AT&T’s acquisition of Time Warner will end the deal that included free HBO with unlimited mobile plans, except for existing customers. The offer of free HBO began in April 2017 (while AT&T was in the midst of a battle with the Department of Justice, who filed a lawsuit to oppose the merger) for AT&T Unlimited Plus customers, and the offer was extended to AT& Unlimited Choice customers in September 2017.
HBO has built up a solid slate of prestige drama shows, including the wildly popular fantasy series Game of Thrones and the mind-bending sci-fi Westworld, which recently wrapped up its second season. The network also recently debuted Succession, a drama about a wealthy but dysfunctional family that controls a huge media conglomerate, and will soon debut the fourth season of the Dwayne Johnson-starring sports comedy Ballers.
This news may came as something of a surprise, since HBO is now under the AT&T umbrella (along with Warner Bros. and Turner Broadcasting System). But considering that AT&T spent a staggering $85 billion acquiring Time Warner, perhaps it makes sense that the company isn’t so ready to give HBO away for free any more.
In order to get HBO free with an AT&T plan you’ll now need to shell out at least $80 a month for the Unlimited & More Premium tier - $15 more than the previous cheapest available plan that came with free HBO. If you missed out on the deal and are looking for another way to find out how Game of Thrones ends next year without breaking the bank too badly, you can watch HBO shows without a cable or satellite subscription via the streaming service HBO Now, which costs $14.99 a month.
More: How The Warner Bros. Buyout Will Affect The DCEU
Source: AT&T (via ArsTechnica)
