HBO

HBO (Home Box Office) launched on 8 November 1972 as a regional microwave-transmitted pay television service in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, reaching 365 subscribers with an NHL game. In September 1975 it became the first television channel in the world to transmit via satellite, transforming from a regional into a national service and establishing the template for modern cable premium television. It is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery (formed in 2022 from the WarnerMedia-Discovery merger following AT&T's spin-off of WarnerMedia), with corporate headquarters at 30 Hudson Yards, Manhattan .

HBO's programming model relies on original series, theatrically released films, documentaries, and event specials without advertising breaks. Landmark original series include The Sopranos, The Wire, Game of Thrones, Succession, and The White Lotus. In the streaming era, HBO content is distributed through Max (WBD's combined streaming platform), which integrates the HBO catalogue with discovery+, CNN, and Warner Bros. theatrical releases. The network's brand premium is central to WBD's advertising strategy: Scene-Level Moments and Shoppable Pause Ads announced at the 2026 Upfront explicitly target HBO's high-engagement premium inventory as the primary ad context.