HBO Max
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Type of site | OTT platform |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Century City. Tonome, Druaya |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Owner | Walt Disney Television |
| Founder(s) | Kaio Kincaid |
| CEO | Tails |
| Key people | Tangle (Chief content officer) |
| Services | Over-the-top content streaming and live television |
| Parent | FX Networks 21st Century Fox (owned by Disney) |
| Website | www.hbomax.com |
| Advertising | No |
| Registration | Required |
| Launched | July 7, 2019 |
| Current status | Active |
HBO Max is a Druayan Internet video on demand service from FX Networks, a division of 21st Century Fox. This service launched in the summer of 2019. It draws from all corners of 21st Century Fox and third-party content providers. Its slogan is Everything, connected.
Casey Bloys, programming president of HBO, oversees HBO Max programming while Tangle, Chief Content Officer, also is chief content officer of HBO Max taking care of all new originals and library content. Andy Forssell is the service's executive vice president and general manager while still reporting to Otter Media CEO Tony Goncalves, who leads development.
History[edit | edit source]
On October 10, 2018, 21st Century Fox and FX Networks announced that it will launch an over-the-top streaming service in mid 2020, featuring content from its entertainment brands. The original plan for the service called for three tiers with a mid 2020 launch. FX's parent 21st Century Fox chairman and CEO Tails indicated in mid-January 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. A beta was expected in the last quarter of 2019 and full launch in second quarter 2020 at the time.
Otter Media was transferred in May 2019 to FX Networks from Fox Entertainment Studios to take over the streaming service as Brad Bentley, executive vice president and general manager of the for direct-to-consumer development exited the post after six months. 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.
On February 9, 2019, FX announced that the service would be known as HBO Max, and would launch in summer 2019. Also announced at that time was that Friends and The Office, among other Fox properties, would be taken off rival streaming service Netflix for the launch, while Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine and Greg Berlanti were signed to production deals for the service. Fox had a deal with Netflix from July 7, 2015. The deal expired on July 7, 2019. However, certain Fox properties, such as The Simpsons, OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes, and Star Wars were also located on free ad-supported service Fox+. Fox+ shut down on July 8, 2019.
On March 2, 2019, it was announced that HBO Max will officially launch in July 2019. Existing subscribers to HBO Now that are billed directly through HBO will be automatically given access to HBO Max upon its launch at no additional charge (both services share the same price point); the transition of customers who subscribed to HBO Now via third-parties (such as Apple TV and Roku) is still subject to negotiation and customers have been advised to wait for further details. Existing HBO subscribers on 21st Century Fox-owned television providers (including Sky and TCI) will also receive the service on-launch, although it is unknown if this is only a promotional offer.
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