Charter Communications Will Distribute HBOMax Streaming Service

By Brian Steinberg

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Charter Communications subscribers who get HBO are about to receive something else: HBOMax,.

The WarnerMedia streaming-video service will be made available to all of Charter’s existing HBO subscribers, the two companies said Wednesday. There will be no additional charge for the new package, but customers will have to sign in to the HBOMax app. Other customers will be able to purchase HBOMax from Charter if they want it. The move lends a boost to WarnerMedia in its quest to enter the industry’s streaming wars. Comcast-backed rival Peacock is being distributed to Comcast and Cox customers, while Walt Disney’s Disney Plus was made available to Verizon subscribers.

“Charter has been a longtime distributor of our networks and on-demand content, and a valued partner to our company,” said Rich Warren, president of WarnerMedia Distribution, in a statement. “We look forward to working together to bring HBO Max to Spectrum subscribers when the product launches next month.”

WarnerMedia plans to launch HBOMax in May with 10,000 hours of library content. It will be anchored by HBO’s slate of original programs, movies and speicals.

“We are eager to provide Spectrum customers with the highly-anticipated HBO Max offering when it makes its debut next month,” said Tom Montemagno, Charter’s executive vice president of programming acquisition, in a statement. “This new premium streaming experience will be a welcome addition to Spectrum subscribers; we will offer HBO Max on a multitude of platforms for purchase by our video, broadband and mobile customers alike.”