HBO Max Streaming Service Sets Official Launch Date For May 27

WarnerMedia has set the official launch date for its buzzy streaming platform HBO Max. The streaming service, which will contain library content from Warner Bros. and its ancillary movie studios and TV networks including HBO, New Line, DC Entertainment, CNN, TNT, TBS, truTV, The CW, Cartoon Network, and more, will debut half a dozen original titles on day one.

WarnerMedia announced that HBO Max will officially launch on May 27, 2020 with a slate of six Max Originals and "10,000 hours of premium content," including the entire HBO service as well as acclaimed movie titles. New Max Originals' which include scripted and unscripted series, animation, and feature films, will be rolled out every month following the launch.

The originals that will be available on day one include the comedy series Love Life starring Anna Kendrick (who has apparently managed to nab an original in every new streaming platform), Sundance documentary On the Record, the underground ballroom dance competition Legendary, YouTuber LaurDIY's crafting show Craftopia, a new Looney Tunes Cartoons from Warner Bros. Animation, and Sesame Workshop's The Not Too Late Show with Elmo .

The launch of HBO Max comes when new streaming content is more coveted than ever, as quarantines stretch on amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. But WarnerMedia didn't rush the launch of HBO Max, which had long planned to kick off in May 2020. However, a few of the highly anticipated originals from HBO Max have been met with production delays and cancellations due to the pandemic, which may lead to a less smooth rollout than anticipated. HBO Max will be entering a market that is already packed with stiff competition, including Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, AppleTV+, Disney+, and streaming giant Netflix, which has seen a boom in business since the pandemic reached its apex. With the costliest subscription price — HBO Max will cost $14.99 per month, making it the most expensive streaming service of the major competitors in the market — its appeal may pale in comparison to Netflix's standard $12.99 and Disney+'s absurdly low $6.99 per month.

But we'll have to see how it fares when it launches on May 27, 2020.