After more than a year since HBO Max was removed from Amazon Prime Video Channels, it’s made its way back to Prime Video, Amazon and Warner Bros. Discovery announced today.
Prime members can now go to HBO Max’s dedicated homepage on Prime Video and subscribe for $14.99 per month – with no additional downloads required. Once subscribed, they will be able to watch over 15,000 of HBO Max premium content like “House of the Dragon,” “The White Lotus,” “Succession” and more.
Most notably, Prime customers who subscribe to HBO Max will get access to WBD’s combined HBO Max-Discovery+ streaming service – which may be called “Max” – when it launches next year.
“Warner Bros. Discovery is committed to making HBO Max available to as broad an audience as possible while also advancing our data-driven approach to understanding our customers and best serving their viewing interests,” stated Bruce Campbell, chief revenue and strategy officer at WBD. “Today, we are thrilled to take an important step forward by announcing that HBO Max is returning to Prime Video Channels.”
HBO Max initially exited Amazon Channels in August 2021, when the streamer was still run by WarnerMedia. Though the company noted that move would negatively impact HBO Max’s subscriber count, Andy Forssell, then-general manager of HBO Max, told Bloomberg Amazon limited the service’s ability to build direct relationships with consumers.
Media reports back in July suggested Amazon and WBD were working on a new distribution agreement for HBO Max, one that would include additional terms like data sharing about viewing behavior. Discovery+, which already exists as a Prime Video add-on, has been testing data sharing with Amazon since last year.
“It’s truly been a milestone year for Prime Video, and we are humbled by the viewer engagement and critics’ response to our marquee releases,” said Cem Sibay, VP at Prime Video, in a statement. “Now with the addition of HBO Max again, customers can easily add this subscription and enjoy even more award-winning and fan favorite entertainment on Prime Video.”
Prime Video has surged in popularity in the domestic streaming market, with Parks Associates recently unveiling the service overtook Netflix as the most subscribed-to streaming app in the U.S. in 2022.
Amazon this year has worked to increase its content offering on Prime Video. In September it kicked off a sports streaming deal for the NFL’s Thursday Night Football, averaging 10.8 million viewers in the first five games of the season.
Another major premiere on Prime was “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” which in its first episode reeled in 25 million viewers globally. The prequel series also carried a high price tag, with VPN Overview noting each episode cost about $60 million to produce.