Warner Media yesterday revealed that the ad-included edition of HBO Max will launch the first week of June and cost $9.99 a month.
The price, which will be $5 less than the regular HBO Max (which has no ads), will include the streamer’s entire catalog except for ‘same-day’ theatrical releases. Warner Media is releasing its entire 2021 theatrical slate on the same day in theaters and HBO Max. The practice, which was driven partially by declining movie theater attendance due to the pandemic, is expected to end after this year.
Warner Media has been expected to offer a less-expensive, ad-included edition of HBO Max to boost subscriptions. The service has more than 64 million subscribers worldwide, but still lags behind Netflix and Disney Plus. At $9.99, the ad-included HBO Max will be $4 a month less than Netflix’s Standard plan (with no ads), but $2 more than Disney+’s $7.99 a month package. (Netflix also has a $8.99 a month plan which does include high-def programming.)
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“HBO Max with Ads will bring our beloved entertainment brands and franchises to even more consumers at this new, lower price point-while, for the first time, elegantly connecting brands to the premium, iconic IP that defines this service,” said Tony Goncalves, executive vice president and chief revenue officer for Warner Media.
Warner Media did not say how many ads would be included in the reduced-price edition of HBO Max, but promised it would feature “the lightest ad load in the streaming industry.”
The ads-free version of HBO Max will continue at $14.99 a month.
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