HBO Max trivia | 49 facts about the new streaming service

HBO Max is a new American subscription service from AT&T WarnerMedia. The service launched on May 27, 2020 in the US.

Let’s find out some trivia and facts about the new streaming service.

1. HBO Max is an American subscription video on demand streaming service from AT&T’s WarnerMedia
2. The service launched on May 27, 2020
3. HBO Max is based on WarnerMedia’s HBO premium TV service and includes all of its programming
4. Plus a range of additional original programming and library content from all parts of WarnerMedia
5. As well as third-party content providers from which WarnerMedia bought streaming rights
6. According to AT&T, HBO Max had 8.6 million activated subscribers on September 30, 2020
7. As of the same date, the service had a nominal total of 28.7 million subscribers
8. With the balance made up of HBO pay TV customers whose subscriptions make them eligible for free access to HBO Max, but who had not activated by that time
9. 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
10. The original plan for the service called for three tiers with a late 2019 launch
11. 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
12. A beta was expected in the fourth quarter of 2019 and full launch in first quarter 2020 at the time
13. 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 direct-to-consumer development exited the post after six months
14. Andy Forssell transferred from being 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
15. On July 9, 2019, WarnerMedia announced that the service would be known as HBO Max, and would launch in spring 2020
16. Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine and Greg Berlanti were signed to production deals for the service
17. 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
18. On October 29, 2019, it was announced that HBO Max would officially launch in May 2020
19. 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 be sunset on May 22, eventually transitioning to a barker channel for HBO Max
20. Warner Bros. and HBO Max announced the Warner Max film label on February 5, 2020
21. This label would produce eight to ten mid-budget movies per year for the streaming service starting in 2020
22. On April 20, 2020, WarnerMedia announced HBO Max’s launch date as May 27
23. WarnerMedia indicated that the service would have 10,000 hours of content at-launch
24. This include first-run and library content from the namesake HBO, including its original series, documentaries, and specials
25. And content from the company’s other brands and networks
26. 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
27. The latter two have respective output deals with HBO until 2022
28. Films from 20th Century will move to Disney+ and Hulu once its output deal expire
29. While future rights to Universal films are still up for negotiation despite the launch of Peacock
30. 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
31. 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
32. Cinemax shares its film content with the linear HBO channel, and therefore the majority of films in the combined library will be on both services in different windows
33. But films will not necessarily be available on both HBO Max and Cinemax at the same time
34. AT&T chairman and CEO Randall L. Stephenson has not ruled out adding live content from Turner Sports in the future
35. Such as the NBA on TNT, Major League Baseball on TBS, and NCAA March Madness
36. Localized versions of HBO Max are scheduled to launch in 2021 in Latin America and the parts of Europe, such as Spain and the Nordics, where HBO already directly operates premium TV or streaming services
37. In the interim, some HBO Max original programs will be available on WarnerMedia’s existing international platforms, also including HBO Asia
38. In other countries, HBO programming is licensed to third-party networks and streaming services under long-term deals
39. Many of these services, like HBO and its owner AT&T, are owned by major pay TV service providers in their respective markets
40. WarnerMedia said in late 2019 that it planned to continue HBO’s existing international licensing partnerships for the time being
41. However, as part of the WarnerMedia further restructuring announced in August 2020, WarnerMedia president Jason Kilar said HBO Max would be expanding its scope globally, without elaborating on specific new plans or timelines
42. HBO Max received mixed reception from media observers on launch
43. The range of available content was generally well received
44. Many commented on the likelihood of confusion with HBO’s other since-deprecated streaming platforms, HBO Go and HBO Now
45. And the service’s higher subscription price compared to other newly launched streaming platforms like Disney+
46. In October 2020, AT&T revealed that the number of activated HBO Max subscribers had reached 8.6 million by the end of September
47. While the number of nominal (eligible) subscribers reached 28.7 million
48. The total number of HBO / HBO Max subscriptions in the U.S. also increased to 38 million
49. With an agreement being reached the following month with Amazon (which is reported to have had 5 million HBO subscribers through Prime Video Channels), the number of HBO Max-eligible subscribers is understood to have increased to over 33 million