HBO set to join YouTube TV’s streaming lineup this spring

By Nick Woodard February 20, 2020

Streaming enthusiasts just got a Westworld-sized reason to sign up for YouTube TV.

In a post on its official Twitter account, YouTube TV announced that HBO is headed to the streaming service in the spring. A press release confirmed that WarnerMedia, a division of AT&T Inc., and YouTube TV have reached an agreement to add access to both HBO and Cinemax services to YouTube TV.

We're feeling pret-tay, pret-tay good about this news we have to share with you…@HBO is coming to YouTube TV this spring. Welcome to the family!

— YouTube TV (@YouTubeTV) February 20, 2020

The press release also announced that HBO Max, the company’s upcoming reorganization of its streaming services, will be available to YouTube TV subscribers when it launches in May 2020.

The agreement essentially expands upon a previous deal between the companies, which made WarnerMedia networks TBS, TNT, truTV, CNN, HLN, Turner Classic Movies, Adult Swim and Cartoon Network available on YouTube TV in 2018.

As for HBO itself being packaged with YouTube TV, the actual launch date and pricing model are still under wraps. There is, however, precedent for HBO to be offered as an add-on. YouTube TV currently offers both Showtime and Epix in the form of add-ons, so introducing HBO in the same fashion would make sense.

And, with season 3 of Westworld set to premiere Sunday, March 15, it seems like a pretty safe bet that HBO will integrate into the YouTube TV service before then.

Currently, YouTube TV competes with other live TV streaming services like AT&T TV Now, Sling TV, and Hulu+ Live TV. With a $50 monthly cost for standard service, subscribers get access to over 70 traditional cable and broadcast channels.

One of the more intriguing aspects of YouTube TV is its unlimited Cloud DVR feature that allows subscribers to record as much content as they want and store all of it for up to nine months at a time. This means plenty of space to make sure Curb Your Enthusiasm and other HBO hits are always ready to watch.

HBO, meanwhile, offers its own stand-alone streaming service, HBO Now, for $15 a month. It also has HBO Go (confusing, we know), an included service for those who already have HBO through a cable package, and it’s upcoming HBO Max streaming service, which is intended to fold everything into one service.

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