AT&T, the US telecom giant that owns the WarnerMedia announced its streaming service called HBO Max. The Netflix competitor will boast a broad collection of shows and movies. The new direct-to-consumer service will be “Maximized” with the acclaimed HBO shows. Further, it will include content from Max Originals, WarnerMedia’s wide catalog of assets and new productions.
Introducing the next big thing: HBO Max, our upcoming streaming service featuring exclusive originals and the best-of-the-best from the WarnerMedia portfolio. Learn more: https://t.co/MHHIkV0ohz pic.twitter.com/N9jb9FifIW
— WarnerMedia (@WarnerMediaGrp) July 9, 2019
Highlights:
- What is it? A video on demand service like Netflix
- When is it out? It is set to start in the spring of 2020
- What will it cost? TBA, yet the safe bet would be somewhere between $5 to $9 per month, which is what Disney+ and Netflix charge respectively. AT&T could undercut the price to entice user migration to the new platform.
HBO Max: What shows and movies will I be able to watch?
HBO Max is anticipated to premiere with 10,000 hours of premium content.
New deals made with Warner Bros. Television and others:
- Friends will head to HBO Max. WarnerMedia has acquired exclusive streaming rights to all 236 episodes of Friends. (Bye Bye Netflix! HBO Max will be ‘There For You’)
- It will feature the exclusive streaming rights to all episodes of fan favorites “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” and “Pretty Little Liars”
- The upcoming DC Entertainment series “Batwoman,” and “Katy Keene” (a spinoff of “Riverdale”) will also arrive at HBO Max.
- The brand has made new exclusive movie production deals with Greg Berlanti for four movies focused on the young adult space and Reese Witherspoon for at least two films.
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Max Original series previously announced include:
- “Dune: The Sisterhood,” an adaptation of Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson’s book based in the world created by Frank Herbert’s book Dune, from director Denis Villeneuve
- “Tokyo Vice,” based on Jake Adelstein’s non-fiction first-hand account of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police beat starring Ansel Elgort
- “The Flight Attendant,” a one-hour thriller series based on the novel by Chris Bohjalian, which will star Kaley Cuoco, who is also executive producing alongside Greg Berlanti
- “Love Life,” a 10-episode half-hour romantic comedy anthology series starring “Pitch Perfect” star Anna Kendrick, who will also executive produce alongside Paul Feig
- “Station Eleven,” a postapocalyptic limited series based on Emily St. John Mandel’s international bestseller, adapted by Patrick Somerville and directed by Hiro Murai
- “Made for Love,” a 10-episode, half-hour, straight-to-series adaptation based on the tragicomic novel of the same name by Alissa Nutting, also from Somerville and directed by S.J. Clarkson
- “Gremlins,” an animated series from Warner Bros. Animation and Amblin Entertainment based on the original movie.
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It doesn’t end here. HBO Max seems to fire on all cylinders with these previously announced shows for 2020 and 2021:
- Stephen King’s “The Outsider,” a dark mystery starring Ben Mendelsohn, produced and directed by Jason Bateman
- “Lovecraft Country,” a unique horror series based on a novel by Matt Ruff, written and executive produced by Misha Green, and executive produced by Jordan Peele and J.J. Abrams
- “The Nevers,” Joss Whedon’s new science fiction series starring Laura Donnelly
- “The Gilded Age,” the opulent world of 1885 New York from “Downton Abbey’s” Julian Fellowes
- “Avenue 5,” high satire aboard a space-bound cruise ship from Armando Iannucci (“Veep”), starring Hugh Laurie and Josh Gad
- “The Undoing,” a psychological thriller from David E. Kelley, directed by Susanne Bier starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant
- “The Plot Against America,” reimagined history based on Phillip Roth’s novel written and executive produced by David Simon and Ed Burns, starring Winona Ryder and John Turturro
- “Perry Mason,” the classic legal drama for a new generation, executive produced by Robert Downey, Jr. and Susan Downey, with Matthew Rhys in the title role
- “I Know This Much Is True,” a complex family drama starring Mark Ruffalo playing twin brothers, one of whom has schizophrenia, based on the best-selling novel by Wally Lamb, written and directed by Derek Cianfrance.
Speaking at the launch, Robert Greenblatt, chairman, WarnerMedia Entertainment and Direct-To-Consumer said:
“HBO Max will bring together the diverse riches of WarnerMedia to create programming and user experiences not seen before in a streaming platform. HBO’s world-class programming leads the way, the quality of which will be the guiding principle for our new array of Max Originals, our exciting acquisitions, and the very best of the Warner Bros. libraries, starting with the phenomenon that is ‘Friends’. Under the leadership of two of the strongest creative visionaries — Casey Bloys (HBO) and Kevin Reilly (original content and acquisitions) — and two of the most experienced digital experts — Tony Goncalves and Andy Forssell — I have no doubt they and their dedicated teams will deliver the world’s best storytelling to audiences of all ages wherever and whenever they want it.”
