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.