Today at 6 pm EST, AT&T will host WarnerMedia Day, an event that will include new details about the content, features, and pricing of the new HBO Max streaming service. Here’s what we expect to hear.
Goals of the Service
AT&T has big plans for HBO Max. By 2025, the company has a goal of reaching 80 million global users, with around 50 million coming from the US. Expect the event to kick off by sharing the big picture of the service.
A Launch Date
We’ve heard that HBO Max will launch in spring 2020, but we’re still waiting for an exact date. AT&T should be sharing that today.
Content
By bringing in titles including The Big Bang Theory and Friends, WarnerMedia is certainly hoping that exclusive access to fan favorite shows will pull in subscribers.
We’ve also heard about a plan for focusing on family friendly content. AT&T recently hired former Nickelodeon and Disney executive Nikki Reed as VP of Kids and Family Scripted Originals for HBO Max. We can expect to hear more about what’s in store for kids content, possibly with an appearance by the residents of Sesame Street.
While we’ve heard that HBO Max will include the HBO content library, we haven’t heard much about how the new platform will incorporate new HBO shows as they air. Look for more information about that today.
Original Content
HBO Max has been working hard to add to their lineup of original content. With Disney+ and Apple TV+ investing heavily in big names and exciting originals, HBO Max will likely focus on this area as well during the WarnerMedia Day event.
Expect to get sneak peeks at some of the new series coming out, including new reality shows and the original shows we heard about this summer. Will Ellen Degeneres take the stage the way Oprah did at the Apple TV+ event? I’d count on it.
Pricing
This is one area that we’ll all be paying close attention to. AT&T hasn’t offered up much information when it comes to the pricing structure for HBO Max. Reports have speculated that HBO Max is likely to cost even more than the $14.99 price of HBO, which will put the price point higher than Disney+, Apple TV+, and Netflix.
Discounts for Customers
Last week, we learned that HBO Max will be free to the 10 million AT&T customers who also subscribe to HBO, according to AT&T COO John Stankey. We’ll likely hear more today about this offer as AT&T uses their other services to promote HBO Max
Bundling with Wireless
During AT&T’s Quarter 3 earnings call yesterday, CEO Randall Stephenson mentioned the benefits of bundling AT&T wireless plans with video services. His comments implied that bundling services is already part of the HBO Max plan.
“The most powerful video bundle we have with our mobile business is HBO, in terms of what it does to churn and retention,” Stephenson said in response to a question about customer retention. “The reason I think that’s very exciting is now think about HBO Max and taking the product to a different level. It’s going to be something different. Bundling that with our mobile business and the impacts on churn, we believe are going to be very, very powerful.”
Don’t Miss the Announcements
As always, we’ll be giving live updates about the WarnerMedia Day announcements. Check back at Cord Cutters News for coverage of the event.
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