WarnerMedia, securing another distribution deal for its flagship HBO Max streaming service, inked a pact with Disney-controlled Hulu to make HBO Max available to subscribers when the platform launches later this month.
Under the terms of the agreement, most existing HBO subscribers on Hulu will be automatically upgraded to HBO Max as of the May 27 launch date for no additional cost. However, some Hulu customers with HBO who are billed through a third-party may not be eligible for HBO Max.
Eligible new and existing Hulu subscribers will be able to purchase HBO Max directly through Hulu for $14.99 per month, through any Hulu package (including the entry-level tier with ads, the ad-free version, and Hulu + Live TV).
Hulu customers who subscribe to HBO Max will still be able to view all HBO programming within the Hulu app as before. However, to access the extra HBO Max content (including Max Originals) they will need to use the HBO Max app, by signing in using their Hulu login credentials.
The deal with Hulu is the latest announced by WarnerMedia for HBO Max, following similar pacts with Apple, Charter Communications, Google and YouTube TV. HBO Max subscriptions also will be available directly, as well as from AT&T (WarnerMedia’s parent), which is bundling HBO Max free for high-end service tiers.
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Companies not yet on board for HBO Max’s launch at this point include Comcast, Dish Network/Sling TV, Roku, Amazon (via Prime Video Channels), Verizon and Altice USA. (HBO has been dark on Dish and Sling TV since November 2018, so don’t hold your breath on a deal there.)
Hulu, which Disney acquired full control over in a deal with Comcast last year, had 30.4 million total subscribers as the end of 2019. Of those, 3.2 million subscribed to the Hulu + Live TV package.
At launch, WarnerMedia says HBO Max will be stocked with 10,000 hours of content, including full seasons of “Friends,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “Doctor Who,” “Rick and Morty,” “The Bachelor,” “Sesame Street,” “Pretty Little Liars,” and more, along with Warner Bros. movies like “Joker,” “Wonder Woman” and “The Matrix”; content from other WarnerMedia brands like TNT, TBS and Adult Swim; and a slate of originals.
