HBO Max is full of potential, but its biggest hurdle remains AT&T’s messy execution

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t launch, new streaming services prompt the same question: what can I watch? But HBO Max also elicits a different line of questioning: how is this different from HBO Now? From HBO Go? From AT&T TV Now? Do I have to pay extra for this, or is it wrapped into my HBO package?

HBO Max, which is set to launch tomorrow, May 27th, is AT&T and WarnerMedia’s new crown jewel in the streaming space — a general entertainment platform that will compete with big dogs like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu. It’s the streaming service that AT&T is using to make a name for itself in the direct-to-consumer marketplace at a truly competitive level (compared to a more niche product like HBO Now), which will also tie into AT&T’s broadband and mobile businesses.

AT&T is using every distribution platform to make it as simple as possible for people to sign up or transfer over, with the notable exception of Amazon and Roku at the time of this writing. If everything goes according to the telecom company’s plans, people using AT&T’s broadband and mobile services will spend more time watching HBO Max, and, in turn, HBO Max will help boost its other products.

On paper, HBO Max makes a lot of sense. For $15 a month (or $12 a month for the first year if customers signed up via AT&T’s HBO Max website), subscribers get access to an impressive library of classic Warner Bros. titles, Cartoon Network shows, the Studio Ghibli films, DC Universe movies, new originals, and HBO’s entire collection. That’s a lot more than what HBO Now subscribers are getting for $15 a month.

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