WarnerMedia owned HBO will no longer be available on Amazon Prime Channels and this is a voluntary step taken by the company despite its temporary negative effects. WarnerMedia is apparently ‘okay’ with facing temporary repercussions than being associated with Amazon Prime in an attempt to make its own name in the media industry.
HBO’s subscriber members will definitely take a serious hit once the channel dissociates itself from Amazon Prime Video Channels, starting today. As mentioned in a report by Engadget, Amazon announced earlier this month that it would refund all of its users who subscribed to HBO through its Channels, so there is no worrying on that front. The cost for a subscription was USD 15 per month and that is what Amazon will refund back to its customers.
The report further highlights the fact that Amazon has reportedly refused to support or entertain HBO Max if it is not available through Channels. HBO would lose somewhere around 5 to 6 million subscribers as a part of this voluntary move by WarnerMedia that was agreed upon by both companies last year.
What will HBO do now? Well, go into losses for the very first thing. But you need to acknowledge the facts on why would an established entertainment company like WarnerMedia move away from the world’s largest technology company, Amazon? The reason is “individuality”.
WarnerMedia is aiming to cut down the middleman from the equation and maintain a direct relationship with its HBO Max customers. The entertainment company is willing to lose a handful of subscribers (estimated to be around 5 million) so that it can make its own mark in the industry as a streaming platform.
However, HBO Max supplication is still available on Amazon Fire TV devices, so those users who switched from HBO on Amazon Prime channels to HBO Max on Amazon Fire TV, they should not be facing any disturbance with subscriptions and refunds. While, for the other half of the lot, Amazon will soon be rolling out the mentioned refunds.
WarnerMedia is confident that HBO Max as a streaming platform will stand out and beat the odds of competing against Amazon Prime, Netflix, and others.
Amazon on the other hand that recently lost HBO from its Channel, and will now begin to offer more discounts on services including Paramount+, Starz, and more.
