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The British Are Coming: HBO Max Acquires a Bunch of British Shows

HBO Max is continuing to make Netflix nervous.

The upcoming service has just landed the streaming rights to all 11 seasons of BBC’s mega-hit Doctor Who. In addition to Who, HBO Max also will be the digital home to other BBC shows like The Office, Luther and Top Gear. While all of those shows have big followings, Doctor Who is the most popular by far and will bring HBO Max many, many diehard fans.

The long-term deal to air these BBC staples is another example of WarnerMedia taking their service very, very seriously. They’ve already compiled an impressive list of shows and movies that will air on HBO Max when it launches in the spring. Obviously they’ll have the HBO catalogue (Hello, Sopranos rewatch!) But they’ll also carry Friends, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Pretty Little Liars and a plethora of shows from Warner Brothers, Cartoon Network, other Turner networks and much more. Like all things associated with HBO, Max is going to be big.

HBO Max’s acquisition of these BBC shows is another blow to Netflix, which was once a home to many British programs. HBO Max is coming out of the gate swinging and Netflix can’t be happy about it. But what can they do? This is the age we live in, where studios and networks are launching their own streaming services to push Netflix, Hulu and Amazon out of the picture. If all of the upcoming streamers are as ambitious and smart as HBO Max is, it could spell big trouble for Netflix and their peers. The streaming landscape is changing and changing in a big, big way. Everyone is aiming at the king and attempting to take the throne. Speaking of thrones, you’ll be able to watch Game of Thrones on HBO Max. Man, that service really will have quite a selection, huh?