The chief executive and president of global streaming and games for Warner Bros Discovery, JB Perrette, has cited the importance of quality over volume on its streaming service HBO Max - which is set to launch in the UK and Ireland on Thursday March 26.
UK and Irish audiences will for the first time be able to stream content from HBO, Warner Bros Pictures, Warner Bros Television, DC Studios and Max Originals in one place. Titles set for the service include The Pitt, Euphoria, Succession, The Wire, Game Of Thrones, House of the Dragon and The White Lotus as well as the upcoming Lanterns, Youth and the Harry Potter TV adaptation.
Speaking at a press briefing today (February 9), Perrette admitted HBO Max is “late to the streaming party” due to a process of “strategic iteration and refinement” designed to differentiate the proposition from other more volume-driven services.
“What you hear more and more is consumers saying, “I spent 30 mins looking for something and there is nothing good. Our antidote to that is HBO Max,” he said.
“We are something great for adults and families, not something for everyone. We are a complementary and distinct service to the more volume-driven, basic cable-like streamers in the market. More is not better; better is better. Our content slate over the next 24 months is the strongest and most targeted for our audiences in our history.”
He said that everything on the service will be “high quality” and “category defining” and anticipated that the upcoming Harry Potter adaptation will be “the streaming event of the decade”.
Perrette touched on the potential acquisition of Warner Bros by Netflix, insisting the rollout of the HBO Max brand across Europe and the UK is “helpful” for their joint aims.
“One thing that is very clear in public statements from [Netflix chief executive Ted Sarandos] and his team is they have an enormous amount of appreciation and respect for the HBO brand as something that is distinct, premium, must watch and different than mass volume.
“The reality is they want the brand to be vibrant, dynamic, stronger and visible. Having it be in this market, with a broader following…is very helpful to their strategic ambitions.”
Available on all major devices, the basic service with ads (excluding movies that first stream on the service following theatrical release) will cost £4.99 per month, while the standard service with ads will cost £5.99 per month. This is in line with Netflix’s £5.99 per month fee.
Without ads, the standard service will cost £9.99 per month, rising to £15.99 per month for a premium service which allows streaming on four devices.
HBO Max will be the new home of TNT Sports, with the TNT Sports Plan costing £30.99 per month allowing access to TNT Sports 1-4, TNT Sports Ultimate, live events ad TNT Sports original documentaries.
HBO Max is available in over 110 territories worldwide.
This story first appeared on our sister site Broadcast.
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