HBO Will Be Included In AT&T’s WarnerMedia Streaming Service Launching Late 2019
By Hoai-Tran Bui/Oct. 10, 2018 12:00 pm EST
The planned launch date puts the yet-unnamed WarnerMedia streaming service in direct competition with Disney’s upcoming streaming service, which is generating a lot of buzz for its original Star Wars, Marvel, and Disney titles. So how could WarnerMedia compete? With a little show called Game of Thrones.
HBO titles will front the WarnerMedia streaming service, though Stankey said it will still be more expensive than the current HBO “over-the-top” subscription plan. Pricing has not yet been determined. Stankey said that the service is meant to complement their current distribution model and reach the biggest audience:
It seems that in addition to pulling titles from the HBO and Warner Bros. archives, WarnerMedia may develop original titles for the streaming service. WarnerMedia’s spending on content would be “competitive” with that of Netflix, which is saying a lot since the streaming giant recently plopped down $8 billion on 2018 titles alone. In an announcement ahead of the summit, Stankey said that’s where the historic AT&T merger comes in:
“While going direct-to-consumer gives us an additional opportunity to reach audiences that aren’t part of a traditional subscription service, our wholesale relationships will continue to be an important distribution channel. So, it will be a priority to work with our partners to deliver a compelling and competitive product that will complement our wholesale distribution, allowing us to reach the largest number of viewers.”
“This is another benefit of the AT&T/Time Warner merger, and we are committed to launching a compelling and competitive product that will serve as a complement to our existing businesses and help us to expand our reach by offering a new choice for entertainment with the WarnerMedia collection of films, television series, libraries, documentaries and animation.”
