HBO: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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{{about|the U.S. pay television channel|HBO in other countries|List of HBO international channels|~~common~~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.}}

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{{Infobox television channel

| name = HBO

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

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

| country = [[United States]]

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''' 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]]. 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]]—expanding~~satellite—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>

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===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}} {{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>

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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===

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| style="text-align: center; width:130pt;"|[[File: HBO Comedy (2014).svg|125px]] '''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]] '''HBO Family''' || style="text-align: left;"|Launched on December 1, ~~1973~~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~~ ~~ 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]] '''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.

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** '''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-Mayer~~Amazon 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.

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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}} {{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>

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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 TV~~documentary 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==

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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]] 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==