AT&T's New Streaming Service to Be Called HBO Max, With ‘Friends' as a Top Offering

AT&T Inc. is relying on HBO and a little help from "Friends" to anchor its new streaming service, an attempt to challenge Netflix Inc.The company's WarnerMedia division announced Tuesday that it will call the online platform "HBO Max," following through on a pledge to make the premium network the heart of its streaming strategy. It also said the sitcom "Friends" -- currently a popular show on Netflix -- will be going to the new service, which is slated to debut next spring.AT&T acquired Time Warner last year, and the new streaming service is a key test of its efforts to capitalize on a sprawling telecom and media empire. It's racing with Walt Disney Co. and Comcast Corp.'s NBCUniversal, which are also launching new streaming services.All three companies are playing catch-up to Netflix, which has nearly 150 million customers for its streaming service. Netflix already operates around the world, while the new products will start in the U.S. HBO Max also is coming later than originally expected: WarnerMedia had previously been aiming to release the service at the end of this year.  Continue reading...