Hulu has reached a deal to make HBO and Cinemax available to Hulu’s live and on-demand subscribers as premium add-ons.
HBO and Cinemax are owned by Time Warner, which bought a stake in Hulu last year.
Hulu subscribers will be able to buy HBO for $14.99 a month and Cinemax for $9.99 a month. The deal comes just before the July 16 premiere of season seven of HBO’s big hit Game of Thrones.
“By combining HBO’s iconic programming with our world class user experience and deep content offering, Hulu is giving viewers easy and highly personalized access to the very best of television,” said Tim Connolly, senior vice president and head of distribution and partnerships at Hulu. “With this important new partnership, fans can now watch Game of Thrones live every Sunday, binge watch all six seasons of The Sopranos or catch up on Westworld alongside our live TV, sports, classic TV shows and Hulu originals – all without ever having to leave the Hulu app.”
AT&T’s DirecTV Now is offering HBO free for an introductory period. HBO also offers its own over-the-top service, HBO Now, directly to subscribers.
“Hulu has been a pioneer in the television streaming business, building a robust user base by offering top-tier programming from a variety of networks,” said Sofia Chang, HBO executive vice president, worldwide digital distribution and home entertainment. “We see them as the perfect partner to help us fulfill our promise to HBO fans, bringing our unparalleled programming to audiences in the most sophisticated, convenient and innovative ways.”
East and West Coast live feeds of HBO and Cinemax will be available to Hulu viewers on supported devices.
Subscribers who purchase the HBO add-on through Hulu will also gain access to HBO Now through their Hulu account. In the coming weeks additional live channels HBO 2, HBO Family, HBO Latino, HBO Comedy, HBO Signature HD, HBO Zone, MoreMAX HD, ActionMAX HD, ThrillerMAX HD, MovieMAX HD, 5StarMAX HD and OuterMAX HD will become available to Hulu viewers within the add-ons, the company said.
