HBO and HBO Max are headed to YouTube TV

[Karlston]

HBO and HBO Max are headed to YouTube TV

Cinemax is also part of the deal

HBO is one of YouTube TV’s most notable absences, but a new agreement between Google and WarnerMedia will bring the prestige network to Google’s streaming TV subscription service.

 

Customers who use YouTube TV can get linear and on-demand access to HBO and Cinemax this spring as add-ons, WarnerMedia announced today. It’s similar to how Showtime and NBA League Pass operate on YouTube TV. The new deal means customers can watch shows live or dig into HBO’s catalog to rewatch older series and films. Prior to the announcement, YouTube TV subscribers already had access to other WarnerMedia networks, including TBS, TNT, truTV, CNN, HLN, Turner Classic Movies, Adult Swim, and Cartoon Network. Those networks will remain available on YouTube TV moving forward.

 

As part of the new deal, YouTube TV will also distribute WarnerMedia’s HBO Max streaming service when it launches in May. HBO Max will run for $14.99 a month, and it collects all of HBO’s offerings as well as movies and TV shows from WarnerMedia (Turner, Warner Bros. TV, and Warner Bros. Pictures). The Lord of the Rings, The Matrix, and the majority of the DC Universe collection will all be available on HBO Max, alongside shows like Friends, The Big Bang Theory, and South Park.

 

“Our commitment at YouTube TV is to deliver TV to our members how and when they want it,” Lori Conkling, global head of partnerships at YouTube TV, said in a press release. “We are thrilled to continue our partnership with WarnerMedia to deliver their family of networks that are popular among our members, as well as introduce HBO, Cinemax and HBO Max to our growing line-up of premium content.”

 

WarnerMedia and Google’s new announcement comes just a week after a report from The Information suggested that YouTube is mulling over offering third-party subscriptions to users, including YouTube TV subscribers, that could take attention away from Amazon and Apple. Google is reportedly considering giving customers the ability to sign up for a “wide range of subscription-streaming services run by entertainment companies,” according to The Information. Essentially, YouTube could allow people to purchase subscriptions to services from networks like Showtime, HBO, Netflix, CBS All Access, and others if it goes forward.

 

YouTube TV is a growing business for Google. CEO Sundar Pichai told investors that YouTube has 20 million paid premium subscribers (a combination of YouTube Premium and YouTube Music), and 2 million subscribers on YouTube TV alone. That’s a growth of more than 1 million subscribers on YouTube TV in less than a year, according to reports. Essentially, YouTube’s various subscription services are worth the investment.

 

YouTube TV currently costs $49.99 a month, making it cheaper than AT&T TV Now and Hulu’s basic live TV package.

 

 

Source: HBO and HBO Max are headed to YouTube TV  (The Verge)