HBO Max is coming back to Amazon.
More than a year after the streaming service was pulled from Prime Video Channels (which sells third-party streaming services through Amazon Prime), the tech giant and Warner Bros. said. Discovery Tuesday that they have a new deal to bring back HBO Max.
HBO Max will be available from December 6 for $14.99 per month (the cheaper ad-supported tier doesn’t appear to be available as of now), and subscribers will have access to the new service which will include Discovery content when it launches next year . The current offering includes around 15,000 hours of content.
HBO Max left Amazon Prime Video Channels in September 2021, causing HBO Max to lose around 5 million subscribers. Channels has proven itself over the years as an engine for adapting subscribers to video services, with the likes of Paramount+, AMC+ and Starz using the platform.
But Amazon’s reduction in the subscription price, as well as its control over the viewing environment, has made it difficult to sell for some other services like Netflix and Disney+. Of course, Amazon has its own premium streaming service in Prime Video and a free ad-supported offering in FreeVee, but the company wants to become a one-stop shop for video, hence the investment in Channels.
In addition, owning the platform also provides a rich set of data that can be extremely valuable to media and entertainment companies, although a statement from WBD Chief Revenue and Strategy Officer Bruce Campbell suggests WBD will have access to at least some of the data from Amazon. collects.
“Warner Bros. Discovery is committed to making HBO Max available to the widest possible audience, while also advancing our data-driven approach to understanding our customers and best serving their viewing interests,” said Campbell.
HBO Max was pulled from Amazon Channels by then WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar, who wanted more direct control over the streaming environment. Under CEO David Zaslav, WBD has taken a more flexible approach, seeking to maximize revenue through a wide variety of deals related to both content and distribution.
