AT&T strengthens HBO Max growth and loses subscribers from its Vrio’s unit after announcing its sale

As part of its Q2 2021 results report presentation, AT&T reported a total of 10.3 million subscribers to Vrio, unit that controls DirecTV Latin America, Sky Brazil and DirecTV GO’s operations, sold to the Argentine holding Grupo Werthein, according to the information that was officially announced this week.

The reported figure shows a 239 thousand customers loss in relation to the end of Q1 2021, while, at an annual level -that is, compared to Q2 2020- the unit had 344 thousand fewer subscribers, since it reported just over 10, 6 million customers on that time. On the other hand, Vrio is unable to report figures close to the 13 million subscribers it had before the sale of DirecTV Venezuela, made to Scale Capital in mid-August last year. Likewise, Vrio had been reporting positive net additions since the end of Q3 2020, and managed to keep that trend until the end of Q1 2021. According to the reported figures, the company ended Q3 2020 with 10.89 million customers. In Q4 it reached 10.94 million; and, at the end of the first three months of 2021, it reported just over 10.5 million.

AT&T has also reported that HBO and HBO Max added 2.8 million subscribers during Q2 2021 in the US, where the platform already gathers just over 47 million subscribers. In the report, the company informed that, of the already mentioned 47 million subscribers in the US, 31.4 million are those who access HBO Max via a linear HBO subscription; and 12.07 million access the platform as a standalone offer. In addition, HBO Max launched its AVOD version in the US in early June, valued at USD 9.99 per month.

One of the great projects of WarnerMedia (AT&T) was the launch of HBO Max in Latin America, which took place on June 29th, this way starting the platform’s international expansion process outside the US. According to its report, AT&T informs that HBO Max and HBO reported just over 67.5 million subscribers, including the 47 million already mentioned in the US. Internationally, HBO and HBO Max ended June with nearly 20.5 million subscribers.

The announcement of the sale of Vrio’s operations to Grupo Werthein came after AT&T confirmed the sale of DirecTV’s operations in the US to the TPG Capital investment fund. Both AT&T and the Argentine holding company forecast that the transaction will close in early 2022.

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