The new HBO Max streaming platform launched on May 27

The new HBO Max video on demand platform, which promises to be a major player in this already saturated market, will be officially launched on May 27, the WarnerMedia group announced on Tuesday. The service is behind its competitors Apple and Disney, which launched at the end of 2019, not to mention Netflix, Amazon or Hulu, which have occupied the niche for several years.

Read also: To win in the streaming war, HBO Max calls on Game of Thrones

It also has the distinction of offering a price significantly higher than its competitors, at 14.99 dollars per month, against 8.99 for Netflix, 6.99 for Disney + or even only 4.99 dollars for Apple TV +. This is due in part to the fact that the HBO cable channel, which will form the backbone of the service, is already billed at $ 14.99 alone.

WarnerMedia, a subsidiary of the cable operator AT&T, is betting on quality, which has forged the success and brand image of HBO, recognized worldwide for its series ("The Sopranos", "On listening", " Sex and the City "," Game of Thrones "). As of its launch, HBO Max will offer more than 10,000 hours of programs, including all of the HBO programs.

"Friends" and "The Big Bang Theory"

To make a place in this already very crowded landscape, WarnerMedia has also bought the rights to the series "Friends", an audience engine that has long had the heyday of Netflix, as well as those of "The Big Bang Theory", another popular phenomenon. In total, for the catalog of these two series, the group spent nearly a billion dollars, according to several American media.

WarnerMedia has also produced a series of original programs dedicated to HBO Max, including a science fiction series directed by Ridley Scott, "Raised by Wolves". The platform will also offer a catalog of leading films, with, among other things, the exclusivity of films from Studio Ghibli, the famous Japanese animation studio.

WarnerMedia targets between 75 and 90 million subscribers by the end of 2025 in the United States, Latin America and Europe. Customers already subscribed to the HBO channel will have access to HBO Max without paying more. WarnerMedia has not yet announced a launch date for the service outside the United States.