HBO: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia


Article Images

Line 1:

{{short description|American pay television network}}

{{about|the U.S. pay television channel|HBO in other countries|List of HBO international channels|the streaming service formerly known as HBO Max|Max (streaming service)|other uses}}

{{Redirect|Home Box Office|the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned parent subsidiary|Home Box Office, Inc.}}

{{distinguish|HBOS}}

Line 6:

{{Infobox television channel

| name = HBO

| logo = [[File:HBO logo.svg|frameless|class=skin-invert]]

| type = [[Pay television|Premium television network]]

| country = [[United States]]

Line 83:

| online_chan_4 = (subscription to Max add-on required to access linear feeds and VOD content){{NoteTag|DirecTV Stream customers are required to subscribe to one of its base programming tiers in order to purchase the Max add-on.}}

}}

''' Home Box Office''' ('''HBO''') is an American [[pay television]] network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary [[Home Box Office, Inc.]], itself a unit owned by [[Warner Bros. Discovery]]. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based at Warner Bros. Discovery's corporate headquarters inside [[30 Hudson Yards]] in [[Manhattan]]'s [[West Side (Manhattan)|West Side]] district. Programming featured on the network consists primarily of theatrically released [[feature film|motion pictures]] and [[Original programming|original]] television programs as well as made-for-cable movies, documentaries, occasional comedy, and concert [[television special|specials]], and periodic [[Interstitial television show|interstitial programs]] (consisting of short films and [[making-of]] documentaries).

HBO is the oldest subscription television service in the United States still in operation, as well as the country's first [[Cable television in the United States|cable-originated]] television network (both as a regional [[microwave transmission|microwave]]- and national [[communications satellite|satellite]]-transmitted service).<ref>{{Cite news |last=Brandon |first=Elissaveta M. |date=May 26, 2023 |title=What was HBO Max thinking? 3 experts decode the rebrand blunder of the year |work=[[Fast Company]] |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/90901410/what-was-hbo-max-thinking-three-branding-experts-decode-the-rebrand-blunder-of-the-year |url-status=live |access-date=October 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230601011419/https://www.fastcompany.com/90901410/what-was-hbo-max-thinking-three-branding-experts-decode-the-rebrand-blunder-of-the-year |archive-date=June 1, 2023}}</ref> HBO pioneered modern pay television upon its launch on November 8, 1972: it was the first television service to be directly transmitted and distributed to individual cable television systems, and was the conceptual blueprint for the "premium channel", pay television services sold to subscribers for an extra monthly fee that do not accept [[television advertisement|traditional advertising]] and present their programming without [[expurgation|editing for objectionable material]]. It eventually became the first television channel in the world to begin transmitting via [[communications satellite|satellite]]—expandingsatellite—expanding the growing regional pay service, originally available to cable and [[Multichannel Multipoint Distribution Service|multipoint distribution service (MDS)]] providers in the northern [[Mid-Atlantic (United States)|Mid-Atlantic]] and southern [[New England]], into a national television network—in September 1975, and, alongside sister channel [[Cinemax]], was among the first two American pay television services to offer complimentary [[Multiplex (television)|multiplexed channels]] in August 1991.

The network operates seven 24-hour, linear multiplex channels as well as a traditional subscription [[video on demand]] platform (HBO On Demand) and its content is the centerpiece of [[Max (streaming service)|Max]] (previously HBO Max from 2020 to 2023), an expanded streaming platform operated separately from but sharing management with Home Box Office, Inc., which also includes original programming produced exclusively for the service and content from other Warner Bros. Discovery properties. Livestreams of the network's linear [[East Coast of the United States|East]] and [[West Coast of the United States|West Coast]] feeds are not presently accessible on the Max streaming app, but are available via its [[a la carte pay television|a la carte]] add-ons sold through [[Amazon Prime Video#Amazon Channels|Prime Video Channels]], [[YouTube|YouTube Primetime Channels]] and virtual pay television providers [[Hulu]] and [[YouTube TV]] (both of which sell their HBO/Max add-ons independently of their respective live TV tiers).<ref>{{cite web|title=Hulu Adds HBO In Time For 'Game Of Thrones Season 7 Premiere |url=https://deadline.com/2017/07/hulu-adds-hbo-game-of-thrones-season-7-premiere-cinemax-streaming-1202124374/|author=Denise Petski|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|publisher=[[Penske Media Corporation]]|date=July 6, 2017|access-date=November 2, 2022|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801214241/https://deadline.com/2017/07/hulu-adds-hbo-game-of-thrones-season-7-premiere-cinemax-streaming-1202124374/|archive-date=August 1, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=You can now buy some YouTube TV add-ons without the $65 base plan|url=https://www.engadget.com/youtube-tv-add-on-channel-subscriptions-172712214.html|author=Kris Holt|website=[[Engadget]]|date=September 30, 2022|access-date=November 2, 2022}}</ref>

{{As of|2018|September|}}, HBO's programming was available to approximately 35.656&nbsp;million U.S. households that had a subscription to a [[multichannel video programming distributor|multichannel television provider]] (34.939&nbsp;million of which receive HBO's primary channel at minimum),<ref name="Cable Subs">{{cite web|title=Nielsen coverage estimates for September see gains at ESPN networks, NBCSN, and NBA TV, drops at MLBN and NFLN (Cable Network Coverage Area Household Universe Estimates: September 2018)|url=http://awfulannouncing.com/espn/nielsen-coverage-estimates-september-espn-nbcsn-nbatv-mlbn-nfln.html|author=Andrew Bucholtz|website=Awful Announcing|publisher=[[NESN|NESN Digital]]|date=September 10, 2018|access-date=September 20, 2018}}</ref> giving it the largest subscriber total of any American premium channel. (From 2006 to 2018, this distinction was held by [[Starz Encore]]—currently owned by [[Lionsgate]] subsidiary [[Starz Inc.]]—which, according to February 2015 [[Nielsen Media Research|Nielsen]] estimates, had 40.54&nbsp;million pay subscribers vs. the 35.8&nbsp;million subscribers that HBO had at the time.)<ref>{{cite web|title=List of how many homes each cable network is in as of July 2015|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2015/07/21/list-of-how-many-homes-each-cable-network-is-in-as-of-july-2015/434373/|author=Robert Seidman|website=[[TV by the Numbers]]|date=July 21, 2015|access-date=July 27, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150724162303/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2015/07/21/list-of-how-many-homes-each-cable-network-is-in-as-of-july-2015/434373/|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 24, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release|title=2015 Company Overview|url=http://starz.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=18|publisher=[[Starz Inc.]]|date=December 31, 2014|access-date=March 23, 2015}}</ref> In addition to its U.S. subscriber base, HBO distributes its programming content in at least 151 countries worldwide too, {{as of|2018|lc=y||df=}}, an estimated 140&nbsp;million cumulative subscribers.<ref name="Time Warner">{{cite web|title=HBO: Home Box Office|url=http://www.timewarner.com/our-content/home-box-office/|website=[[WarnerMedia|Time Warner]]|date=September 24, 2012|access-date=October 5, 2012|archive-date=February 9, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209044645/http://www.timewarner.com/our-content/home-box-office|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=":0">AT&T 10-K for 2018</ref>

==History==

Line 104:

===Background===

To reduce subscriber [[churn rate|churn]] by offering extra programming choices to subscribers, on May 8, 1991, Home Box Office Inc. announced plans to launch two additional channels of HBO and Cinemax, becoming the first subscription television services to launch "[[multiplex (television)|multiplexed]]" companion channels (a term coined by then-CEO Michael Fuchs to equate the programming choices that would be provided to subscribers of the channel tier to that offered by [[Multiplex (movie theater)|multi-screen movie theaters]]), each available at no extra charge to subscribers of one or both networks. (The three prior premium services that HBO launched between 1979 and 1987, Cinemax and the now-defunct Take 2 and Festival, were developed as standalone services that could be purchased separately from and optionally packaged with HBO.) On August 1, 1991, through a test launch of the three channels over those systems, TeleCable customers in [[Overland Park, Kansas]],; [[Racine, Wisconsin]]; and suburban [[Dallas]] ([[Richardson, Texas|Richardson]] and [[Plano, Texas]]) that subscribed to either service began receiving two additional HBO channels or a secondary channel of Cinemax. HBO2 (later renamed HBO Plus, then reverted to its original name), HBO3 (now HBO Signature), and Cinemax 2 (now MoreMax) each offered distinct schedules of programs culled from HBO and Cinemax's movie and original programming libraries separate from offerings shown concurrently on their respective parent primary channels. (Cinemax was originally scheduled to launch a tertiary channel, Cinemax 3, on November 1, 1991, but these plans were shelved until 1996.)<ref>{{cite news|title=THE MEDIA BUSINESS; HBO Planning to Add New Movie Channels|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/05/09/business/the-media-business-hbo-planning-to-add-new-movie-channels.html|author=Bill Carter|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|date=May 9, 1991|access-date=February 8, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=HBO, Cinemax to Split Services into Three Channels Each |periodical=Broadcasting |page=33 |date=May 13, 1991}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=HBO Releases Multiplex Schedule |periodical=Broadcasting |page=40 |date=August 5, 1991}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=HBO: three channels are better than one|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-10807607.html|author=Jane Greenstein|periodical=Multichannel News|date=May 13, 1991|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511211758/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-10807607.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 11, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=HBO TO PACK IN MORE PROGRAMMING|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1991-05-09-9102110030-story.html|author=Kenneth R. Clark|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=May 9, 1991|access-date=May 15, 2020}}</ref> While most cable providers collectively offered the HBO and Cinemax multiplex channels in individual tiers, some providers had sold their secondary or tertiary channels as optional add-ons to expanded basic subscribers; this practice was discontinued when HBO and Cinemax began migrating to [[digital cable]] in the early 2000s, as the respective multiplex channels were being packaged in each tier mandatorily.

In February 1996, in anticipation of the adoption of [[MPEG-2]] digital compression codecs that would allow cable providers to offer digital cable service, Home Box Office, Inc. announced plans to expand its multiplex services across HBO and Cinemax to twelve channels (counting [[time zone]]-based feeds), encompassing a fourth HBO channel and two additional Cinemax channels, originally projected for a Spring 1997 launch.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=HBO divides to conquer |author=Rich Brown |periodical=Broadcasting & Cable |page=49 |date=February 5, 1996}}<br />{{cite magazine |title=HBO divides to conquer |author=Rich Brown |periodical=Broadcasting & Cable |page=50 |date=February 5, 1996}}</ref> The HBO multiplex expanded to include a fourth channel on December 1, 1996, with the launch of HBO Family, focusing on family-oriented feature films and television series aimed at younger children. (HBO Family's launch coincided with the launch of [[Mountain Time Zone]] feeds of HBO, HBO2, Cinemax, and Cinemax 2, which were the first sub-feeds ever offered by a subscription television service to specifically serve that time zone.)<ref name="HBO Family" /><ref>{{cite magazine |title=Pay services add value with multiplexing |periodical=Broadcasting & Cable |page=70 |date=September 30, 1996}}</ref>

Line 111:

On May 6, 1999, the HBO multiplex expanded to include two new thematic channels: HBO Comedy—featuring comedic feature films, comedy series from HBO's original programming library, and recent and archived HBO comedy specials—and HBO Zone—aimed at young adults between the ages of 18 and 34, offering theatrical movies; comedy and alternative series, and documentaries from HBO's original programming library; and music videos.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Hooked Up: HBO courts Gen X with laughs |author=Nolan Marchand |periodical=Broadcasting & Cable |page=39 |date=May 3, 1999}}</ref> Rounding out the HBO multiplex expansion was HBO Latino, a Spanish language network launched on November 1, 2000, featuring a mix of dubbed simulcasts of programming from the primary HBO channel as well as exclusive Spanish-originated programs.<ref name="tw-hbolatinolaunch">{{cite press release|title=HBO to Launch New Spanish-Language Channel|url=https://www.warnermediagroup.com/newsroom/press-releases/2000/09/07/hbo-to-launch-new-spanish-language-channel|website=Time Warner|via=WarnerMedia Pressroom|date=September 7, 2000|access-date=June 30, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=HBO Latino Launch Is Pushed Back|url=https://www.multichannel.com/news/hbo-latino-launch-pushed-back-159061|periodical=Multichannel News|date=September 17, 2000|access-date=June 30, 2020}}</ref>

HBO is also responsible for promoting many of the major motion picture releases, via its behind-the-scenes featurette programs. HBO, via the beyond-the-scenes interstitial programs was the first network to promote many of these movies. They included, but were not limited to, ''[[The Godfather]]'', ''[[The Godfather Part 2]]'', ''[[French Connection 2]]'', ''[[Jaws (film)|Jaws]]'', ''[[Halloween (1978 film)|Halloween]]'', ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]'', ''[[Star Trek: The Motion Picture|Star Trek]]'', ''[[9 to 5 (film)|9 to 5]]'', ''[[Sixteen Candles (film)|Sixteen Candles]]'', ''[[Mac and Me]]'', ''[[Home Alone]]'', ''[[Home Alone 2: Lost in New York]]'', ''[[A Few Good Men]]'', ''[[Scream (1996 film)|Scream]]'', and ''[[I Know What You Did Last Summer]]''. In the modern day, HBO has been the first promoter of movies like the ''[[Saving Private Ryan]]'', ''[[Fight Club]]'', ''[[Antz]]'', ''[[American Beauty (1999 film)|American Beauty]]'', the ''[[Spider-Man in film|Spider-Man]]'' franchise (2002 - 2007) by [[Sam Raimi]], ''[[Bruce Almighty]],'' ''[[Minority Report (film)|Minority Report]],'' ''[[Dreamcatcher (2003 film)|Dreamcatcher]]'', ''[[Madagascar (2005 film)|Madagascar]]'', ''[[War of the Worlds (2005 film)|War of the Worlds]]'', ''[[The Monuments Men|Monuments Men]]'', among others.

===List of HBO channels===

Line 130 ⟶ 132:

| style="text-align: center; width:130pt;"|[[File: HBO Comedy (2014).svg|125px]]<br />'''HBO Comedy''' || style="text-align: left;"|Launched on May 6, 1999,<ref name="HBO Laughs">{{cite web|title=HBO courts Gen X with laughs|url=http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/1888985/hbo-courts-gen-x-laughs|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131230232700/http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/1888985/hbo-courts-gen-x-laughs|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 30, 2013|author=Nolan Marchand|periodical=Broadcasting & Cable|via=EBSCO|date=May 3, 1999|access-date=March 11, 2013}}</ref> HBO Comedy features comedic films, as well as rebroadcasts of HBO's original comedy series and stand-up specials; although the channel broadcasts R-rated films during the daytime hours, HBO Comedy only airs adult comedy specials at night.

|-

| style="text-align: center; width:130pt;"|[[File: HBO Family (2014).svg|125px]]<br />'''HBO Family''' || style="text-align: left;"|Launched on December 1, 1996,<ref name="HBO Family">{{cite news|title=Channel's Success Breeds Suitors, Imitators While Tim Robertson Has Helped Turn Family Values into Big Business, His Family Connections Are Impeding His Ambitious Plans|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-73151944.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130508070918/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-73151944.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 8, 2013|author=Mark Robichaux|newspaper=[[The Virginian-Pilot]]|date=September 1, 1996}}</ref> HBO Family features movies and series aimed at children, as well as feature films intended for a broader family audience. A [[block programming|block]] of children's series aimed at the 2–11 age demographic, "[[HBO Kids]]" (formerly known as "Jam" from August 2001 to January 2016), consisting of programs rated TV-Y and TV-Y7, is also offered weekdays from 6:00 to (approximately) 8:00&nbsp; ama.m.; movies and family-oriented original specials occupy the remainder of the channel's daily schedule.<ref>'' HBO Family'' channel on-air</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=HBO Family Schedule: Grid View|url=http://www.hbofamily.com/apps/schedule/ScheduleServlet|website=HBO Family|publisher=Home Box Office, Inc.|date=September 11, 2001|access-date=October 5, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016035343/http://www.hbofamily.com/apps/schedule/ScheduleServlet|archive-date=October 16, 2012}}</ref> Movie presentations on HBO Family are restricted to encompass films rated G, PG, or PG-13 (or the [[TV Parental Guidelines|equivalent]] TV-G, TV-PG, or TV-14), and as such, it is the only HBO channel that does not air R, NC-17, or TV-MA rated program content. Originally intended as a secondary service for HBO's family-oriented programming, HBO Family assumed exclusivity over the children's programs (which formerly aired in a daily morning block on the main channel) and family-oriented specials (previously shown on HBO in late afternoon or early evening timeslots) when HBO stopped running these programs on its primary channel in 2001. HBO currently offers no children's programming on its main channel, since WarnerMedia's shift of the production contract to HBO Max resulted in the July 2020 discontinuance of a Saturday morning block of series produced by Sesame Workshop added to the primary channel in 2017.

|-

| style="text-align: center; width:130pt;"|[[File: HBO Latino (2014).svg|125px]]<br />'''HBO Latino''' || style="text-align: left;"|Launched on November 1, 2000 (although originally slated to debut on September 18 of that year),<ref name="tw-hbolatinolaunch"/><ref>{{cite news|title=HBO Latino set to debut on Monday|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4559692.html|newspaper=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|date=September 15, 2000|access-date=March 2, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130507082535/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4559692.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 7, 2013}}</ref> HBO Latino offers programming catering to [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic and Latino American]] audiences, including HBO original productions, Spanish and Portuguese series sourced from HBO Latin America, dubbed versions of American theatrical releases, and domestic and imported Spanish-language films. Outside of breakaways for exclusive original and acquired programs, and separate promotional advertising between programs, HBO Latino largely acts as a de facto Spanish language simulcast of the primary HBO channel. (All other HBO multiplex channels provide alternate Spanish audio tracks of most of their programming via second audio program feeds.) HBO Latino is the indirect successor to HBO en Español (originally named Selecciones en Español de HBO y Cinemax), which launched in 1989.

|-

| style="text-align: center; width:130pt;"|[[File: HBO Signature (2014).svg|125px]]<br />'''HBO Signature''' || style="text-align: left;"|HBO Signature features high-quality films, HBO original series, and specials. Launched on August 1, 1991, the channel was originally known as "''' HBO 3'''" until September 30, 1998, maintaining a genericized format similar to HBO and HBO2; it rebranded as HBO Signature the following day (October 1), when its programming shifted focus around movies, series and specials targeted at a female audience and retransmits HBO productions.<ref name="man-premiums"/><ref name="HBO digital networks"/>

|-

| style="text-align: center; width:130pt;"|[[File: HBO Zone (2014).svg|125px]]<br />'''HBO Zone''' || style="text-align: left;"|Launched on May 6, 1999,<ref name="HBO Laughs"/> HBO Zone airs movies and HBO original programs aimed at young adults between the ages of 18 and 34. Until Home Box Office, Inc. removed sister network Cinemax's [[Cinemax#Max After Dark|Max After Dark]] adult programming block and all associated programming from its other television and streaming platforms in 2018, HBO Zone also carried [[softcore pornography|softcore pornographic]] films acquired for the Cinemax block in late-night, dependent on their inclusion on each day's program schedule; as such, it is the only HBO channel that has aired adult-oriented pornographic movies on its regular schedule.<ref name="wrap-hbodropsadultprog">{{cite web|title=No More 'Taxicab Confessions': HBO Removes All of Its Adult Entertainment Programming|url=https://www.thewrap.com/hbo-quietly-removed-all-of-its-adult-entertainment/|author=Tim Baysinger|website=[[TheWrap]]|date=August 28, 2018|access-date=May 13, 2020}}</ref>

Line 156 ⟶ 158:

Magnolia Network is an American multinational [[basic cable]] network owned by [[Warner Bros. Discovery]] and [[Chip and Joanna Gaines]], formerly known as DIY Network.

In April 2019, Discovery officially announced its new venture, and that its linear television component would launch sometime in 2020, replacing DIY Network, though it was delayed until 2022 due to the [[Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on television|COVID-19 pandemic]] impacting the ability to produce the network's launch programming and ending up launching several months before the closing of the Warner Bros. and Discovery Inc. merger.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gelman |first=Vlada |date=21 April 2020 |title=TVLine Items: Chip & Joanna's Network Delayed, NOS4A2's New Date and More |publisher=TVLine |url=https://tvline.com/2020/04/21/chip-joanna-gaines-magnolia-network-launch-delayed/ |access-date=22 April 2020}}</ref> Due to the delay in production, some Magnolia Network programming debuted as part of the January 4, 2021, launch of the [[Discovery+]] streaming service. The transition of the linear DIY Network to the Magnolia Network occurred on January 5, 2022.<ref name="Andreeva">{{cite news |last=Andreeva |first=Nellie |date=11 February 2021 |title=Chip & Joanna Gaines' Magnolia Network To Launch Slate On App & Discovery+ First, DIY Takeover To Follow |publisher=Deadline.com |url=https://deadline.com/2021/02/chip-joanna-gaines-magnolia-network-launch-date-app-discovery-plus-diy-linear-1234691876/ |access-date=12 February 2021}}</ref><ref name="Hayes">{{cite web |last=Hayes |first=Dade |date=September 28, 2021 |title=Chip And Joanna Gaines's Magnolia Network Reveals Linear Launch Date, Rebrand Of DIY To Kick Off With 'Fixer Upper: Welcome Home' |url=https://deadline.com/2021/09/chip-joanna-gaines-magnolia-network-launch-2022-fixer-upper-1234845244/ |work=[[Deadline Hollywood]]}}</ref> In April 2022, Discovery Inc. merged with WarnerMedia to form [[Warner Bros. Discovery]]. On April 7, 2022, it was reported that after the completion of the merger, Magnolia Network leadership would report to HBO and [[HBO Max]]'s chief content officer Casey Bloys rather than directly to Zaslav, nor Kathleen Finch (who previously oversaw Discovery's lifestyle brands, and now oversees most of Warner Bros. Discovery's U.S. cable networks); ''Deadline'' suggested the possibility that Magnolia Network could contribute content (such as library programs or original series) to HBO Max—noting that some of the service's scripted series have appealed to a similar adult female demographic to Magnolia Network, HBO Max's own [[List of HBO Max original programming#Unscripted|forays into unscripted content]], and reports that the Gaines had shown interest in working on scripted projects.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Maas |first=Jennifer |date=2022-04-07 |title=Chip and Joanna Gaines' Magnolia Network to Move Under HBO at Warner Bros. Discovery (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/chip-jo-gaines-magnolia-network-hbo-warner-bros-discovery-casey-bloys-1235227484/ |access-date=2022-04-09 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Andreeva |first=Nellie |date=2022-04-07 |title=WarnerMedia-Discovery Deal To Forge Deeper Ties Between OWN, Warner Bros. TV & HBO Max |url=https://deadline.com/2022/04/warnermedia-discovery-merger-own-warner-bros-tv-hbo-max-1234996738/ |access-date=2022-04-09 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":02">{{Cite web |last=Andreeva |first=Nellie |date=2022-04-09 |title=Chip & Joanna Gaines' Road From HGTV To HBO As 'Fixer Upper' Stars Switch Sides Post-WB/Discovery Merger |url=https://deadline.com/2022/04/chip-joanna-gaines-hgtv-hbo-fixer-upper-warner-bros-discovery-merger-1234997644/ |access-date=2022-04-09 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}</ref>

{{Infobox television channel

Line 187 ⟶ 189:

HBO on Demand, the first SVOD service to be offered by an American premium service, launched on July 1, 2001, over then sister company Time Warner Cable's [[Columbia, South Carolina]], system.<ref name="HBO On Demand">{{cite news|title=Time Warner to Add HBO Video-On-Demand to Digital Cable in Columbia, South Carolina|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-75710982.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130507135455/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-75710982.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 7, 2013|agency=Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News|date=June 21, 2001|access-date=March 4, 2013}}</ref> The service was developed to allow HBO subscribers access to the channel's programming at their choosing, thereby reducing the frequency in which viewers were unable to find a program they prefer to watch and limiting cancellations to the service because of that issue. On January 3, 2011, HBO became the first pay television network to offer VOD content in [[3DTV|3D]]; initially available to linear HBO subscribers signed with Time Warner Cable, Comcast, and Verizon FiOS, 3D content consisted of theatrical feature films available in the format.<ref>{{cite web|title=HBO Pops Cork on 3D Video-On-Demand|url=http://www.multichannel.com/news/cable-operators/hbo-pops-cork-3d-video-demand/328081|author=Todd Spangler|periodical=Multichannel News|date=January 3, 2011}}</ref>

In the United Kingdom, a domestic version of HBO on Demand was launched in 2015 to subscribers of [[IPTV]] provider [[TalkTalk TV]], which provides HBO's program offerings through the provider's [[YouView]] set-top boxes via a standalone VOD subscription. {{Citation needed|date=January 2018}}

====HBO Go====

Line 194 ⟶ 196:

HBO Go is an international [[TV Everywhere]] streaming service for broadband subscribers of the linear HBO television service. It was accessible through play.hbogo.com, and through apps for [[iOS (Apple)|Apple iOS]] and [[Apple TV]] devices;<ref name="gigaom.com">{{cite web|title=HBO Go Now Available on iPad, iPhone and Android|url=https://gigaom.com/2011/04/29/hbo-go-ipad-iphone-android/|author=Ryan Lawler|website=[[Gigaom]]|publisher=GigaOmniMedia, Inc.|date=April 29, 2011|access-date=May 11, 2020|archive-date=October 23, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141023114236/https://gigaom.com/2011/04/29/hbo-go-ipad-iphone-android/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=HBO GO Finally Arrives on Apple TV|url=https://www.wired.com/2013/06/hbo-go-finally-on-apple-tv/|author=Roberto Baldwin|magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]|date=June 19, 2013|access-date=May 11, 2020}}</ref> [[Android (operating system)|Android]] devices and [[Android TV]];<ref name="gigaom.com"/> [[Amazon Fire TV]];<ref>{{cite web|title=HBO Go Hits Amazon Fire TV, May Bring Cord-Cutting Service Too|url=http://readwrite.com/2014/12/16/hbo-go-amazon-fire-tv-maybe-cord-cutting|author=Adriana Lee|website=[[ReadWrite]]|publisher=[[SAY Media]]|date=December 16, 2014|access-date=May 11, 2020}}</ref> [[Chromecast]];<ref>{{cite web|title=HBO Go Launches on Chromecast as Mobile Video Mainstreams|url=http://www.ooyala.com/videomind/blog/hbo-go-launches-chromecast-mobile-video-mainstreams|author1=Jim O'Neill|website=[[Ooyala]]|publisher=[[Telstra]]|date=November 22, 2013|access-date=May 11, 2020}}</ref> [[PlayStation]] consoles ([[PlayStation 3]] and [[PlayStation 4]]);<ref>{{cite web|title=HBO Go Available on PS4 Later Today|url=http://blog.us.playstation.com/2015/03/03/hbo-go-available-on-ps4-later-today/#sf7775869|website=[[PlayStation]]|publisher=[[Sony Interactive]]|date=March 3, 2015|access-date=May 12, 2020}}</ref> [[Xbox One]] consoles;<ref>{{cite web|title=HBO Go, Twitter, Vine Coming to Xbox One By End of 2014|url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/hbo-go-twitter-vine-coming-to-xbox-one-by-end-of-2014/1100-6420087/|author=Eddie Makuch|website=[[GameSpot]]|publisher=[[CBS Interactive]]|date=June 4, 2014|access-date=May 12, 2020}}</ref> [[Roku]] devices;<ref>{{cite web|title=Introducing Roku LT and a Sneak Peek at HBO GO|url=http://blog.roku.com/blog/2011/10/11/introducing-roku-lt-and-a-sneak-peek-at-hbo-go/|website=[[Roku]]|date=October 11, 2011|access-date=May 12, 2020|archive-date=October 20, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020182330/http://blog.roku.com/blog/2011/10/11/introducing-roku-lt-and-a-sneak-peek-at-hbo-go/|url-status=dead}}</ref> and most [[Samsung]] Smart TV models.<ref>{{cite web|title=HBO Go now available on select Samsung Smart TVs|url=https://www.theverge.com/2012/2/17/2804413/hbo-go-samsung-smart-tv|author=Andrew Webster|website=[[The Verge]]|publisher=[[Vox Media]]|date=February 17, 2012|access-date=May 11, 2020}}</ref> Content available on HBO Go included theatrically released films (sourced from the network's pay television contractual windows for recent studio releases and from library content agreements with film distributors) and HBO original programming (including scripted series, made-for-cable movies, comedy specials, documentaries, and sports documentary and magazine programs).<ref>{{cite web|title=Eyes-on with HBO GO|url=http://hd.engadget.com/2010/02/17/eyes-on-with-hbo-go/|author=Ben Drawbaugh|website=[[Engadget]]|publisher=[[AOL]]|date=February 17, 2010|access-date=October 5, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120925090432/http://hd.engadget.com/2010/02/17/eyes-on-with-hbo-go/|archive-date=September 25, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> HBO Go, along with companion service HBO Now and HBO Max, did not provide live simulcasts of the seven linear HBO channels. (HBO and Cinemax are the only American premium television services not to include live network feeds in their proprietary streaming VOD platforms.)

Based on the prototype HBO on Broadband service that was originally launched in January 2008 to linear HBO subscribers of Time Warner Cable's [[Green Bay, Wisconsin|Green Bay]] and [[Milwaukee|Milwaukee, Wisconsin]], systems, HBO Go launched nationwide on February 18, 2010, initially available to existing HBO subscribers signed with [[Verizon FiOS]].<ref>{{cite web|title=HBO GO heads to FiOS|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hbo-go-heads-fios-20758|author=Georg Szalai|periodical=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=February 17, 2010|access-date=October 5, 2012}}</ref> Initially carrying 1,000 hours of program content available for streaming in standard or high definition, the on-demand streaming service was conceived as a TV Everywhere platform marketed exclusively to existing subscribers of the linear HBO television service. (The HBO Go website and mobile apps, including its apps for streaming devices such as Roku and Apple TV, and some [[video game console]]s, required a password accompanying a linear HBO subscription by a participating television provider to access content on the service.) On June 12, 2020, WarnerMedia announced that HBO Go's mobile and [[digital media player]] apps would be discontinued in the U.S. on July 31, as most traditional and virtual MVPDs have secured distribution deals for HBO Max. Those providers that have not yet made an HBO Max deal continue to allow customer access to HBO Go (mainly [[Altice USA]]'s brands, [[Mediacom]], smaller cable providers, and closed-circuit university television systems which had not had personnel available during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] to contractually transfer their credentials to HBO Max), though only through the HBO Go desktop website. The "HBO Go" moniker remains in use as the brand for HBO's streaming platforms in select Asian markets until it would be also rebranded directly into [[Max (streaming service)|Max]] in fall-2024.<ref name="cnet-bookending">{{cite web|title=HBO is getting rid of HBO Go, renaming HBO Now since HBO Max is live|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/hbo-max-is-getting-rid-of-hbo-go-renaming-hbo-now-since-hbo-max-is-live/|author=Joan E. Solsman|website=CNET|publisher=CBS Interactive|date=June 12, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Maas |first=Jennifer |date=April 12, 2023 |title=Warner Bros. Discovery Unveils 'Max': Everything Revealed at Combined HBO Max-Discovery+ Streaming Presentation |url=https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/max-streaming-service-hbo-warner-discovery-1235579785/ |website=Variety |language=en-US |access-date=April 24, 2023}}</ref>

====HBO Now====

Line 212 ⟶ 214:

HBO's programming schedule currently consists largely of theatrically released feature films and adult-oriented original series (including, {{As of|November 2023|lc=y}}, dramas such as ''[[Euphoria (American TV series)|Euphoria]]'', ''[[Industry (TV series)|Industry]]'', ''[[The Gilded Age (TV series)|The Gilded Age]]'', ''[[House of the Dragon]]'', ''[[The Last of Us (TV series)|The Last of Us]]'', and ''[[True Detective]]''; comedies such as ''[[Curb Your Enthusiasm]]'' and ''[[The Righteous Gemstones]]''; and topical satires ''[[Last Week Tonight with John Oliver]]'' and ''[[Real Time with Bill Maher]]''). In addition, HBO also carries documentary films (mainly produced through its in-house production unit HBO Documentary Films), sports-focused documentary and magazine series (produced through its HBO Sports production unit), occasional original made-for-TV movies, occasional original concert and stand-up comedy specials, and short-form behind-the-scenes specials centered mainly on theatrical films (either running in their initial theatrical or HBO/Cinemax broadcast window). Newer episodes of most HBO original programs usually air over its main channel after 9:00&nbsp;p.m. Eastern and Pacific Time; depending partly on the day's programming schedule, repeats of original series, made-for-cable movies, and documentaries (typically excluding programs with graphic violent or sexual content) are shown during the daytime hours on the main channel, and at various times on HBO's themed channels. Four of the themed multiplex channels—HBO Signature, HBO Family, HBO Comedy, and HBO Zone—also each carry archived HBO original series and specials dating to the 1990s. (Outside of HBO Family, which regularly airs archived family-oriented series and specials, airings of older original programs may vary based on the channel's daily schedule.)<ref>{{cite web |date=July 29, 1991 |title=Cable show producers shoot tamer versions. (Home Box Office, Inc., among other cable companies, sanitizes original versions of films produced for commercial television consumption) |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-11113228.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511211736/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-11113228.html |archive-date=May 11, 2011 |periodical=Multichannel News}}</ref>

Beginning with its programming expansion to afternoons in 1974, the primary HBO channel had imposed a longstanding [[watershed (broadcasting)|watershed policy]] prohibiting films assigned an [[Motion Picture Association of America film rating system|"R" rating]] from being broadcast before 8:00&nbsp;p.m. ET/PT. (At various points, HBO also prohibited showings of X-/NC-17-rated and foreign [[art film]]s.)<ref>{{cite news|title=The Insider; HBO's bleeping little secret; bleeped profanity in an airing of the retrospective "Six Feet Under: 2001–2005: In Memoriam|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-135518278.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511211733/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-135518278.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 11, 2011|author=Michele Greppi|publisher=[[TelevisionWeek]]|date=August 22, 2005|access-date=February 25, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=It's Not TV: HBO, The Company That Changed Television: The Wall|url=http://www.soundonsight.org/its-not-tv-hbo-the-company-that-changed-television-the-wall/|author=Bill Mesce|publisher=Sound on Sight|date=September 16, 2013|access-date=February 1, 2014|archive-date=February 2, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202221502/http://www.soundonsight.org/its-not-tv-hbo-the-company-that-changed-television-the-wall/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=HBO: off the ground, but flying low |periodical=Broadcasting |page=47 |date=February 4, 1974}}</ref> The policy—which extended to films shown between 6:00&nbsp;a.m. and 8:00&nbsp;p.m. ET/PT, when HBO began offering 24-hour programming on weekends in September 1981—may have once stemmed from HBO's pre-mid-2000s availability on analog cable tiers (whereas its multiplex channels generally require a [[digital cable]] subscription or at least scrambling), and, because of controversy surrounding daytime showings of R-rated films that began being scheduled on competing premium services as early as 1980, remained in place well after the [[V-chip]] became standard in newer television sets.<ref name="b&c-hbo24hr">{{cite magazine |date=June 8, 1981 |title=HBO goes 24 hours |page=70 |periodical=Broadcasting}}<br />{{cite magazine |date=June 8, 1981 |title=HBO goes 24 hours |page=74 |periodical=Broadcasting}}</ref> From April 1979 to March 1987, rating bumpers preceding HBO telecasts of R-rated films included a special disclaimer indicating to viewers that the movie would air exclusively during the designated watershed period (“Home Box Office/HBO will show this feature only at night"). The watershed policy was extended to cover TV-MA-rated programs when the [[TV Parental Guidelines]] were implemented industry-wide on January 1, 1997, although HBO had already been withholding airing original programs incorporating mature content that would now qualify for a TV-MA rating outside the watershed period.<ref>{{cite web|title=HBO Schedule: Primary HBO channel|url=http://www.hbo.com/apps/schedule/ScheduleServlet?ACTION_TODAY=TODAY|publisher=HBO|access-date=October 5, 2012|archive-date=June 27, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080627023829/http://www.hbo.com/apps/schedule/ScheduleServlet?ACTION_TODAY=TODAY|url-status=dead}}</ref> {{As of|2021}}, HBO employs fairly fluid enforcement of the watershed policy, varying based on the content scheduled to air on its main channel during each programming day. The policy began to be weakened in January 2010, when the main HBO channel started allowing original series, movies, and documentaries given a TV-MA rating for strong profanity or non-graphic violence to air during the daytime on Saturdays and Sundays; in January 2012, HBO began offering occasional Sunday daytime airings of R-rated films within its weekly encore showing of the Saturday movie premiere (airing as early as 4:00&nbsp;p.m. ET/PT, depending on the previous night's scheduled premiere film, that film's length, and the Sunday night block of HBO original series that usually follows the rebroadcast); by 2017, afternoon R-rated movie airings (which occasionally have been shown as early as 2:00&nbsp;p.m. ET/PT since then) were permitted in random afternoon timeslots any day of the week on the main channel at the network's discretion. Most of the six HBO thematic multiplex channels—except for HBO Family, which prohibits programming containing either equivalent rating by the effect of the channel's target audience and format<ref>{{cite web|title=HBO Family schedule website|url=http://www.hbo.com/apps/schedule/ScheduleServlet?ACTION_TODAY=TODAY|publisher=Home Box Office, Inc.|access-date=October 5, 2012|archive-date=June 27, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080627023829/http://www.hbo.com/apps/schedule/ScheduleServlet?ACTION_TODAY=TODAY|url-status=dead}}</ref>—air TV-MA and R-rated programming during morning and afternoon periods. HBO also does not typically allow most NC-17-rated films to be aired on the primary channel or its multiplex channels. {{Citation needed|date=January 2018}}

HBO pioneered the [[free preview]] concept—now a standard promotional tool in the pay television industry—in 1973, as a marketing strategy allowing participating television providers to offer a sampling of HBO's programming for potential subscribers of the service.<ref>{{cite book|title=It's Not TV: Watching HBO in the Post-Television Era|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z2SUAgAAQBAJ&q=HBO+free+preview+Lawrence,+Massachusetts&pg=PA3|author=Marc Leverette|author2=Brian L. Ott|author3=Cara Louise Buckley|publisher=[[Routledge]]|page=3|isbn=9781135902742|date=March 23, 2009|access-date=April 20, 2015}}</ref> Cable providers were permitted to offer the unscrambled HBO content—aired for a single evening or, beginning in 1981 at the network level (as early as 1978 on some providers), over a two-day weekend (later extended to three days in 1997, then to a Friday-to-Monday "four-day weekend" format by 2008)—over a local origination channel, though satellite and digital cable providers elected instead to unencrypt the channels corresponding to each HBO feed for the preview period.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Cable Briefs: HBO for free. |periodical=Broadcasting |page=42 |date=August 1, 1977}}</ref> Until 2002, interstitials hosted by on-air presenters (notably including, among others, [[Norm Crosby]], [[Greg Kinnear]], [[Sinbad (comedian)|Sinbad]] and [[Ellen DeGeneres]]) promoting the service and its upcoming programs to prospective subscribers aired alongside on-air promotions between programs during the preview weekend, although interstitials produced in-house or by third-party producers were inserted by some providers over the HBO feed during promo breaks for their local or regional audience; from September 1988 to September 1994, the network also aired a 15-minute-long promotional "free preview show" each night of the preview event—usually following the headlining prime time film—that previewed upcoming HBO programming for prospective and existing subscribers. HBO offers between three and five preview events each year—normally scheduled to coincide with the premiere of a new or returning original series, and in the past, a high-profile special or feature film—to pay television providers for distribution on a voluntary participation basis.<ref>{{cite web|title=It's Not TV: HBO, The Company That Changed Television: Title Fights: The King of Pay-TV|url=http://www.soundonsight.org/its-not-tv-hbo-the-company-that-changed-television-expanding-the-brand-part-2/|author=Bill Mesce|publisher=Sound on Sight|date=August 29, 2013|access-date=April 15, 2014|archive-date=February 3, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203002350/http://www.soundonsight.org/its-not-tv-hbo-the-company-that-changed-television-expanding-the-brand-part-2/|url-status=dead}}</ref> (The total of participating providers that elected to offer a free preview event varies depending on the given preview period, and participating multiple-system cable operators may elect to carry the event only in certain regions where they provide service.)

HBO also produces short segments promoting newer movies with the cooperation of the film studios that hold distribution rights to the projects (almost universally by studios maintaining exclusive pay television contracts with HBO and Cinemax, and which have been rebroadcast on the former during a film's pay-cable distribution window), and have usually consisted of either interstitial "behind-the-scenes" and interview segments on an upcoming/recent theatrical release or [[red carpet]] coverage. Currently, these segments air under the ''HBO First Look'' series of 15-to-20-minute-long documentary-style interstitial specials, which debuted in 1992 and has no set airing schedule. (Since 2010, the "making of" specials, for which HBO officially no longer uses the ''First Look'' name, are only identified under the banner for [[TV listings|program listing]] identification.) The network previously produced three-to-five-minute-long feature segments that aired during longer-duration between-program promotional breaks, ''HBO News'' (1988–2011; formerly titled ''HBO Entertainment News'' from 1988 to 2007) and ''HBO Behind the Scenes'' (1982–1992). The interstitials—particularly those aired as episodes of ''First Look''—have also frequently been included as bonus features on DVD and [[Blu-ray Disc|Blu-ray]] releases of the profiled films. Since 2011, HBO no longer airs "behind-the-scenes" interstitials during promotional breaks, and has reduced airings of ''First Look'' to a few episodes per year as the network has honed its focus on higher-profile original programs and studios have increasingly limited their self-produced "making of" featurettes for exclusive physical and digital media release. {{Citation needed|date=January 2018}}

During the network's early years, HBO aired other interstitials in-between programs. Originally billed as ''Something Short and Special'', around 1980, ''InterMissions'' (as the interstitials were begun to be called in September 1978) was bannered into two groupings: ''[[Video Jukebox (TV series)|Video Jukebox]]'', a showcase of music videos from various artists (eventually separated from the other intermission shorts and given various long-form spinoffs, also titled as ''Video Jukebox'' or variants thereof), and ''Special'', showcasing short films. By 1984, the short segments had mainly been limited to comedic film shorts (originally branded as ''HBO Comedy Shorts'' and then as ''HBO Short Takes'', which used a set of differing animated intros) and youth-targeted live action and animated short films seen largely before and during family-oriented programming (branded as ''HBO Shorts for Kids''). Intermission shorts had largely vanished from the channel by 1988. Since 2014, HBO has occasionally aired short films ranging between 15 and 25 minutes in length at varying times each week during the overnight/early morning hours on its primary and select multiplex channels, in addition to being available on demand via HBO's various streaming and television VOD platforms (including its dedicated portal on HBO Max).

Line 242 ⟶ 244:

** '''Library content:''' (for post-2012 releases, since August 2022)<ref name="wrap-hboa24deal">{{cite web|title=HBO Max to Add Big Collection of A24 Films Including 'Ex Machina' and 'Room' in August|url=https://www.thewrap.com/hbo-max-a24-films-room-ex-machina-locke-august-1/|author=Sharon Knolle|website=The Wrap|date=July 19, 2022|access-date=April 14, 2024}}</ref>

HBO also maintains sub-run agreements—covering television and streaming licensing of films that have previously received broadcast or syndicated television airings—for theatrical films distributed by [[Paramount Pictures]] (including content from subsidiaries or acquired library partners [[Miramax]], [[Carolco Pictures]], [[MTV Entertainment Studios#Theatrically released|MTV Films]], [[Nickelodeon Movies]] and [[Republic Pictures]], all for films released prior to 2013), [[Universal Pictures]] (including content from subsidiaries [[Universal Animation Studios]], [[DreamWorks Animation]], [[Working Title Films]], [[Illumination (company)|Illumination]], and [[Focus Features]], all for films released prior to 2022), [[Summit Entertainment]] (for films released prior to 2023), [[Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures]] (including content from [[Walt Disney Pictures]], [[20th Century Studios]], and [[Searchlight Pictures]] (except films co-produced by [[Pixar]]), and former subsidiaries [[Touchstone Pictures]], and [[Hollywood Pictures]], all for films released prior to 2023), [[Sony Pictures|Sony Pictures Entertainment]] (including content from subsidiaries/library partners [[Columbia Pictures]], [[Sony Pictures Classics]], [[Embassy Pictures|ELP Communications]], [[Morgan Creek Entertainment]], [[Screen Gems]], [[Revolution Studios]], and former HBO sister company [[TriStar Pictures]]), and [[Metro-Goldwyn-MayerAmazon MGM Studios]] (including content from subsidiaries [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]], [[Orion Pictures]], and former subsidiaries [[United Artists]], and former subsidiaries [[The Cannon Group, Inc.|The Cannon Group]], and [[The Samuel Goldwyn Company]]).

HBO also produces made-for-cable television movies through a sister production unit [[HBO Films]], which traces its origins to the 1983 founding of HBO Premiere Films. Originally developed to produce original television movies and miniseries with higher budgets and production values than other telefilms, the film unit's first original movie project was the 1983 biopic ''[[The Terry Fox Story]]''. Differing from other direct-to-cable television films, most of HBO's original movies have been helmed by major film actors (such as [[James Stewart]], [[Michael Douglas]], [[Drew Barrymore]], [[Stanley Tucci]], [[Halle Berry]] and [[Elizabeth Taylor]]). The unit—which would be rechristened HBO Pictures in 1985—expanded beyond its telefilm slate, which was scaled back to focus on independent film production in 1984.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Cablecastings: Pleased with 'Fox' |periodical=Broadcasting |page=9 |date=August 22, 1983}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=HBO SETS A TREND IN CABLE MOVIES|url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1985-07-28-8501310963-story.html|author=Bill Kelley|newspaper=[[South Florida Sun-Sentinel|Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel]]|date=July 28, 1985|access-date=May 18, 2020}}</ref> The current HBO Films unit was formed in October 1999 through the consolidation of HBO Pictures and [[HBO NYC Productions]] (created as HBO Showcase in 1986, and following its June 1996 restructuring, had also occasionally produced drama series for the network).<ref>{{cite news|title=TV VIEW; HBO'S NEW 'SHOWCASE' DISPLAYS PROMISE|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/07/20/arts/tv-view-hbo-s-new-showcase-displays-promise.html|author=John J. O'Connor|newspaper=The New York Times|date=July 20, 1986|access-date=May 18, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=Cablecastings: Coming next year |periodical=Broadcasting |page=10 |date=October 21, 1985}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=HBO Films taps exex|url=https://variety.com/1999/biz/news/hbo-films-taps-exex-1117758117/|author=Chris Pursell|periodical=Variety|date=November 17, 1999|access-date=May 18, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=HBO boosts made-for slate |author=Jim McConville |periodical=Broadcasting & Cable |page=47 |date=June 10, 1996}}</ref> Since 1984, HBO Films has also maintained an exclusive licensing agreement with HBO (later expanded to include Cinemax) for theatrical productions produced by the unit and, since HBO became co-owned with the film division through the 1989 Time-Warner merger, distributed through Warner Bros. Entertainment.

Line 275 ⟶ 277:

Alongside feature-length movies and other types of original programming, HBO has produced original [[television special|entertainment specials]] throughout its existence. Five months after its launch, on March 23, 1973, the service aired its first non-sports entertainment special, the Pennsylvania Polka Festival, a three-hour-long music event broadcast from the [[Allentown Fairgrounds]] in Allentown, Pennsylvania.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Pennsylvania Polka Festival|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/423286391|publisher=Home Box Office, Inc.|via=WorldCat|date=March 23, 1973|oclc=423286391}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=Cable: The First Forty Years – Mileposts on the Road to 40 |periodical=Broadcasting |page=47 |date=November 21, 1988}}</ref><ref name="An Original Voice">{{cite web |author=Bill Mesce |date=October 11, 2013 |title=It's Not TV: HBO, The Company That Changed Television: An Original Voice |url=http://www.soundonsight.org/its-not-tv-hbo-the-company-that-changed-television-an-original-voice/ |access-date=February 1, 2014 |website=Sound on Sight |archive-date=December 17, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131217192226/http://www.soundonsight.org/its-not-tv-hbo-the-company-that-changed-television-an-original-voice/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The network has cultivated a reputation for its [[stand-up comedy]] specials, which have helped raise the profile of established comedians (including [[George Carlin]], [[Alan King]], [[Rodney Dangerfield]], [[Billy Crystal]] and [[Robin Williams]]) and served as the launchpad for emerging comic stars (such as [[Dennis Miller]], [[Whoopi Goldberg]], [[Chris Rock]], [[Roseanne Barr]], [[Patton Oswalt]], [[Margaret Cho]] and [[Dave Chappelle]]), many of whom have gone on to television and film careers. HBO premieres between five and seven comedy specials per year on average, usually making their initial broadcast in late Saturday prime time, following its weekly movie premiere presentation. {{citationCitation needed|date=January 2018}} Regular comedy specials on HBO began on December 31, 1975, with the premiere of ''An Evening with [[Robert Klein]]'', the first of nine HBO stand-up specials that the comic headlined over 35 years. Positive viewer response to the special led to the creation of ''[[On Location (TV series)|On Location]]'', a monthly anthology series that presented a stand-up comedian's nightclub performance in its entirety and uncut; it premiered on March 20, 1976, with a performance by [[David Steinberg]].<ref name="b&c-hbodeals76"/><ref>{{cite magazine |title=HBO begins to roll its entertainment for pay cable |periodical=Broadcasting |page=25 |date=March 8, 1976}}<br />{{cite magazine |title=HBO begins to roll its entertainment for pay cable |periodical=Broadcasting |page=26 |date=March 8, 1976}}</ref> HBO's stand-up comedy offerings would eventually expand with the ''HBO Comedy Hour'', which debuted on August 15, 1987, with ''[[Martin Mull]]: Live from [[North Ridgeville, Ohio|North Ridgeville]]'', a variety-comedy special headlined by Mull that featured a mix of on-stage and pre-filmed sketches.<ref>{{cite news|title=Mario Puzo's novel "The Fortunate Pilgrim" is..|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-08-02-tv-469-story.html|author=Lee Margulies|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=August 2, 1987|access-date=July 22, 2020}}</ref> The ''Comedy Hour'' typically maintained a virtually identical concept as ''On Location'', taking that program's place as HBO's flagship stand-up series and ultimately resulting in ''On Location''{{'}}s phase-out after a 13-year run, ending with the premiere of ''Billy Crystal: Midnight Train to Moscow'' on October 21, 1989. A spin-off, the ''[[HBO Comedy Half-Hour]]'', airing from June 16, 1994 (with the inaugural special ''Chris Rock: Big Ass Jokes'') until January 23, 1998, maintained a short-form format in which the special's featured comedian presented their routine—usually recorded live at [[The Fillmore]] in San Francisco—only for 30 minutes.

George Carlin headlined the most comedy specials for the network, making 12 appearances between 1977 and 2008; his first, ''[[George Carlin at USC|On Location: George Carlin at USC]]'' (aired on September 1, 1977), featured Carlin's first televised performance of his classic routine, "[[Seven dirty words|The Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television]]".<ref name="An Original Voice"/> As other cable channels incorporated comedy specials due to their inexpensive format, HBO began to model its strategy with its comedy specials after its music programming, focusing on a few specials each year featuring popular comedians. (HBO stopped billing its comedy specials under the ''Comedy Hour'' banner after the February 6, 1999, premiere of the Carlin-headlined ''You Are All Diseased''.)<ref name="An Original Voice"/> The network's library of comedy specials would become part of the initial programming inventories of two comedy-focused basic cable networks started by HBO through Time Inc./Time Warner, [[The Comedy Channel (United States)|The Comedy Channel]] (launched on November 15, 1989) and its successor, [[Comedy Central]] (launched on April 1, 1991, as a consolidation of The Comedy Channel and Viacom-owned [[Ha! (TV network)|Ha!]]).

Line 305 ⟶ 307:

====Boxing====

{{Main|HBO World Championship Boxing}}

HBO's sports coverage was long synonymous with its boxing telecasts, fronted by matches featured on HBO Sports' longtime flagship series, ''HBO World Championship Boxing''. Its first boxing telecast, on January 22, 1973, was "[[Joe Frazier vs. George Foreman|The Sunshine Showdown]]", the world [[heavyweight]] championship bout from [[Kingston, Jamaica]] in which [[George Foreman]] defeated [[Joe Frazier]] in two rounds. Outside of high-profile matches held at exotic locales, most of the boxing events shown during HBO's early existence as a regional service were bouts held at Madison Square Garden; once HBO became a national service, boxing coverage began to regularly cover fights held at [[The Forum (Inglewood, California)|The Forum]] (as part of its television contract with the Los Angeles Lakers and Kings<ref name="b&c-hbograbssports"/>) and other arenas. On September 30, 1975, the "Thrilla in Manila" boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier aired on HBO (under a licensing agreement with television program distributor Video Techniques) and was the first program on the network to be broadcast via satellite.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=In Brief |periodical=Broadcasting |page=18 |date=August 18, 1975}}</ref> (HBO also provided the first interconnected satellite demonstration broadcast on June 18, 1973, in which a heavyweight championship match between [[Jimmy Ellis (boxer)|Jimmy Ellis]] and [[Earnie Shavers]] was relayed via [[Anik (satellite)|Anik A]] to a closed-circuit system at the [[Anaheim Convention Center]] in [[Anaheim, California]], and to a Teleprompter Cable system in [[San Bernardino, California|San Bernardino]].)<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Domsat shows for Anaheim. |periodical=Broadcasting |page=60 |date=June 18, 1973}}</ref> Boxing telecasts aired on various scheduled nights through 1979, and mainly aired thereafter on Fridays; boxing telecasts moved to Saturdays full-time in 1987. (All boxing events shown on HBO aired on average in two- to three-week intervals.) Through 1979, HBO also carried various [[Golden Gloves|National Golden Gloves]] competitions, and from 1978 to 1979, carried the [[National Collegiate Boxing Association]] championships.

HBO expanded its boxing content to [[pay-per-view]] in December 1990, when it created a production arm to distribute and organize marquee boxing matches in conjunction with participating promoters, TVKO (rebranded HBO PPV in 2001 and HBO Boxing Pay-Per-View in 2013); the first TVKO-produced boxing event was the April 19, 1991, [[Evander Holyfield vs. George Foreman|"Battle of the Ages" bout]] between [[Evander Holyfield]] and [[George Foreman]]. (TVKO signed Holyfield away from Showtime, which had been carrying his matches since its ''[[Showtime Championship Boxing]]'' telecasts premiered in 1986, under an agreement with promoter [[Dan Duva]] during Holyfield's reign as cruiserweight champion.)<ref>{{cite magazine |title=HBO and Showtime Climb Into the PPV Ring |periodical=Broadcasting |page=28 |date=December 24, 1990}}<br />{{cite magazine |title=HBO and Showtime Climb Into the PPV Ring |periodical=Broadcasting |page=29 |date=December 24, 1990}}</ref>

HBO expanded its boxing slate on February 3, 1996, when ''[[HBO Boxing After Dark]]'' (titled ''HBO Late Night Fights'' for its inaugural edition) premiered with title fights involving contenders in the [[super bantamweight|junior featherweight]] ([[Marco Antonio Barrera]] vs. [[Kennedy McKinney]]) and [[super flyweight|junior bantamweight]] ([[Johnny Tapia]] vs. Giovanni Andrade) classes. The program typically featured fight cards involving well-known contenders (generally those not designated as "championship" or "title" bouts), and up-and-coming boxing talents that had previously been featured mainly on basic cable boxing showcases (such as ESPN's ''[[Friday Night Fights]]''). A second franchise extension, ''[[KO Nation]]'' (which ran from May 6, 2000, to August 11, 2001), attempted to incorporate [[hip-hop]] music performances between matches involving up-and-coming boxers to attract the show's target audience of males 18 to 24 (later broadened to ages 18 to 34) to the sport; former ''[[Yo! MTV Raps]]'' VJ [[Ed Lover]] was the "face" of the show and acted as its ring announcer. (Internal research stated that males aged 18–34 accounted for 3% of boxing viewership, while men 50 and older made up 60% of the sport's audience.)<ref>{{cite web|title=HBO seeks younger auds with 'KO'|url=https://variety.com/2000/tv/news/hbo-seeks-younger-auds-with-ko-1117778808/|author=R. Thomas Umstead|periodical=Variety|date=February 27, 2000|access-date=July 7, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=HBO adds afternoon boxing series |periodical=Broadcasting & Cable |page=69 |date=February 28, 2000}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=HBO Has High Hopes For New KO Nation|url=https://www.multichannel.com/news/hbo-has-high-hopes-new-ko-nation-152794|author=R. Thomas Umstead|periodical=Multichannel News|date=August 20, 2000|access-date=July 7, 2020}}</ref> ''KO Nation'' drew low ratings throughout its run, even after it was moved from Saturday afternoons to Saturday late nights in January 2001. HBO Sports then refocused its efforts at attracting younger viewers through ''Boxing After Dark''.<ref>{{cite web|title=HBO Sports plans to take boxing series 'KO Nation' into the night|url=https://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2000/11/27/This-Weeks-Issue/HBO-Sports-Plans-To-Take-Boxing-Series-KO-Nation-Into-The-Night.aspx|author=Langdon Brockinton|periodical=Sports Business Daily|date=November 27, 2000|access-date=July 7, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=HBO Knocks Out KO Nation|url=https://www.multichannel.com/news/hbo-knocks-out-ko-nation-139493|author=R. Thomas Umstead|periodical=Multichannel News|date=July 2, 2001|access-date=July 7, 2020}}</ref> To court the sport's Hispanic and Latino fans, the network's boxing franchises expanded to HBO Latino with the January 2003 premiere of ''[[Oscar De La Hoya]] Presenta Boxeo De Oro'', a showcase of up-and-coming boxers represented by the De La Hoya-founded [[Golden Boy Promotions]]. A second boxing series for HBO Latino, ''Generación Boxeo'', premiered on the multiplex channel in April 2006.<ref>{{cite web|title=HBO Latino Enters the Ring|url=https://www.multichannel.com/news/hbo-latino-enters-ring-136521|periodical=Multichannel News|date=October 9, 2002|access-date=May 9, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release|title=HBO Latino Launches New Boxing Series, Generación Boxeo, Debuting Exclusively, Thursday, April 27|url=https://www.warnermediagroup.com/newsroom/press-releases/2006/04/24/hbo-latino-launches-new-boxing-series-generaci-n-boxeo-debuting|website=WarnerMedia|date=April 24, 2006|access-date=May 9, 2020}}</ref>

Line 318 ⟶ 320:

Another program built on similar groundwork, ''[[Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel]]''—which eventually became the network's flagship sports [[newsmagazine]]—premiered on April 2, 1995, and lasted for 29 seasons before ending on December 19, 2023. The hour-long monthly series (originally airing quarterly until 1999), hosted by veteran television journalist and sportscaster [[Bryant Gumbel]], regularly received positive reviews for its groundbreaking journalism and typically features four stories centering on societal and athletic issues associated with the sports world, investigative reports, and interviews with famous athletes and other sports figures. {{As of|2020}}, ''Real Sports'' has received 33 [[Sports Emmy Awards]] (including 19 for Outstanding Sports Journalism) throughout its run, as well as two Peabody Awards (in 2012 and 2016) and three [[Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award]]s.<ref>{{cite news|title=A REALLY GOOD SHOW CELEBRATES 10 YEARS|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/os-xpm-2005-04-08-0504080218-story.html|author=Scott Andera|newspaper=[[Orlando Sentinel]]|date=April 8, 2005|access-date=July 7, 2020|archive-date=July 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200708142113/https://www.nydailynews.com/os-xpm-2005-04-08-0504080218-story.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Of note, the show's 2004 Sports Emmy win for "Outstanding Sports Journalism" and 2006 duPont–Columbia University Award win for "Outstanding Broadcast Journalism" was for a half-hour hidden camera investigative report—guided by human rights activist [[Ansar Burney]]—into slavery and torture in secret desert camps in the [[United Arab Emirates]] (UAE), where boys younger than age 5 were trained in [[camel racing]]. The segment uncovered a carefully hidden [[child slavery]] ring that bought or [[kidnapping|kidnapped]] hundreds of young boys in [[Pakistan]] and [[Bangladesh]], who were then forced to become camel jockeys in the UAE and questioned the sincerity of U.S. diplomatic pressure on the UAE, an ally to the United States, to comply with the country's ban on children under age 15 from participating in camel racing. The documentary brought worldwide attention to the plight of child camel jockeys in the Middle East and helped the Ansar Burney Trust convince the governments of [[Qatar]] and the UAE to end the use of children in the sport.

In 2001, HBO and [[NFL Films]] began to jointly produce the documentary series ''[[Hard Knocks (2001 TVdocumentary series)|Hard Knocks]]'', which follows an individual [[National Football League|NFL]] team each season during [[training camp]] and their preparations for the upcoming football season.<ref name="An Original Voice"/><ref>{{cite web|title=HBO Hard Knocks|url=http://www.hbo.com/hardknocks/|publisher=Home Box Office, Inc.|access-date=October 5, 2012}}</ref>

==Branding==

Line 383 ⟶ 385:

HBO programs are also distributed through agreements with third parties and are available on premium TV channels of local operators: [[Fox Showcase]] in Australia, [[Be 1]] in Belgium, [[HBO Canada]] (brand and programming licensed under agreement with [[Bell Media]]), [[Amazon Prime Video]] in France,<ref name="france3">{{cite web|url=https://www.lesnumeriques.com/svod/amazon-prime-video-tout-savoir-sur-le-futur-pass-warner-n203407.html|title=Amazon Prime Video: tout savoir sur le futur Pass Warner|access-date=January 16, 2023|date=January 16, 2023|website=Les Numériques|author=Thibaud Gomès-Léal

}}</ref> Sky Atlantic in [[Sky Atlantic|the United Kingdom and Ireland]], [[Sky Atlantic (Italy)|Italy]], [[Sky Atlantic (Germany)|Germany, Austria and Switzerland]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/media/a279695/sky-to-launch-sky-atlantic-channel/|title=Sky to launch Sky Atlantic channel|website=digitalspy.com|date=October 2010 |access-date=1 October 2010}}</ref> [[SoHo (TV channel)|SoHo]] in New Zealand, [[M-Net|M-Net Binge]] in [[Sub-Saharan Africa]], [[OSN|OSN First Series]] in the [[Middle East and North Africa]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.digitaltveurope.com/2022/01/13/osn-extends-licensing-agreement-as-mena-home-of-hbo/|title=OSN extends licensing agreement as MENA home of HBO|website=digitaltveurope.com|date=January 13, 2022 |access-date=13 January 2022}}</ref> and [[JioCinema|Jiocinema]] in [[India]]. Apart from TV channels, the programs can also be watched on the OTT platforms of the operators. In Japan, it is exclusively available on [[U-Next]] video-on-demand service.

==See also==

* [[List of Primetime Emmy Awards received by HBO]]

==Notes==