WarnerMedia Says Many Charter Customers Will Automatically Get HBO Max

HBO Max will be available through Charter starting next month, parent company WarnerMedia has announced. The availability will arrive under a multi-year distribution deal between Charter and WarnerMedia, according to the latter company, which says that Charter's existing HBO customers will automatically get access to the new streaming service.

HBO Max is a new streaming service that will be available starting in May with a mixture of existing and original content, including hit shows like Friends, Westworld, Doctor Who, Gossip Girl, Euphoria, and more. Charter will distribute the service to its customers under this new pact, WarnerMedia says, with the option to sign up for HBO Max directly through the service provider.

The Charter distribution deal will go live on the same day the HBO Max service launches to the public next month. This is the first distribution deal WarnerMedia has inked with a service provider, though it seems likely that others will pop up at some point in the future.

Assuming you're an eligible Charter customer, the HBO Max service won't cost anything extra; you'll just need to sign in using the HBO Max app. If you're not one of those customers, you'll need to sign up for HBO Max either through its service or through Charter — the price will be $15/month, making it one of the pricier streaming services.

In a statement, Charter's Executive VP of Programming Acquisition Tom Montemagno said:

We are eager to provide Spectrum customers with the highly-anticipated HBO Max offering when it makes its debut next month. This new premium streaming experience will be a welcome addition to Spectrum subscribers; we will offer HBO Max on a multitude of platforms for purchase by our video, broadband and mobile customers alike.