Not that Netflix was the only streaming game in town, but they did just get some heavy-hitting competition. And nope, it’s not Disney+. It’s the new subscriber service that we’ve been calling WarnerMedia for months, a name that doesn’t exactly inspire a lot of excitement. Well, that service has now been given the attention-grabbing title of HBO Max, and the first big move is to take one of Netflix’s most popular shows off the table.
HBO Max is set to launch in spring 2020, boasting more than 10,000 hours of content with a vast array of original programming and exclusives. We already know this will be the place to check out the Gremlins animated prequel series, as well as Dune: The Sisterhood, a companion to Denis Villeneuve’s upcoming movie.
This will also be the new exclusive home for Friends, which Netflix has been shelling out hundreds of millions of dollars to keep. The sitcom may have been off the air since 2004 but the romantic escapes of Rachel, Phoebe, Chandler, Monica, Joey, and Ross is arguably Netflix’s most popular series in terms of viewership. It’s a huge loss, which is why Netflix expressed their grief on Twitter…
The One Where We Have To Say Goodbye.We’re sorry to see Friends go to Warner’s streaming service at the beginning of 2020 (in The US). Thanks for the memories, gang ☕
— Netflix US (@netflix) July 9, 2019
On top of all that, HBO Max will feature exclusive films from Greg Berlanti, basically the guy who creates every popular show on the CW. Along with that, the streaming service will be the exclusive streaming home for some of his shows, including Riverdale and Batwoman. And because this is Warner Bros., their extensive libraries and those of New Line, DC Entertainment, CNN, TNT, TBS, truTV, The CW, Turner Classic Movies, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Crunchyroll, Rooster Teeth, and Looney Tunes will be included.
Sheesh.
It’s unclear what the pricepoint is going to be, but with such a large amount of content HBO Max is going to be tough to ignore, as much as we may want to.
