HBO Max

HBO Max is an American subscription video on demand streaming service from AT&T's WarnerMedia. The service launched on May 27, 2020.

HBO Max is based on AT&T’s WarnerMedia's HBO premium television service and includes all of its programming, plus a range of additional original programming and library content from all parts of WarnerMedia, as well as third-party content providers from which WarnerMedia bought streaming rights.

According to AT&T, HBO Max had 12.6 million activated subscribers as of early December 2020. As of September 30, the service had a nominal total of 28.7 million paying subscribers, including HBO pay television customers whose subscriptions make them eligible for free access to HBO Max, but who have not yet activated.

History
On October 10, 2018, WarnerMedia announced that it would launch an over-the-top streaming service in late 2019, featuring content from its entertainment brands. The original plan for the service called for three tiers with a late 2019 launch. Randall L. Stephenson, chairman, and CEO of WarnerMedia's parent, AT&T indicated in mid-May 2019 that it would use the HBO brand and would tie into cable operators as HBO cable subscribers would have access to the streaming service. A beta was expected in the fourth quarter of 2019 and a full launch in the first quarter of 2020.

Otter Media was transferred in May 2019 to WarnerMedia Entertainment from Warner Bros. to take over the streaming service as Brad Bentley, executive vice president and general manager of the for direct-to-consumer development exited the post after six months. Andy Forssell transferred from being a chief operating officer of Otter to replace Bentley as executive vice president and general manager while still reporting to Otter CEO Tony Goncalves, who would lead development.

On July 9, 2019, WarnerMedia announced that the service would be known as HBO Max, and would launch in spring 2020, while Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine and Greg Berlanti were signed to production deals for the service. (The "Max" moniker is shared with HBO's sister linear pay-TV service Cinemax, which has alternately identified by its suffix name since the mid-1980s and used it prominently in its branding from 2008 to 2011.) On October 29, 2019, it was announced that HBO Max would officially launch in May 2020.

On January 8, 2020, AT&T announced that Audience, a channel exclusive to subscribers of AT&T-owned TV providers such as DirecTV with some original programming, would end operations in its current format later that spring, and will transition to a barker channel for HBO Max. Warner Bros. and HBO Max announced the Warner Max film label on February 5, 2020, which would produce eight to ten mid-budget movies per year for the streaming service starting in 2020. On April 20, 2020, WarnerMedia announced HBO Max's launch date as May 27.

Management
Kevin Reilly, president of WarnerMedia Entertainment Networks which includes most of the company's ad-supported entertainment channels such as TBS, TNT, and TruTV, also serves as a chief content officer of HBO Max with responsibility for HBO Max-exclusive original programming and library content. Andy Forssell is the service's executive vice president and general manager while still reporting to Otter Media CEO Tony Goncalves, who leads development.

Casey Bloys, programming president of HBO, continues oversight of the core HBO service including newly-commissioned programming but has limited involvement in Max Originals programming.

Content

 * HBO
 * Max Originals
 * Warner Bros.
 * Warner Bros. Animation
 * New Line Cinema
 * CNN
 * TruTV
 * Crunchyroll
 * Rooster Teeth
 * The CW
 * TNT
 * TruTV
 * DC
 * Cartoon Network
 * Adult Swim
 * Turner Classic Movies
 * TBS
 * Cartoonito

Non-properties

 * Studio Ghibli
 * Sesame Workshop
 * BBC
 * Comedy Central
 * The Criterion Collection
 * ITV
 * Sky Plc.
 * Channel 4
 * Litton Entertainment
 * 41 Entertainment

Overview
WarnerMedia indicated that the service would have 10,000 hours of content at-launch, including first-run and library content from the namesake HBO (including its original series, documentaries, and specials), and content from the company's other brands and networks (including Warner Bros. Pictures, New Line Cinema, DC Entertainment, TBS, TNT, TruTV, CNN, Cartoon Network, The CW, Turner Classic Movies, Crunchyroll, Rooster Teeth, and Adult Swim). WarnerMedia stated that the service would have over 2,000 films available at-launch, including HBO's existing pay television rights that are sourced from studios including sister company Warner Bros. Pictures, Universal Pictures, and 20th Century Studios (the latter two have respective output deals with HBO until 2022; films from both studios will likely be available on Peacock, Disney+, and Hulu once their respective output deals expire).

As with HBO's existing streaming platforms, HBO Go and HBO Now (but as opposed to its platforms on Apple TV Channels and Amazon Video Channels), HBO Max is not expected to include feeds of HBO's linear cable channels, nor is it expected to include any content (including original programming) from Cinemax, which will concurrently wind down its original programming efforts as WarnerMedia reallocates its programming investments towards HBO Max. (Cinemax shares its film content with the linear HBO channel and, as such, film content featured on both pay services are provided to HBO Max via HBO's existing contracts with its film content distributors.) AT&T chairman and CEO Randall L. Stephenson has not ruled out adding live content from Turner Sports in the future (such as the NBA on TNT, Major League Baseball on TBS, and NCAA March Madness).

Max Originals
Original content produced will be under the banner Max Originals, including series, films, and specials. Original episodic content is released weekly, eschewing the "binge" format made popular by Netflix. Kevin Reilly stated this was to ensure that originals would remain in the spotlight for extended periods, by letting said shows "breathe" as opposed to "fading quickly after a binge and burn". He also noted that the weekly schedule helped to drive the success of past HBO shows like Succession and Chernobyl, and became hits precisely due to their staying power. On February 5, 2020, Warner Bros. announced that it would form a new label known as Warner Max to produce 8 to 10 mid-budget films for the service annually.undefined A slate of 31 original series were planned for its first year, with plans to expand to 50 for its next year, but production timelines may have been interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. HBO Max also has podcasts about the films and TV series on the service.

Syndication
New Warner Bros. Television-produced series that have premiered on The CW since the 2019–20 season (beginning with Batwoman and Katy Keene) will have their past seasons placed on HBO Max a month before the newest season premieres on TV (streaming rights to existing series remains with Netflix under an existing deal). On July 9, 2019, HBO Max acquired the U.S. streaming rights to Friends in a $425 million deal, and on September 17, 2019, acquired the U.S. streaming rights to The Big Bang Theory, as part of a deal that also extends TBS's off-network rights to the series through 2028.

Acquired rights
Outside of WarnerMedia, the service also offers titles from The Criterion Collection and has a long-term partnership with BBC Studios (which HBO had previously partnered with to create His Dark Materials). Over 700 episodes of BBC content are slated to be available on the service at launch, including the first 11 seasons of the 2005 Doctor Who revival, as well as future seasons twelve through fourteen, and a variety of other shows including The Honourable Woman, Luther, Top Gear, and the original British version of The Office. Additionally, future shows by BBC Studios will be co-produced with HBO Max. HBO also extended their existing partnership with Sesame Workshop, while moving said content to the front of the HBO Max brand. All fifty seasons of Sesame Street (dating back to 1969) are available to stream on the service for the first time ever. Additionally, future seasons of Sesame Street will stream exclusively on HBO Max, alongside Esme & Roy, and several new spin-offs starting with The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo, Mecha Builders, and The Monster at the End of This Story.

Western
The service also features many hubs for animated programming, drawing largely from the libraries of Warner Bros. Animation (including the Looney Tunes franchise and Hanna-Barbera productions) and Cartoon Network, along with Adult Swim. Original animated series (including the Adventure Time epilogue specials Adventure Time: Distant Lands, Jellystone, Looney Tunes Cartoons, a continuation of Infinity Train and Summer Camp Island, and a reboot of The Boondocks) for both network sections were also announced for HBO Max, and the service beat out competitors to acquire exclusive domestic streaming rights to South Park and its next three seasons, in a shared deal with Comedy Central for $500 million (with new episodes being added 24 hours after their premiere on Comedy Central).

Anime
Crunchyroll provides a growing selection of anime content for the service, curated every quarter, starting with seventeen anime. This includes Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Kill la Kill, Berserk, Your Lie in April, Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World, Rurouni Kenshin, and the internally produced In/Spectre. In addition, Death Note and Hunter × Hunter are on the platform within the first year of the service.undefined The service is also be the first U.S. service to hold streaming rights to the films of Japanese animation studio Studio Ghibli, via its North American distributor GKIDS. Studio Ghibli films such as Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Howl's Moving Castle, Ponyo, Kiki's Delivery Service, My Neighbor Totoro and more became available on the service at launch. Fellow Otter Media company Rooster Teeth also contributes content, with season two of Gen:Lock to be a timed exclusive for HBO Max.undefined

Post-launch
Despite earlier reports indicating that Harry Potter would not be available due to a prior agreement under which NBCUniversal held broadcast and streaming rights, all eight films in the Harry Potter series were available to stream on the service on launch day. On May 29, 2020, HBO Max acquired the exclusive streaming rights to The Big Bang Theory spin-off Young Sheldon.

United States
The majority of current subscribers to either the HBO pay-TV service or HBO Now at the time of launch will receive access to HBO Max for no extra charge, with all three services generally sharing the same price point of $14.99 per month. However, this transition is contingent on the customer's current provider or biller having signed a new distribution agreement for HBO Max with WarnerMedia.

In announcing HBO Max, WarnerMedia immediately confirmed that HBO subscribers on AT&T-owned platforms (including AT&T TV, DirecTV, U-verse, and AT&T Mobility) will receive HBO Max on-launch at no additional charge. AT&T customers who are subscribed to their highest-tiered internet, TV, and wireless plans will also receive HBO Max for free, while those on lower-tiered plans will get a free trial ranging from one month to one year. Existing HBO Now subscribers billed directly by HBO were also migrated to HBO Max on-launch at no additional charge. On April 27, 2020, an agreement was announced for HBO Now subscribers via Apple (both in-app subscriptions and Apple TV Channels) to be migrated to HBO Max. Content from HBO Max will be listed in the Apple TV app along with there being a dedicated HBO Max hub in the app.

WarnerMedia subsequently negotiated with other pay-TV providers for similar arrangements.undefined On February 20, 2020, WarnerMedia announced a distribution deal with YouTube TV that would allow members to add HBO and Cinemax, while also being able to include HBO Max as an add-on. On April 15, 2020, WarnerMedia announced a similar deal with Charter Spectrum (which acquired Warner's former cable division that was spun off in 2009, in May 2016) to give access to HBO Max for HBO subscribers via their TV Everywhere credentials.undefined A similar agreement was announced with Hulu on May 1 for most existing subscribers via Hulu + Live TV, as well as being available as an add-on to all other plans on the service. On May 20, 2020, it was annou29nced that WarnerMedia had made distribution deals with Altice USA, Cox Communications, Xbox, Samsung, PlayStation, Verizon Communications, and the National Cable Television Cooperative.undefined An agreement with Comcast (Xfinity) was announced a few hours after the platform's launch.undefined

On May 13, 2020, John Stankey, CEO of AT&T, revealed to Variety that Amazon is very unlikely to become a launch partner for HBO Max; this is reportedly due to a disagreement about whether Amazon can host the additional programming directly on its Prime Video platform as it does for HBO currently.undefined There has similarly been no agreement announced to date with Roku due to a dispute over carriage commissions.

On May 13, 2020, John Stankey, CEO of AT&T, revealed to Variety that Amazon (maker of the Fire TV) was very unlikely to become a launch partner for HBO Max; the parties remain at an impasse, reportedly due to a disagreement about whether Amazon can host the additional Max programming directly on its Prime Video Channels platform as it does for HBO currently. There has similarly been no agreement announced to date with Roku due to a dispute over carriage commissions. With both of these companies' devices, non-Max HBO content remains available as usual through the companies' respective channels platforms and/or through HBO Now. Dish Network has also been mentioned as a holdout in some media reports, however, HBO has not been available at all through that provider since late 2018 due to a separate dispute.

HBO Max does not support 4K, HDR, or Dolby Atmos, but are planned as "part of the HBO Max product roadmap". There is also no support for audio descriptions for those with visual impairments.

There are plans for HBO Max to introduce an ad-supported tier by 2021.undefined

International
Localized versions of HBO Max are launched on June 2021 in Latin America and the parts of Europe where HBO already directly operates premium TV or streaming services. In the interim, at least some HBO Max original programs will be available on HBO's existing international platforms, also including HBO Asia.

In other countries, WarnerMedia says it plans to continue working with HBO's existing licensing partners for the time being. Shortly after announcing HBO Max, WarnerMedia renewed its agreements with several existing international partners for HBO main-channel programming, including European satellite TV provider Sky (now owned by rival Comcast) in the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, the Republic of Ireland and Italy (operator of Sky Atlantic); Bell Media in Canada (which operates HBO Canada and local streaming service Crave); and Foxtel in Australia (operator of Fox Showcase and Binge); these renewals mean that HBO Max will not launch separately in these countries for the foreseeable future. Some of these extensions added rights to HBO Max original programs produced by sister company Warner Bros. or provisions for future HBO Max co-productions, but they do not automatically include rights to HBO Max series produced by third-party studios, or library streaming rights for other programs to be carried by HBO Max such as Friends.

In France, where HBO original programming is available on OCS, Stéphane Richard, CEO of Orange, reveled in February 2020 that there will be discussions with WarnerMedia following the end of the agreements with HBO in 2022.

Other international services that carry HBO original programming such as Disney+, Hotstar (India), OCS (France), and Sky New Zealand have not yet made any announcements regarding carriage of Max Originals programs.

Max Originals

 * Adventure Time: Distant Lands
 * Tom and Jerry Special Shorts
 * ''Tom and Jerry in New York
 * Yabba-Dabba Dinosaurs
 * Aquaman: King of Atlantis

Content that also aired on Cartoon Network

 * Looney Tunes Cartoons
 * Tig n' Seek
 * The Fungies!
 * Jellystone!

Content that moved on HBO Max

 * Summer Camp Island
 * Infinity Train
 * Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?

Available content

 * Dexter's Laboratory (4 seasons; 78 episodes)
 * The Powerpuff Girls  (6 seasons; 78 episodes)
 * The Powerpuff Girls (2016) (3 seasons; 119 episodes)
 * Ed, Edd n Eddy (5 seasons; 66 episodes)
 * Courage the Cowardly Dog (4 seasons; 52 episodes)
 * Samurai Jack (5 seasons; 62 episodes)
 * Codename: Kids Next Door (6 seasons; 78 episodes)
 * The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy (6 seasons; 78 episodes)
 * Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends (6 seasons; 79 episodes)
 * Ben 10 (4 seasons: 52 episodes)
 * Ben 10: Alien Force (3 seasons; 46 episodes)
 * Ben 10: Ultimate Alien (3 seasons; 52 episodes)
 * Ben 10: Omniverse (8 seasons; 80 episodes)
 * Ben 10 (2016) (4 seasons; 157 episodes)
 * Chowder (3 seasons; 49 episodes)
 * The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack (3 seasons; 46 episodes)
 * Adventure Time (10 seasons; 283 episodes)
 * Regular Show (8 seasons; 261 episodes)
 * The Amazing World of Gumball (6 seasons; 240 episodes)
 * Uncle Grandpa (5 seasons; 153 episodes)
 * Steven Universe (5 seasons; 160 episodes)
 * Steven Universe Future (1 season; 20 episodes)
 * Clarence (3 seasons; 130 episodes)
 * Over the Garden Wall (1 season; 10 episodes)
 * We Bare Bears (4 seasons; 140 episodes)
 * Long Live the Royals (1 season; 4 episodes)
 * Mighty Magiswords (2 seasons; 92 episodes)
 * OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes (3 seasons; 112 episodes)
 * Apple & Onion (2 seasons; 63 episodes)
 * Craig of the Creek (3 seasons; 115 episodes)
 * Summer Camp Island (5 seasons; 100 episodes)
 * Victor and Valentino (2 seasons; 73 episodes)
 * Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart (1 season; 40 episodes)
 * Infinity Train (4 seasons; 40 episodes)
 * Elliott from Earth (1 season; 13 episodes)
 * We Baby Bears (1 season; 10 episodes)

Available in Latin America

 * Megas XLR (2 seasons; 26 episodes)
 * The Life and Times of Juniper Lee (3 seasons; 40 episodes)
 * Squirrel Boy (2 seasons; 26 episodes)

Available movies/specials

 * Ben 10: Race Against Time
 * Codename: Kids Next Door: Operation: Z.E.R.O.
 * Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends: Destination: Imagination
 * Regular Show: The Movie
 * Steven Universe: The Movie
 * We Bare Bears: The Movie

Possible content
These shows were featured on the old school section on the Cartoon Network app to promote the official library coming to HBO Max but were not featured in Cartoon Network or HBO Max's social media campaign.


 * What a Cartoon!
 * Cow and Chicken  (Available in Latin America and the Caribbean)
 * Time Squad
 * Camp Lazlo (Available in Latin America and the Caribbean)
 * My Gym Partner's a Monkey

Missing episodes

 * Dexter's Laboratory
 * Ego Trip (TV movie)
 * Ed, Edd n Eddy
 * Ed, Edd n Eddy's Jingle Jingle Jangle
 * Ed, Edd n Eddy's Boo Haw Haw
 * Ed, Edd n Eddy's Hanky Panky Hullabaloo
 * Ed, Edd n Eddy's Big Picture Show (TV movie)
 * Codename: Kids Next Door
 * The Grim Adventures of the KND
 * Operation I.N.T.E.R.V.I.E.W.S.
 * The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy
 * Billy and Mandy Save Christmas (not available in the US due to music licensing issues)
 * Billy and Mandy's Big Boogey Adventure (TV movie) (available in Latin America, not available in the US due to music licensing issues)
 * Underfist: Halloween Bash (TV movie) (available in Latin America)

Appearances in other media
A parody of HBO Max, known as BHO Más, was featured in the Villainous episode, The VVV.

Trivia

 * The service will launch in the UK and Italy around 2025 due to HBO's contract with Sky TV.

Gallery
This gallery contains the covers of shows that are on HBO Max.