‘Friends’ Is Coming to HBO Max, but Will It Be Available on HBO Go?

We’re living in the age of streaming. Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime are just the big names in the streaming service game. Newcomers like Quibi and Disney Plus have gotten in on the fun as well as HBO Max. 

HBO announced that it would be launching its new streaming platform, HBO Max, on May 27. HBO Max will offer many new, original shows, but also will feature complete series of older fan-favorite shows like The Big Bang Theory, South Park, and Friends. Many fans are wondering if these shows will be available on HBO Go, HBO’s video-on-demand streaming service since they will also be available on HBO Max. 

Friends was one of the most popular shows offered on Netflix. In 2015, Netflix released all 10 seasons, which comes out to 236 episodes, of Friends to subscribers in the United States. The offering came after the streaming service signed a major deal with Warner Bros. The show remained one of the top streamed shows on the platform. Many were shocked when it was revealed just how much money the company was willing to dish out to keep streaming rights to it.

Netflix reportedly paid $118 million for the entire catalog of the show. That deal also included remastering and exclusive streaming rights. This even included “lost episodes,” according to Forbes, who said these episodes could not be found anywhere else like Rachel and Joey’s awkward romantic relationship (that all fans hated) towards the end of the series. Friends left the platform on Dec. 31, 2019. 

Since then, fans have resorted to watching reruns on cable or DVDs until it’s available to stream again in May 2020. WarnerMedia’s HBO Max signed a five-year deal for streaming rights of the legendary sitcom. This deal is estimated to be worth $425 million.

So if you’re confused about the differences between HBO Go, HBO Now, and HBO Max, you’re not alone because it’s a lot to decipher. So, let’s break it down for you.

HBO Go is a video-on-demand streaming service offered by HBO along with the cable company you have HBO through. HBO Now is a stand-alone streaming service that doesn't require cable or satellite TV. HBO Max is a subscription video-on-demand streaming service that will also include original content.

Beginning on May 27, with the launch of HBO Max, HBO cable subscribers who subscribe through an AT&T TV service or Charter Communications and also have access to HBO Go already, will also have access to HBO Max at no additional cost. 

HBO Max will cost its subscribers $14.99 a month, which is what subscribers to HBO‘s current streaming service HBO Now are already paying for the channel. As a result, subscribers to HBO Now will see their subscription automatically transfer over to HBO Max when the service launches at the end of May.