AT&T’s WarnerMedia will launch its streaming video service in beta later this year, bundling HBO, Cinemax, and a library of Warner Bros. movies and TV. The package will cost “between $16 and $17 a month,” a strange pricing strategy, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.

Currently, HBO Go costs $14.99 a month — so AT&T’s service is basically that, with the addition of Cinemax and likely a bunch of DC Movies for up to a couple more bucks a month. WSJ reported that the service is expected to be fully up and running next March. Eventually, the service will introduce its own original programming as well, though it’s unclear how grand those ambitions are.

WarnerMedia is also considering a less expensive ad-supported version of the service sometime in 2020. Previously, Jeff Stankey, the CEO of WarnerMedia, announced that AT&T’s streaming video service would have three different (and confusing) price tiers. So with this report, we’re down to possibly two tiers. Or maybe it will just be one.

Still, as the Streaming Wars heat up, it’s unclear what the WarnerMedia package can offer most consumers in an aggressive, competitive market. The reported pricing is still more expensive than Hulu or Netflix’s current $11.99 and $12.99/month plans, and much more expensive than the soon-to-be-launched Disney+ service announced at $6.99/month. There’s also Amazon Prime Video, which works out to about $10/month with all the other added benefits of Prime. Oh, and there’s also the Apple TV Plus subscription, which has yet to announce a price or launch date but at least boasts a slew of high-profile collaborations in the works.

It remains to be seen where the WarnerMedia service fits in this crowded landscape. But hey, maybe they’ll win people over by releasing the Zack Snyder cut of Justice League.

AT&T did not immediately return The Verge’s request for comment.

https://www.theverge.com/2019/6/6/18655637/att-warnermedia-streaming-service-price-film-tv-hbo-cinemax