Warner Bros Discovery is testing the integration of its linear HBO cable channels through the streaming service Max for a handful of subscribers.
On Wednesday, the company said its linear channels will offer hit shows like “Game of Thrones,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “Succession” along with documentaries, sports shows and licensed films.
The channels are the same linear networks available on cable and satellite. Some services, like Amazon’s Prime Video Channels, The Roku Channel and the Walt Disney Company’s Hulu, have offered access to HBO’s linear feeds over streaming when a customer buys a subscription to Max through those platforms.
Beyond that, HBO’s linear networks have mostly been exclusive to cable, satellite and streaming cable-like platforms: While the premium content brand brought its shows and movies to the Internet through the HBO Go service for the first time in 2010, shows and movies have only been available to stream on-demand those that app during its evolution, which includes HBO Now, HBO Max and the present-day Max. By comparison, other services like Paramount-owned Showtime have offered some or all linear channels through their over-the-top apps for some years.
That might change in the near future, if WBD’s test proves popular with streamers who are looking for a casual, lean-back experience that has found some success on other services like Pluto TV, Fox Corporation’s Tubi and Amazon’s soon-to-be-defunct Freevee.
Streamers who are part of the limited test will see a row called “Channels” when they open the Max app, though they may have to scroll down a few rows before it pops up.
The Max app is not the first to offer linear channels from WBD: The Adult Swim app has included marathon channels of programs like “Robot Chicken,” “Rick & Morty” and “Black Jesus” for some time. Those streams could eventually come to Max, and others Max-exclusive streams involving specific content or themes may launch in the future, if all goes well with WBD’s limited test of the HBO linear channels, executives said.
