By the end of 2021, HBO Max and HBO had a combined global subscriber base of 73.8 million, well ahead of the company's estimates of 70 million to 73 million.
"The year HBO Max broke through," according to WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar. After launching globally in June, he said the service is currently available in 46 nations.
Kilar remained tight-lipped when asked about the split between U.S. and non-U.S. subscribers, saying AT&T would reveal those data when it released fourth-quarter earnings later this month.
The streaming figure, as well as a few other figures, were released by WarnerMedia parent AT&T this morning, ahead of CEO John Stankey's participation at a Citibank investment conference.
HBO Max premiered in May 2020, and it had a poor start before it was able to gain its foothold. The streaming service, which is available to paying HBO members at no additional cost, began rolling out globally last year and included a lower-cost, ad-supported tier.
HBO Max won distribution with Roku and a new agreement with Amazon, giving it access to two key U.S. gateways after early branding confusion due to the existence of other HBO-branded streaming apps on the market.
Due to existing distribution agreements with Sky, HBO Max is still years away from entering the important markets of the United Kingdom, Italy, and Germany.
WarnerMedia will be the center of attention once it merges with Discovery and separates from AT&T later this year, pending regulatory approval.
The streaming service has profited from Warner Bros.' day-and-date film releases, particularly the fourth-quarter releases of Dune and The Matrix: Revolutions.
The release pattern, which was implemented as a precautionary measure, is not anticipated to last, but it has aided in the onboarding of a number of new customers.
When asked about movie windows, Kilar stated the aim is to use a "film-specific" release approach, with certain films being released simultaneously in cinemas and on Netflix, while others will have a limited theatrical run.
After breaking new ground in the entertainment industry in 2018 with the $85 billion acquisition of Time Warner, AT&T announced last year that WarnerMedia will be spun off.
The business Last year, the company also completed a loss-making excursion into pay-TV, spinning off DirecTV into a separate corporation funded by private equity firm TPG.
