WarnerMedia's new streaming service HBO Max is already leading the pack — in terms of price.
Though viewers will need to shell out more for the service than its competitors, the price might actually be a bargain. HBO customers already pay $14.99 a month. With HBO Max, people will pay the same amount but get more bespoke programming and 10,000 hours of previously released movies and television shows.
WarnerMedia held an investor day for its new streaming service on Tuesday, unveiling more details about the highly anticipated platform. HBO Max will be half focused on younger millennial programming, with the other half focused on entertainment for children and adults.
The service, slated to launch in May 2020, will be the home for exclusive shows based on top properties including the Game of Thrones prequel House of Targaryen and a Gossip Girl" sequel. It will also have a rebooted version of *The Boondocks and a musical series set in the Grease 1950s universe, as well as *Sesame Street" and spin-offs from the franchise.
WarnerMedia also has a goal of HBO Max reaching 50 million users by 2025. It already has a head start, given that HBO already has 37 million domestic subscribers and standalone HBO Now customers will get HBO Max for the same price.
While the service does cost three times the price of the upcoming Apple TV+, which is set to launch on November 1 at $4.99, HBO Max will come with a large library of shows and movies. Customers will also be able to find TV series including South Park, Friends, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and The Big Bang Theory. DC movies including Joker will be available at launch, among other titles.
In order to run some of this content exclusively, WarnerMedia has pulled some of the high-profile content from competitors like Netflix and Hulu. That should give HBO Max a competitive boost, considering that many of these shows are proven hits and household names.
In addition, HBO Max gets benefits from the strong HBO brand. Many consumers equate HBO with quality and award-winning programming. WarnerMedia plans to double its annual spend on HBO content to $2 billion in 2020. It's still a fraction of the $15 billion Netflix is set to spend on shows and movies this year. Even with the smaller budget, HBO dominated at the Emmys this year, taking home 34 top honors. Netflix nabbed 27, while Amazon had 15.
Still, it's not all smooth sailing ahead for HBO Max. The company could potentially dilute the brand name if it expands to shows and movies that aren't up to the same standard loyal HBO audiences are used to.
It's also the late entrant to a marketplace that will already have Apple and Disney's new streaming platforms, as well as Netflix, Hulu, and the myriad of hyperspecific streaming services that cater to niche tastes. While the $15 price point isn't unreasonable, viewers may be checking their wallets by next May to see if they have enough left in the budget to add HBO Max.
Tony Horton, fitness guru and creator of the famous P90X workout joins Cheddar News to discuss how people can stay focused and maintain fitness in the new year.
Meet Corrine Tan, American Girl’s 2022 Girl of the Year. Corrine is the first doll of Chinese descent from the company, debuting in response to a rise in hate crimes against the Asian American community. Jamie Cygielman, president and general manager of American Girl, spoke to Cheddar about the long development of the character. "As the pandemic began we started to see a lot of anti-Asian sentiment across the country," she said. "We sort of blended all of these stories together to create Corinne, an outline for Corinne, and then partnered with the wonderful author Wendy Shang to help tell that story to our fans." Cygielman also touched on linking up with AAPI Youth Rising, donating $25,000 for education efforts.
Janet Phan, founder of Thriving Elements and author of 'Boldly You,' joins Cheddar News to discuss the importance of being a mentor and how her organization is helping the next generation of STEM leaders.
Jobs website Glassdoor has released its annual Best Places to Work list with Nvidia, HubSpot, and Bain & Company. While the tech sector holds 40 percent of the rankings, Facebook parent company Meta notably dropped 36 places from last year.
Domino's is planning ahead for surging food costs, anticipating an 8 to 10 percent rise due to inflation and labor shortages. The pizza chain will be changing promotions to offset the overhead, such as making some of its discounts online orders only.
A record 4.5 million Americans quit their jobs in November as people continue to take advantage of red hot job market. The resignation rate is now the highest in the two decades the government has kept records, with many people voluntarily leaving their current jobs for other opportunities. Harley Lippman, CEO of Genesis 10, discusses how why so many people are quitting their jobs right now, and how the tech sector is being impacted.
Michelle Krebs, Executive Analyst at Cox Automotive, discusses the factors that led to Toyotas sales growth and highlights the challenges automakers have shifting to all-electric fleets.
The December jobs report was a mixed bag, with the U.S. adding just 199,000 jobs, less than half of the 422,000 forecasted. But there were some bright spots - the unemployment rate fell to a pandemic-era low of 3.9% and wages increased better than expected to 4.7% year-over-year. Heather Boushey, member of President Biden's council of economic advisers, joined Cheddar to gives her reaction to the jobs report, as well as an update on the state of the Build Back Better bill.
Amy Landers, Director of the Intellectual Property Concentration at Drexel University, breaks down what the Google-Sonos lawsuit means for consumers and addresses concerns about big corporations monopolizing patents within specific industries.
