AT&T’s WarnerMedia announced on Tuesday that its new streaming service will be called HBO Max. As the name implies, it includes a lot more than just content from HBO.
HBO Max will include shows and movies from Warner Bros., New Line, DC Entertainment, CNN, TNT, TBS, truTV, The CW, Turner Classic Movies, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Crunchyroll, Rooster Teeth, Looney Tunes and other content providers. It also includes exclusive rights to stream all 236 episodes of the TV show "Friends."
The service is expected to launch in beta later this year. AT&T has not said how much it will cost. HBO Max will launch publicly in the spring of 2020 and will include 10,000 hours of content, the company said.
Netflix recently spent $80 million to keep Friends through 2019, according to Vulture. Netflix will also lose The Office in 2021, when NBC will offer it as part of its $10 per month streaming TV service. Both shows are thought to be two of the most popular on Netflix, which means the company will have to continue funding new programming in order to find another new hit to keep subscribers engaged.
Other popular TV shows coming to HBO Max include The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Pretty Little Liars and Batwoman. HBO Max will include original shows created specifically for the new streaming service, in addition to shows that will launch on HBO.
The service is just one of many new streaming products set to launch in the coming months, and consumers probably won’t be able to subscribe to all of them.
Disney’s $6.99 per month plan, Disney+, will launch this November and will include 18 of Pixar’s 21 movies, Marvel films, 30 seasons of the Simpsons, Disney animated movies and the Star Wars franchise of films. NBC’s streaming service is launching next year. Apple+ will launch this fall.
