WarnerMedia’s HBO Max launching May 27
WarnerMedia’s HBO Max streaming service is launching May 27 with 10,000 hours of content to start, including full runs of “Friends, “The Big Bang Theory” and “South Park.”
The upgrade from the current HBO Now services features hundreds of hours of content from Turner properties TNT, TBS, Adult Swim, Cartoon Network, truTV and Turner Classic Movies. Many of those networks still have a major presence in Atlanta.
Everything on HBO, of course, will be available for $15 a month, including “Westworld,” “Entourage,” “Game of Thrones,” “Euphoria” and “Barry.” It is the priciest among the streaming service offerings though there is talk of offering a cheaper, ad-supported option.
Other shows available May 27 include “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” “Adventure Time,” “Rick & Morty,” “Doctor Who,” “The West Wing” and “Pretty Little Liars.”
There will also be movies from Warner Bros., New Line and DC such as “Joker,” “Wonder Woman,” “The Lord of the Rings,” “The Matrix,” “Casablanca,” “Shawshank Redemption,” ”When Harry Met Sally,” “Crazy Rich Asians,” “A Star is Born,” “Aquaman” and “The Wizard of Oz.” (Not all of them will be available at launch, but WarnerMedia said at least 18,000 will be in the coffers eventually.)
For kids, there will be old and new episodes of “Looney Tunes” and “Sesame Street.”
And among originals in the beginning:
- scripted comedy "Love Life" starring Anna Kendrick
- documentary film "On the Record" about accusations of sexual harassment and rape against hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons
- "Legendary," an underground ballroom dance competition series
- "Craftopia," hosted by YouTube star LaurDIY
According to Ampere Analysis, Amazon Prime has the most volume of content among current major streaming services: 63,470 hours. This is followed by Hulu (41,370), Netflix (36,090) and the upcoming Peacock Premium (15,000). Disney+ has about 3,340 hours.
It's confusing, but having an HBO subscription does not automatically guarantee access to HBO Max, though in many cases it does. For instance, if you get your HBO through AT&T (HBO's parent company), the AT&T satellite service DirecTV, or Charter and its Spectrum services are upgraded automatically.
It’s unclear at the moment how it will work for people with, say, Dish Network or Comcast or Roku or other services.
About the Author
Rodney Ho writes about entertainment for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution including TV, radio, film, comedy and all things in between. A native New Yorker, he has covered education at The Virginian-Pilot, small business for The Wall Street Journal and a host of beats at the AJC over 20-plus years. He loves tennis, pop culture & seeing live events.
