• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, August 12, 2021

AT&T has confirmed that HBO Max and HBO will no longer be offered through Amazon Prime Video Channels as of this year’s third quarter.

AT&T -- which had announced the move back in November but had not specified a time frame -- said that providing access to Amazon Prime Video users solely through the HBO Max app will affect U.S. subscriber numbers in Q3, but that the impact has already been built into guidance for 2021.

AT&T’s WarnerMedia has projected that HBO and HBO Max combined will reach 70 million to 73 million subscribers globally by year-end.

The platforms added 2.8 million subscribers in the second quarter, bringing the U.S. and global totals to 47 million and 67.5 million, respectively.

Last year, Amazon said more than 5 million HBO subscribers were accessing HBO through Prime Video Channels.

Back in 2018, TDG estimated that nearly 53% of HBO’s D2C subscribers came from Amazon Channels.

WarnerMedia described the removal of access to the services through Amazon Prime Video Channels as a strategic decision.

HBO Max was unavailable on Amazon Fire TV devices for six months after its launch in May 2020.

To get Max on the Fire devices, WarnerMedia ultimately agreed to extend its Amazon Web Services contract and keep its archival content as a Prime Video channel.

Users have had to log into HBO Max to see the platform’s originals and other exclusives.

The HBO app on Fire TV and Fire tablets automatically transitioned to become the HBO Max app.

Making the HBO Max app the sole entry point for users and retaining control of user data is critical for the ad targeting now needed for Max’s ad-supported version, as well as for retention and product extension marketing.

In addition, Amazon reportedly keeps 30% of revenue generated by the subscribers it generates for streaming partners.