For many years, AT&T’s audience network has been a channel dedicated to showcasing the content available on AT&T’s service. The audience network began as the Freeview in 1999; a channel that played concerts and events on continuous loops. In 2005 that channel transitioned into the satellite operators guide: the 101 network. Now the channel will be transitioning again, into a marketing outlet for HBO Max.
The company recently released a statement about the upcoming change.
“We will begin to transition Audience Network from its current approach to support AT&T’s broader original content and marketing focus on the upcoming HBO Max service,” said Daniel York, chief content officer for AT&T Consumer, in a statement. “I am proud and grateful to the team at Audience for their many successes over the years, creating unique, fresh and provocative content along with our great studio partners. Twenty years ago, we were the first pay TV provider to differentiate our content offering with the best exclusive original content, and the team truly brought to life the network vision: Always original, Never ordinary.”
HBO Max is the new HBO service, and has been marked as the the premier service out of the three streaming options offered by the company. HBO Max subscribers will have access to all of the content HBO Now and HBO Go subscribers have, as well as new content being created exclusively for the top-tier service.
So far four exclusive programs have been confirmed for HBO Max, with many more expected in the future. Broadcasting Cable News writes that “…unnamed sources cited by Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, dramas Mr. Mercedes (produced by David E. Kelley) and Condor and comedies Loudermilk and You Me Her will likely move to HBO Max, but no formal decision has been made.”
HBO Max is a big move for HBO, and AT&T transitioning the audience network to a full time marketing-promotion channel for HBO Max shows just how seriously the company is taking this venture. HBO Max will be available for everyone as of May 2020.
Sources:
https://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/at-t-to-transition-audience-network-into-marketing-channel-for-hbo-max
