HBO Max on Hulu; offer undercuts Netflix
May 4, 2020
WarnerMedia and US streaming service Hulu have reached a distribution agreement that will make HBO Max, WarnerMedia’s streaming offering, available to Hulu subscribers when it launches on May 27th 2020.
In a press statement, WarnerMedia said: “A valued distributor of our networks for a number of years, Hulu joins our growing roster of distribution partners that will offer HBO Max on day one, giving customers choice in where and how they access the offering’s 10,000 hours of curated content.”
Eligible and existing Hulu and Hulu + Live TV subscribers will be able to purchase HBO Max for $14.99 per month.
HBO Max will offer around 10,000 hours of original and library programming from HBO, Turner and more when it debuts in 3 weeks.
Meanwhile, HBO Max is offering a promotional price that brings it below that of Netflix. HBO says those who sign up as early birds will receive a 20% discount at $11.99 per month for 12 months, full price will be $14.99.
New sign-ups and ‘returning eligible’ HBO Now subscribers – will get the offer which is a dollar cheaper than Netflix standard plan and the same as Hulu’s ad-free tier.
Customers have to purchase the package directly from WarnerMedia and not through a distributor, so HBO Now customers who pay for their subscription through such third parties will miss out on the promo. Google and Apple both taking a 30% commission on any transaction on their app stores.