Introducing HBO Max, WarnerMedia’s Streaming Domination Scheme
WarnerMedia has been talking about launching their own streaming service, but so has everyone else. By now it’s not a secret that we’re headed for some annoying times consumerwise, as all the big entertainment giants cease sharing resources with each other and go to war. This week we learned what WB is planning on their end…
WB doesn’t have control of big brands like Netflix or Hulu. But what they DO have is HBO, and it’s a brand powerful enough to theoretically compete instantly. Thus, all of WarnerMedia’s streaming plans will be folded into the Home Box Office umbrella in the form of HBO Max.
You know that HBO costs $15 a month to stream, so HBO Max will probably cost even more, putting it at the extreme high end of the streaming market. With most of its competition having a single-digit monthly price tag, It’s already a tough sell even with all those movies. WB will just have to bet that their glut is better than the competition’s glut. And it’s quite a big glut….
WB owns anything under the banners of HBO, Warner Bros., New Line, DC Entertainment, CNN, TNT, TBS, truTV, The CW, Turner Classic Movies, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Crunchyroll, Rooster Teeth and Looney Tunes, Many of these already have separate streaming services. According to WB there are no plans to discontinue those services (so no worries, DC Universe fans), but with HBO Max you would get all their content under one roof.
Plus, HBO Max would have its own shows. In development are the Gremlins cartoon we talked about last week, a new series from Joss Whedon called The Nevers, a series set in the Dune universe, some novel adaptions and more.
One thing that worries us: the fact that the relationship between The CW and Netflix has kept many a low-rated show alive. Migrating that content from Netflix to HBO Max would mean it would go from one of the most accessible and common streaming formats to one of the LEAST accessible, which would ultimately mean no more miraculous renewals of .000000001-rated things like In The Dark or All-American. And that would suck.
Also, HBO Max will exclusively have Friends, it being a WB property. Losing one of their most frequently streamed shows will kick Netflix in the crotch, but that’s the idea. How many people out there will actually pay $17 or more per month, however, just to get access to Friends?
HBO Max will launch in the spring of 2020.
https://youtu.be/LCS4CaZ9dwg