HBO Max Secures Exclusive Streaming Rights to ‘Doctor Who’

Meredith Jacobs August 1, 2019, 2:30 pm

Doctor Who Series 11 — Ben Blackall/BBC America

HBO Max’s library keeps growing ahead of its launch in spring 2020, this time adding British fan-favorites as part of a new deal with BBC Studios.

The streaming service announced it secured the exclusive streaming rights to Doctor Who, BBC’s longest-running global franchise, on Thursday. All 11 seasons of the sci-fi hit drama will be available when HBO Max launches next spring, and it will also be the home for future seasons.

“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,” Kevin Reilly, Chief Content Officer, HBO Max and president, TNT, TBS, and truTV, said in a statement. “Another series to further define the high-quality content experience consumers can expect from HBO Max.”

“As any Doctor Who fan knows, the iconic TARDIS is ‘bigger on the inside’ — and it’s a good thing because the TARDIS is about to welcome a whole new slew of fans coming to the show through this deal with HBO Max,” Nigel Gaines, Interim President, BBC Studios — Americas said. “HBO Max’s ambitious content line-up is the perfect complement to the Doctor Who global franchise, in addition to some of our most award-winning and game-changing UK dramas and comedies.”

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“Doctor Who is a program like no other — an incredibly rich world of stories, packed with adventure, regeneration, heart (two actually), and hope,” Sally de St Croix, Doctor Who Global Franchise Director said. “Our audience is incredibly dedicated and engaged, and we can’t wait to work with HBO Max to tell our stories from across all of time and space.”

The streaming service has also licensed 700 episodes of BBC series including The Office (two seasons and two specials), Top Gear (multiple seasons), Luther (all five seasons), and the nine-part miniseries The Honorable Woman.

(Des Willie/BBCAmerica)

Also part of the deal are new titles Pure, Trigonometry, Stath Lets Flats, Home, and Ghosts, which will all be exclusively available on HBO Max when it launches.

In addition to its upcoming original programming, HBO Max’s library will also include series like Friends, The Sopranos, Game of Thrones, Pretty Little Liars, and new CW dramas including Batwoman and Katy Keene.