HBO Max launch date confirmed for May: Here’s what’s on it and how much it’ll cost

HBO Max launch date is confirmed for May 27. It’ll have all the HBO shows as well as shows like Friends and The Big Bang Theory and cost $15 per month.

There is a new power broker in the ongoing streaming wars that has been dominated in recent years by Netflix but has seen new and emerging threats coming for its crown. The latest contender is HBO Max which launches its streaming service on May 27, the company announced in a press release.

“Our number one goal is having extraordinary content for everyone in the family, and the HBO Max programming mix we are so excited to unveil on May 27th will bear that out,” said Robert Greenblatt, Chairman of Warner Media Entertainment and Direct-To-Consumer. “Even in the midst of this unprecedented pandemic, the all-star teams behind every aspect of HBO Max will deliver a platform and a robust slate of content that is varied, of the highest quality, and second to none. I’m knocked out by the breadth and depth of our new offering, from the Max originals, our Warner Bros library and acquisition titles from around the world, and of course the entirety of HBO.”

For Netflix subscribers who loathed the fact that the licensing rights to Friends were lost and the popular sitcom was removed will be happy to know HBO Max will be carrying every episode of Friends and will have an exclusive Freinds reunion special.

In addition to Friends, shows like The Big Bang Theory, Doctor Who, Rick and Morty, The Boondocks, The Bachelor, Sesame Street, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The O.C., Pretty Little Liars, South Park, Gossip Girl, The West Wing, CW shows like Batwoman, Nancy Drew and Katy Keene and CNN programs like Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown will also be available on HBO Max.

In addition to all of those programs, the HBO inventory of titles will be streaming as well, naturally. Programs like The Sopranos, Game of Thrones, Six Feet Under and Westworld will also be joined by movies Crazy Rich Asians, A Star is Born, Aquaman and Joker, among others through the HBO catalog.

But it’s also got some of the classic movies to mix in with the new releases for a dose of nostalgia for whenever you need it.

Casablanca, The Wizard of Oz, The Matrix, The Goonies, When Harry Met Sally, The Lord of the Rings, Citizen Kane, Gremlins, the Lego movies, every DC film from the last decade, including Wonder Woman, Justice League and every Batman and Superman movie from the last 40 years will be on HBO Max.

HBO Max will cost $15 per month at the rollout. This is slightly more than what Netflix charges with variances for the number of screens and watching in 4K.

Will that price turn off some consumers who already subscribe to Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, Disney+? Perhaps, but there will be just as many who fork over the price of a movie ticket for a month’s worth of premium content.

Expect HBO Max to be a big hit and carve out its own space in the streaming game, but it won’t be overtaking Netflix as the king of the stream.