Some AT&T customers get access to HBO Max for free, but it's been revealed this week that that's not the only benefit that AT&T subscribers are getting related to HBO Max.
HBO Max will not count against AT&T's mobile data caps. AT&T confirmed this news to The Verge, saying that it applies to both the regular data caps as well as the soft data caps on its unlimited plans.
It's said that HBO Max is using the sponsored data program that AT&T first announced 6 years ago. With sponsored data, a company can pay for the data usage that their service incurs so that it doesn't count against an AT&T customer's data cap.
What's notable is that AT&T owns HBO Max, so while HBO Max is paying for sponsored data it shows up as money made for AT&T and the two cancel each other out. Meanwhile, other streaming services like Netflix and Hulu aren't using sponsored data, which could put them at a disadvantage for some AT&T customers paying attention to their data usage. This move is also likely to frustrate advocates of net neutrality.
Are you an AT&T customer with HBO Max? Does the fact that HBO Max won't count against your data usage make you want to use it over other streaming services?