HBO Max Packs a Punch, If Only It Were Ready for Prime Time
The new online-video app from AT&T is rich in content, but its late entry to the streaming wars may set it back.
A telecommunications behemoth and some of its old hands take their turn on the red carpet.
Photographer: Presley Ann/WarnerMediaHBO Max — the much-anticipated online video offering unveiled by AT&T Inc. Tuesday evening — is compelling. It’s expensive. And it’s very late. That’s true whether you’re simply a consumer of TV, or a shareholder of the wireless giant.
During an event held in Los Angeles that served as a cross between a movie premiere and a corporate earnings call, AT&T’s WarnerMedia division showcased HBO Max in what was considered a critical opportunity to validate the phone company’s foray into streaming with its signature product. It’s also the capstone project of AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson’s more than two-year fight to acquire Time Warner.