HBO Max Beats Internal Forecasts, Topping 140M Subscribers In Q1; WBD Now Sees It At 150M By Year-End

HBO Max, which has zigged and zagged more than most streaming services since its delayed launch in 2020, has regained some traction and will hit 150 million subscribers by the end of 2026.

Warner Bros. Discovery executives delivered that outlook for their flagship streamer in announcing the company’s first-quarter earnings. The company said global launches in key territories like the UK enabled HBO Max to top internal forecasts, ending the January-to-March period with more than 140 million subscribers.

Over the past year or two, subscriber tallies have been held closer to the vest by Netflix and major media companies, as profit and other metrics take priority in a maturing streaming business. But after all of the struggles with HBO Max, which launched later than rivals and into the teeth of Covid and got whipsawed by corporate ownership changes, rebranding efforts and strategic overhauls, WBD wanted to make a claim to progress.

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