HBO Insecure now streaming on Netflix, marking the first time an HBO original series has been available on a rival streaming platform in the US.
All five seasons of the Issa Rae-starring series, which aired its series finale in 2021, landed on the rival platform on Monday, confirming reports that the show could be among Warner Bros. Discovery-owned titles added to Netflix.
The transmitter is also configured to add Band of Brothers, The Pacific, Six Feet Under and basketball players as part of a co-exclusivity deal with WBD’s Max, which closed late last week. In addition, the HBO series True Blood will be added to Netflix outside the US
HBO has rarely licensed its original shows beyond its own corporate brethren, with sex and the city sold in syndication (with significant edits) to TBS and later to other basic cable networks. And when Richard Plepler was CEO, HBO-licensed series like The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Deadwood and The wire to Amazon as HBO did not have its own streaming platform at the time.
The deal gives some of HBO’s titles potentially a new audience and could help WBD from a financial standpoint. The David Zaslav-led conglomerate has been looking for ways to cut costs, removing some content from the Max platform, formerly known as HBO Max, and canceling a number of projects on TBS, as well as previously approved titles, such as the Bat girl movie. The company has also had layoffs in recent months.
