HBO Max launched at a difficult time, what with the coronavirus pandemic, but it appears the new streamer is off to a decent start.
AT&T CFO John Stephens is opening up about the success of the streaming service, noting that it picked up 4.1 million overall subscribers in its first month.
That number is made up of 3 million retail customers, as well as over 1 million that came from AT&T wholesale subscriptions.
The highly-anticipated service bowed May 27 with a roster of original content, as well as shows and movies from HBO, and a library of older movies and TV shows.
One of the biggest marketing factors, however, was the service launching with every episode of Friends.
HBO Max does not come cheap, and there were a lot of factors that could have affected the launch.
The lack of support on Roku and Amazon Fire TV drew much criticism from fans, especially people who were using HBO Now and GO on those platforms.
A deal with either party could not be reached ahead of launch, and it appears that deals could be a long way off.
Many people who paid for the regular HBO got access to the Max content at no additional cost, so it was a win-win for those people, assuming Max was available on their devices.
All told, AT&T is touting 36.3 million subscribers across HBO Max and HBO, which is up 5% from the end of 2019 when it was 34.6 million.
The ultimate goal, however, is for HBO Max to reach 50 to 55 million subscribers by 2025, and that should be possible when the service ultimately rolls out globally.
Also, new subscription tiers will be released, allowing for an ad-supported offering.
Still, it's likely the company will want to strike a deal with both Roku and Amazon to bolster the list of playable devices because it should result in an uptick in subscribers.
With all the factors taken into consideration, this is a decent launch.
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