AT&T to launch HBO Max streaming service to go head on against Disney and Netflix
FirstpostThe success of HBO Max is in many ways a referendum on a strategy to merge content with the means to distribute it. AT&T Inc in May will launch its HBO Max streaming service with a new Game of Thrones series at the current HBO price of $15 a month in an aggressive move to battle Netflix, Disney and Apple for the future of TV. “The price point of $14.99 for HBO Max strikes a good balance between not cannibalizing HBO’s existing revenue base, while also addressing the competitive environment in streaming television,” said Sam Hendel, president of Levin Easterly Partners and a portfolio manager at the firm, which owns about 3.5 million shares of AT&T. “The HBO Max content offering is extremely robust and I think it will be well received by investors and consumers.” Not Walmart From Stage 21 on the Warner Brothers Studio lot in Burbank, California, executives demonstrated the breadth of new original programming and the depth of WarnerMedia’s extensive library of films and TV series. WarnerMedia also secured the US streaming rights to “South Park.” To court new viewers, WarnerMedia executives said they will introduce 88 original series in 2021, 38 from HBO and 50 under the category it called “Max Originals” that will target younger audiences.