Streaming platform HBO Max—expected to be a major player in the crowded online entertainment market—will launch on May 27, WarnerMedia announced Tuesday.
The debut of the hotly anticipated service—the new home of hit sitcoms Friends and The Big Bang Theory—comes months after competitors Apple and Disney entered the fray in late 2019.
HBO Max is also offering its service at a much higher rate than its rivals —$14.99 a month, as opposed to $8.99 for Netflix, $6.99 for Disney+, and $4.99 for Apple TV+.
The subscription rate is in part explained by the fact that it will feature original content from premium cable channel HBO, the home of Game of Thrones, The Sopranos, Sex and the City, Veep, and other major series.
WarnerMedia, a subsidiary of telecoms giant AT&T, is betting that customers will not shy away from the price in order to access its impressive catalog of content.
WarnerMedia is hoping to rack up 75-90 million subscribers by the end of 2025 in the United States, Latin America and Europe.
Customers who already subscribe to HBO will have access to HBO Max at no additional cost. WarnerMedia has not yet announced a launch date for the service outside the United States.
