Get In The TARDIS, Whovians: ‘Doctor Who’ Is Moving Exclusively To HBO Max
As a time-traveling alien, the Doctor’s life is one that’s always on the move, but at this point the number of streaming services that have housedDoctor Whois starting to get ridiculous. After “exclusively” streaming on Netflix, following by Amazon Prime Video a few years later,Doctor Whois moving toHBO Max. The WarnerMedia streaming service has acquired the exclusiveDoctor Whostreaming rights, along with a slew of other impressive BBC titles includingThe Office, TopGear, andLuther.
HBO MaxannouncedThursday that it has acquired the exclusive streaming rights to all 11 seasons of the modern revival ofDoctor Whoin a new long-term deal with BBC Studios. As part of the deal, HBO Max will also be the exclusive streaming home for future seasons ofDoctor Whoafter they air on BBC America. There’s no word on whether HBO Max will also bring the “Classic"Doctor Whoepisodes from the original 1960s-1980s run.
“‘Doctor Who’ is one of television’s all-time, most beloved series, on both sides of the pond, and we are happy to be the exclusive streaming stewards for this BBC gem” said Kevin Reilly, Chief Content Officer, HBO Max and president, TNT, TBS, and truTV. “Another series to further define the high-quality content experience consumers can expect from HBO Max.”
As mentioned before, this is just the latest streaming home forDoctor Who, which started to grow a huge Stateside following when it became available on Netflix in the 2010s as part of a multiyear deal that included some “Classic"Doctor Whoepisodes. Amazon quickly swooped in to pick up the streaming rights toDoctor Whobeginning in 2016, but it looks like WarnerMedia has begun to pull its weight in the ongoing streaming wars. Its deal with BBC Studios includes not justDoctor Whobut 700-plus episodes of other BBC series includingThe Office, TopGear,Luther,andThe Honorable Woman.New titles such asPure, Trigonometry, Stath Lets Flats, HomeandGhostswill also be available upon the launch of WarnerMedia’s streaming service in spring 2020.
While the “HBO” banner communicates one of exclusivity due to the streaming platform’s frequent pairing with a cable subscription to HBO, HBO Max is an independent service that is WarnerMedia’s bid to compete with streaming giants Netflix and Hulu. The service will include classic and original titles from Warner Bros., New Line, DC, CNN, TNT, TBS, truTV, The CW, Turner Classic Movies, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Crunchyroll, Rooster Teeth, Hello Sunshine, Looney Tunes and more. And BBC Studios Interim President Nigel Gaines seems confident that HBO Max is whereDoctor Whowill gain a “whole new slew of fans coming to the show through this deal with HBO Max,” he said in a statement.
So yes U.S. Whovians, it looks like you’ll have to buy a whole new subscription service to keep up withDoctor Who. It’s either that, or just play this clip ofsad David Tennantover and over in your head.
