HBO Max is available again through Amazon Prime Video Channels in the US, according to a Tuesday announcement from HBO Max owner Warner Bros. Discovery and Amazon Prime.
The move reverses a decision HBO Max made last September to pull out of Amazon Channels. In May 2020, Amazon said 5 million people were subscribing to HBO Max through Amazon’s streaming service. So when HBO Max cut its agreement with Amazon Channels last year, it cut off that significant chunk of subscribers.
Prime customers can sign up for HBO Max for $14.99 per month to gain access to 15,000 hours of content. HBO Max’s ad-free service currently costs $14.99 per month for anyone, Prime customer or not, and its service with ads costs $9.99 a month. (CNET gave HBO Max an Editors’ Choice Award, saying that though it’s expensive, it has a packed catalog.)
The new agreement lets Prime customers pay for both streaming services through Amazon and also gives them access to expanded content from Warner Bros. Discovery’s enhanced streaming service once it launches in 2023, according to a press release. Warner Bros. Discovery hasn’t said whether Prime customers or existing HBO Max customers will have to pay more for that combined HBO Max/Discovery Plus streaming service once it appears, according to Variety.
WarnerMedia and Discovery closed their $43 billion merger in April to unite as Warner Bros. Discovery. Ever since CEO David Zaslav took control of the combined company, he’s focused on making money as quickly as possible, and this partnership offers up one potential way to do so.
«Warner Bros. Discovery is committed to making HBO Max available to as broad an audience as possible while also advancing our data-driven approach to understanding our customers and best serving their viewing interests,» Bruce Campbell, chief revenue and strategy officer, Warner Bros. Discovery, said in the press release.
