HBO Max, the HBO-anchored streaming service coming in May, has much in common with many of the competitors emerging in the so-called streaming wars, like Disney Plus and Peacock. HBO Max, from AT&T's WarnerMedia, will have a sprawling catalog of hit shows and movies, plus a big-budget slate of exclusive originals packed with big-name stars.
One of the key differences: HBO Max is the most expensive of any of the new services to launch.
HBO Max will cost $15 a month when it rolls out in the US sometime in May. Some people who already have a current HBO subscription will get Max included free -- but not everybody. (Sometime within HBO Max's first year, the service will add a tier with advertising that's cheaper, or even possibly free, but the company hasn't provided any details.)
HBO Max will be the last entrant to arrive in the roughly six-month period referred to as the streaming wars when tech and entertainment giants are launching their own streaming-video subscriptions to go up against Netflix. With more than 167 million subscribers worldwide, Netflix has dominated the transition to streaming TV.
HBO Max dropped its first teaser for the service in February, stringing together a collection of clips from shows and movies you'll be able to watch there. But it was missing any glimpses of the new original programming the company will exclusively stream on the service.
It's unclear yet which titles on HBO Max's slate of so-called Max Originals will be the service's best to be a big hit -- essentially, what is HBO Max hoping becomes its version of The Mandalorian and Baby Yoda?
Whether it's something HBO Max creates from the DC universe or a prequel to Game of Thrones, HBO owner AT&T is investing billions of dollars in original programming as well as deals to stream popular reruns like Friends and The Big Bang Theory. (HBO Max is even making an unscripted Friends reunion special with the original cast.)
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