HBO Max and HBO have 47 million U.S. subscribers, AT&T revealed in its second-quarter 2021 earnings report Thursday. That’s up from the 44.2 million combined subs the WarnerMedia parent company reported for its premium cable channel and streaming service at the end of Q1.
Per AT&T, HBO and HBO Max added 2.8 million domestic subscribers by the conclusion of the quarter ended June 30, with subscriptions up 10.7 million year over year. Worldwide, HBO and HBO Max hit 67.5 million, which is up 12 million over last year.
In the breakdown of domestic subscribers, 31.5 million are “wholesale” customers who subscribe to HBO and get HBO Max for free as a result, while 12.1 million “retail” customers subscribe directly to HBO Max (either the commercial-free or ad-supported versions). AT&T did not break out the number of “activations” of HBO Max accounts by those who already have HBO, as the company has done in previous earnings reports.
HBO Max’s global rollout began at the very end of Q2, when the service launched in Latin America and the Caribbean on June 29. More territories will be getting the platform soon, and the company said Thursday it expects HBO and HBO Max subs to reach 70-73 million globally by the end of the year.
WarnerMedia launched its ad-supported version of HBO Max, which costs $9.99 per month, on June 2, more than a year after the commercial-free option debuted. Also during Q2, the long-awaited “Friends: The Reunion” special featuring the original stars of the hit Warner Bros. TV-produced comedy finally premiered on HBO Max. The unscripted event, which began streaming May 27, was originally supposed to be a launch title for HBO Max last May but was delayed due to the pandemic.
Along with “Friends: The Reunion,” other big titles to begin streaming on HBO Max in Q2 include the HBO series “Mare of Easttown” and “The Nevers” and HBO Max original “Made for Love,” as well as the Warner Bros. films “Mortal Kombat,” “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It” and “In the Heights.”
In March, AT&T updated its long-term forecast, saying it expects HBO Max and HBO to reach between 120 million and 150 million subscribers worldwide by the end of 2025.
AT&T said on May 17 it was spinning off WarnerMedia (and thus HBO and HBO Max) into an independent company that will merge with Discovery, Inc. The full valuation of the newly combined company, named Warner Bros. Discovery, is estimated to be $130 billion.
The company reported its second-quarter 2021 earnings Thursday. You can read more about the company’s Q2 2021 earnings here.
AT&T executives will host a conference call at 8:30 a.m. ET to discuss the results in greater detail.
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