As of December 31, 2021, HBO Max and HBO accounted for 73.8 million global subscribers, exceeding projections of 70 million to 73 million.
WarnerMedia parent AT&T announced this statistic and a few others this morning, ahead of CFO Pascal Desroches’ speech at a Citibank investment conference.
HBO Max was launched in May 2020 and initially struggled. As of 2021, the streaming service, which HBO customers can access at no extra charge, will be available globally at various price points. Ad-supported tiers are also available to lower-priced HBO subscribers. HBO Max went on to establish distribution deals with Roku and Amazon, giving it access to two major U.S. gateways after initially experiencing brand confusion due to the existence of other HBO-branded streaming apps in the market.
Warner Bros. releases day-and-date films through the streaming service, including Dune and the fourth Matrix installment. While the release pattern was introduced as a panademic measure, it isn’t likely to continue in effect, but it may have helped bring in some new subscribers.
Source: Deadline
