability.

It’ll also head to YouTube TV. YouTube TV announced in February that HBO would be available on its platform this spring. HBO Max will also be available on YouTube TV when it launches in May.

It’ll be available for Apple and Android users. As announced on April 27, HBO Max will become available at launch on Apple devices and integrated with customers’ Apple TV app. Current HBO Now customers who are billed through the App Store, as well as HBO subscribers through Apple TV channels, will receive HBO Max for no additional charge. On April 29, HBO Max announced it will be available across Google platforms and devices and on Google Play as well it launches, so HBO Max subscribers will be able to stream their favorite shows and movies via Google Chromecast and Chromecast built-in devices.

Some other companies, like Verizon, are making it available too. On May 20, WarnerMedia announced the latest companies that have signed on to distribute HBO Max. Customers of Altice USA, Cox Communications, Microsoft, National Cable Television Cooperative (NCTC), Samsung, Sony Interactive Entertainment, and Verizon will have access to the streaming platform when it launches, adding to the lengthy list of providers.

What happens to DC Universe customers: HBO Max boss Kevin Reilly announced at the Television Critics Association winter press tour in January that the exact partnership between HBO Max and DC Universe is still being worked out, but he hopes the services will “work in tandem.” Reilly added, “We’re hoping to honor the fans. In the managing all of that with DC, that’s a very important part of the equation.”

It won’t put out as much original content as some competitors. In a presentation for investors on Oct. 29, 2019, WarnerMedia Entertainment chair Robert Greenblatt said that HBO Max wasn’t focused on “the number of times at bat,” but rather on “hitting a home run every time.” That might mean a smaller roster of titles than, say, competing streamer Netflix. “We actually think the value proposition improves when we narrow the options, removing much of the filler no one watches anyway,” Greenblatt said.

New shows will release episodes weekly. Instead of releasing entire seasons at once, à la Netflix, HBO Max will roll out new episodes weekly. Old seasons will be available to binge, though, and most HBO Max Originals will premiere with the first three episodes, followed by weekly installments.

The teaser previews the content ahead! HBO Max released a teaser trailer for the service, featuring clips of several shows coming to the service, such as South Park, Game of Thrones, Friends, and many more. There are also clips of the upcoming HBO Max Originals, including those which will be available on launch day.

Jump to: HBO Max Information | HBO Max Originals | Streaming Library

HBO Max will make 50 original titles available by 2021. HBO Max’s original titles — 38 in 2020, with an additional 12 being added for 2021– are aimed mainly at three demographics: children and families, millennials and Gen Z, and adult women. The streamer will release between five and 10 new originals per year after that. Find out which HBO Max Originals will available on launch day right here.

Yes, a Friends reunion special is nigh. After several month of rumors, HBO confirmed in February that it will be delivering an unscripted reunion special featuring all six central (perk) Friends stars: Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Matthew Perry, and Matt LeBlanc. The reunion special was initially expected to arrive in May, when the streaming service debuts, however, production on the special was delayed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and will premiere at another, as-yet-undetermined date.

A ton of exclusive new shows and movies are being created for the service. HBO Max will have a wide library of all-new scripted and unscripted offerings. Highlights include a quarantine-inspired cooking show with Selena Gomez; a Gossip Girl sequel series (featuring the return of Kristen Bell) following a new generation of Upper East Siders grappling with the social landscape of New York private school life; a dog grooming competition series featuring celebrity dog groomer Jess Rona; a Green Lantern series from Arrowverse creator Greg Berlanti; and Steven Soderbergh’s Let Them All Talk, starring Meryl Streep as an author who goes on a journey with old friends. Here’s a complete list of the original shows and movies HBO Max is making.

It’s venturing into the comedy game too. HBO Max will expand its original slate through the addition of stand-up specials from Tracy Morgan (The Last O.G.); John Early (Search Party); Rose Matafeo, an Edinburgh Comedy Award winner; and Ahir Shah, a double Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee. The streaming service has also partnered with Conan O’Brien and Team Coco to bring additional specials to its library. O’Brien will host two specials that feature short sets from up-and-coming comics while curating hour-long sets from three comedians. In addition to those five specials, HBO Max has also purchased the rights to a one-hour special from James Veitch.

Some existing shows are on the move. Search Partyis moving from TBS to HBO Max for its upcoming third season, which will be available upon the platform’s launch (as will the first two seasons). The streaming service has already picked up the show for Season 4. Adventure Time is being revived for HBO Max as well with four hour-long specials. Additionally, Sesame Street is moving from HBO to HBO Max beginning with Season 51. The deal includes five new seasons of Sesame Street, a number of new spin-offs and specials, and the show’s entire 50-year library. New episodes will continue to air on PBS Kids after premiering on HBO Max. With the end of AT&T’s Audience Network, three shows may potentially move to HBO Max. Audience Network series Mr. Mercedes, Condor, and Loudermilk, have all been left in limbo as the streamer closes its doors, but according to The Hollywood Reporter, they could live on with HBO Max.

Jump to: HBO Max Information | HBO Max Originals | Streaming Library

HBO Max will feature a vast library of existing shows and movies. The new streaming service will feature titles from across Warner’s properties, including Warner Bros., HBO, New Line, DC Entertainment, CNN, TNT, TBS, TruTV, Turner Classic Movies, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Crunchyroll, Rooster Teeth, Looney Tunes, and more.

The movie slate is impressive. Films set to hit the platform throughout 2020 include When Harry Met Sally, the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Wonder Woman, Joker, Casablanca, and the complete Studio Ghibli collection.

Your old TV favorites have a new home. This library will include the exclusive streaming rights to all 10 seasons ofFriends, which leaves Netflix in the new year, as well as The West Wing, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and Pretty Little Liars. WarnerMedia will also be the first streaming home for all 12 seasons ofThe Big Bang Theoryand fellow Chuck Lorre comedy Two and a Half Men.

Fans can also stream full seasons of ongoing shows. New CW series like Batwoman, Nancy Drew, and the Riverdale spin-off Katy Keenewill stream on HBO Max after each season concludes. HBO Max will also boast the exclusive streaming rights to the BBC’s Doctor Who(though not the classic series that aired from 1963-1989), Top Gear, and Lutherstarting next year. And South Park and Rick and Morty, which are currently streaming on Hulu, will be moving to HBO Max once it launches.

HBO’s new content will be a major feature. Count on seeing some of your HBO favorites available on the streaming service, including upcoming new shows that will also be available to HBO subscribers, like Stephen King‘s The Outsider, Jordan Peele and J.J. Abrams‘ horror series Lovecraft Country, Joss Whedon‘s The Nevers, Julian Fellowes‘ The Gilded Age, David E. Kelley‘s The Undoing, and Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon.

Sports might become a fixture … eventually. AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson revealed over the summer that HBO Max might eventually get into the live sports business, with an eye on NBA, MLB, and soccer games.

Cinemax content will not join HBO Max: Despite sharing half a name, HBO sibling network Cinemax will not be joining the HBO Max party. Reilly and Michael Quigley (executive vice president of content acquisitions for TNT, TBS, truTV, HBO, and HBO Max) confirmed in January 2020 that Cinemax legacy shows like Banshee and Strike Back will not be coming to the new streaming service.

HBO Max will arrive in May 2020.