HBO Max That’s the name of WarnerMedia’s new direct-to-consumer streaming service, set to launch in the spring of 2020. WarnerMedia still hasn’t announced pricing for the service, which will compete with Netflix, Hulu, and Disney Plus, among others.
Under a new deal with Warner Bros. Television, HBO Max will have exclusive streaming rights at launch to all 236 episodes of “Friends” — which will roll off Netflix in 2020. “We’re sorry to see ‘Friends’ go to Warner’s steaming service at the beginning of 2020 (in the US),” Netflix tweeted after WarnerMedia’s announcement. “Thanks for the memories, gang.”
The service will feature content 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 more.”
HBO Max will continue the trend of content owners pulling their shows from third-party streaming platforms for the benefit of their own services. Disney and NBCUniversal have taken similar steps; late last month, NBC announced that The Office will be removed from Netflix and exclusively streamed on its in-the-works subscription app.
