The branding around HBO Max is all a bit confused. It might be getting even messier as MediaPost suggests that a Peacock-style ad-supported version is on the way.
Those HBO-centric TV shows, movies and other content, run no advertising. So “Game of Thrones” and “The Sopranos” can continue to run in their unedited pure form. Again, shows many advertisers might avoid. Still, advertising might appear before and after — not during a TV episode. However, in other content — such as those TV shows linked to longtime WarnerMedia Turner ad-supported networks — TNT, TBS, truTV, and CNN — they could continue to have advertising during a show, just like they did when airing on traditional, linear TV networks. Viewers would expect that. But when it comes to movies running on ad-free channels — such as TCM, the longtime, ad-free Turner classic movie channel, some paid messaging could also appear, according to reports. Overall, it’s not surprising advertising inventory will be similar to most slimmed-down premium TV platforms — around four minutes per hour of commercials, but perhaps only two minutes at other times
Check It Out: HBO Max, With How Many Ads?
Hey – if anyone can screw up HBO, it’s AT&T.