AT&T CEO Says HBO Max Is Ahead Of Plan, Says Movie Debuts Will Build Engagement

HBO Max’s growth is progressing ahead of plans, according to AT&T CEO John Stankey. Stankey was speaking at the UBS Global TMT Virtual Investor Conference, where he gave an update on where HBO Max stands six months after its launch – especially with the bold plans the streaming service has for 2021. According to Stankey, “I’m really pleased with where we are with HBO Max. We’re actually ahead of plan. We think it’s a great way to penetrate the market faster and quicker… It’s a good example of the kind of approach to the markets we’re trying to drive and it’s going to build our engagement.”

Additional reporting from the event says that Stankey now cites the number of HBO Max subscribers to be 12.6M, up from 8.6M at the last announcement.

It’s actually fascinating to see the progression of HBO Max after its initial launch. Back in May, when HBO Max launched, it seemed like the streaming service was having trouble getting out of the gate. Despite optimistic spin from executives, a simple glance at the numbers said that new subscribers weren’t flocking to the service in great numbers – and a considerable amount of people who had free access to the new service through ATT&T and other HBO services (HBO Go, HBO Now) were failing to convert their accounts to HBO Max.

However, things were in a process of change of big change at WarnerMedia when HBO Max launched. Former Hulu and Amazon executive Jason Kilar was named CEO of WarnerMedia. Kilar brought a new kind of experience to the table, having helped shaped some of the more successful digital media and entertainment brands. Kilar’s influence quickly became apparent, as HBO Max began to reorganize itself by doing things like fully consolidating the DC brand under HBO Max, and retooling the DC Universe streaming service into a DC Comics archive.

In addition to restructuring the existing service, WarnerMedia helped set HBO Max up for a bigger, better, future. Major tie-ins to the DC movies have been announced (Gotham P.D., Peacemaker, Green Lantern Corps); the infamous Zack Snyder version of Justice League was finally slated to be released on the service; and HBO original programming like The Vow and The Undoing brought mainstream exposure that only helped boost HBO Max’s visibility. With the announcement that Warner Bros. will release its slate of 2021 movies on HBO Max at the same time as theaters, the streaming service is now poised to be the breakout success of next year.