HBO Max Is Back on Amazon Prime Video
Brian Welk
Though it was an entire parent company earlier, it was only a little over a year ago that HBO Max was pulled from Amazon Prime Video. But on Tuesday, the service’s new regime, Warner Bros. Discovery, struck a fresh deal with Amazon to once again make HBO Max available to Prime Video users.
Amazon customers who would rather watch “House of the Dragon” through the Prime Video app can now do so again for $14.99 per month: the same price as an HBO Max subscription. These subscribers will also have access Warner Bros. Discovery’s new streamer, which will combine HBO Max and Discovery+, when it launches at some point next year.
Previously, HBO was available as a premium add-on to streamers such as Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and Apple TV+: a model still used by Starz, AMC and Sundance Now. That changed last year when then-owners AT&T removed that availability. Executives said then that they wanted to have more of a direct relationship with their customers, and the prior arrangement with Amazon limited some of the viewership data available to HBO Max executives. (At that time, HBO Max still had major ambitions to make it a destination streaming app and compete with the likes of Netflix and Disney+.)
But the decision by AT&T brass reportedly cost the service five million subscribers, who were suddenly without access to HBO Max content and didn’t make the jump to the new (and sometimes buggy) HBO Max app. Bloomberg had reported as far back as July that once Warner Bros. Discovery took over, Zaslav and company picked back up talks with Amazon on a new deal with HBO Max.
The new agreement will give Amazon Prime Video customers the chance to catch the Season 2 finale of “The White Lotus” as well as the upcoming debuts of the fourth season of “Doom Patrol,” the Max Original concert special “Lizzo: Live in Concert” on New Year’s Eve, and HBO’s “The Last of Us” on January 15 (based on the acclaimed Naughty Dog video game).
“We strive to offer customers the best and widest selection of premium content available for their everyday viewing experience,” said Prime Video vice president Cem Sibay in a press release. “It’s truly been a milestone year for Prime Video, and we are humbled by the viewer engagement and critics’ response to our marquee releases. Now with the addition of HBO Max again, customers can easily add this subscription and enjoy even more award-winning and fan favorite entertainment on Prime Video.”
“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. Today, we are thrilled to take an important step forward by announcing that HBO Max is returning to Prime Video Channels,” added Bruce Campbell, chief revenue and strategy officer for Warner Bros. Discovery.
