Cinemax

What Cinemax does

Cinemax is a US-only premium cable television network and streaming service operated by Home Box Office, Inc., a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. Founded in 1980 and headquartered at 30 Hudson Yards, New York, the network delivers original scripted series and a rotating slate of Hollywood films in True HD across a flagship channel plus seven multiplex feeds (Cinemax Hits, Cinemax Action, Cinemax Classics, CINEMÁX Latin, and additional variants). Its proprietary technology surface is modest: linear broadcast delivery, the CINEMAX GO mobile and connected-device app for authenticated streaming, and standard pay-TV authentication — no public API or SDK is exposed.

Cinemax does not sell directly to consumers. Distribution is entirely intermediated through pay-TV providers (DirecTV, Spectrum, Comcast Xfinity, Cox, Dish, Optimum, Verizon Fios, AT&T U-Verse) and streaming aggregators (Prime Video Channels, Hulu, Apple TV, Roku Channel). Revenue is generated via carriage fees paid by distributors and per-subscriber fees on OTT channel stores — a recurring subscription model wholly dependent on third-party platforms for end-user access.

The channel's brand identity is anchored to a slate of adult-oriented originals (Warrior, The Knick, Banshee, Quarry, C.B. Strike, Jett, Hunted, Trackers). The publicly visible schedule is heavily weighted to library film inventory. Cinemax operates as part of the Home Box Office, Inc. / Warner Bros. Discovery portfolio alongside HBO and HBO Max, sharing corporate, billing, and content infrastructure. The service is restricted to US households and has no disclosed international distribution, no independent strategic funding, and no standalone earnings disclosure; it is a non-reporting subsidiary whose commercial performance is fully determined by the parent group's distribution decisions.

Name

Cinemax

Legal name

Home Box Office, Inc.

Website

https://cinemax.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cinemax is a US premium cable television network and streaming service operated by Home Box Office, Inc. (a Warner Bros. Discovery subsidiary), distributing original series and Hollywood films to US TV subscribers via pay-TV providers and major streaming aggregators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Premium Cable Television and Streaming

SIC

Cable & Other Pay Television Services (4841)

akta.pro primary industry

Movie & Classic Film Cable Networks (MPABAFAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

General Entertainment Cable Networks (MPABAFAA)

Keywords

• Premium cable network
• Streaming television
• Original series programming
• Hollywood movie channel
• Multichannel entertainment

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Operations, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. TV Subscription Revenue: Cinemax generates revenue by charging TV subscription providers a carriage fee for distribution of its channel(s). Providers then bundle Cinemax as a premium add-on for their subscribers, who pay additional monthly fees. This is a traditional cable network business model.
2. Streaming Platform Licensing: Content is made available through third-party streaming platforms including Prime Video, Hulu, Apple TV, and Roku Channel. Revenue likely includes both carriage fees and per-subscriber fees from these platforms.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels12 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Cinemax operates a premium cable television network and streaming service delivering original action, crime, and drama series plus Hollywood blockbuster movies to US subscribers. The offering consists of a flagship channel and seven multiplex channels (Cinemax Hits, Cinemax Action, Cinemax Classics, CINEMÁX Latin, among others), broadcast in True HD and complemented by the Cinemax GO streaming app for on-demand and on-the-go viewing across devices.

Product overview

Cinemax is a premium cable television network and streaming service offering original series, blockbuster Hollywood movies, and on-demand content. The service is accessible through TV provider subscriptions (featuring the flagship station and seven multiplex channels including Cinemax Hits, Cinemax Action, Cinemax Classics, and CINEMÁX) and the companion Cinemax GO streaming app. The portfolio includes original series such as Warrior, C.B. Strike, The Knick, Trackers, Banshee, Hunted, Jett, and Quarry, alongside a rotating schedule of Hollywood films across genres.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cinemax Hits: Premium movie channel featuring Hollywood hits and blockbuster films.
• Cinemax Action
• Cinemax Classics
• CINEMÁX
• CINEMAX GO

Products and services

• Cinemax premium cable and streaming service Premium cable and streaming television service consisting of the flagship Cinemax channel plus seven multiplex variants (Cinemax Hits, Cinemax Action, Cinemax Classics, CINEMÁX Latin, and additional variations), delivering original action/crime/drama series and Hollywood blockbuster movies in True HD. Available only to US residents through partner TV subscription providers.
• Cinemax GO streaming app Free companion streaming app for Cinemax subscribers that enables live TV viewing, On Demand access, and on-the-go streaming of Cinemax content across multiple devices as part of the Cinemax subscription.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• AT&T U-VersecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAT&T U-Verse TV service distributes Cinemax as a premium add-on channel to its subscribers. AT&T acquired HBO's parent company Time Warner, making this a related-party distribution partnership.
• Spectrum (Charter Communications)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSpectrum cable TV service distributes Cinemax premium channel to its subscriber base. One of the largest US cable providers.
• Cox CommunicationscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCox cable TV service distributes Cinemax as a premium channel option for subscribers.
• DirecTVcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDirecTV satellite TV provider distributes Cinemax premium channel to subscribers nationwide.
• Dish NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDish Network satellite TV service distributes Cinemax as a premium add-on channel.
• Optimum (Altice USA)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOptimum cable TV service by Altice USA distributes Cinemax premium channel to subscribers.
• Fios (Verizon)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVerizon Fios fiber-optic TV service distributes Cinemax premium channel to subscribers.
• Xfinity (Comcast)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorComcast Xfinity cable TV service distributes Cinemax premium channel as an add-on for subscribers.
• Prime Video (Amazon)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAmazon Prime Video offers Cinemax as a channel add-on through its streaming platform, allowing Prime subscribers to add Cinemax to their subscription.
• HulucoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHulu streaming platform distributes Cinemax as a premium add-on channel for its subscribers.
• Apple TVcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorApple TV channel store distributes Cinemax, allowing Apple TV users to subscribe to Cinemax through the Apple TV app.
• Roku ChannelcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRoku's streaming platform features Cinemax as an available channel, allowing Roku users to add Cinemax to their streaming subscription.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Emerging players

• Crunchyroll: Subscription video service available via streaming marketplaces (Prime Video Channels, Apple TV, Roku) targeting a specific content niche (anime) — comparable as a premium add-on distributed through the same streaming aggregator channels.
• BritBox: Subscription streaming service for British content distributed through pay-TV and streaming platforms including Apple TV, Prime Video, and Roku — directly analogous as a genre-specialty add-on in the same distribution ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Max: Warner Bros. Discovery's flagship streaming platform — a broader incumbent in the same corporate family that bundles HBO originals with theatrical films, partially overlapping with and cannibalizing Cinemax's content proposition.
• Paramount+ with Showtime: Broader streaming and pay-TV incumbent that now bundles Showtime's premium content; competes for the same premium-add-on dollars and overlaps with Cinemax's premium movie/series positioning.
• FX on Hulu: Premium original-content brand (FX) distributed as part of a broader streaming service (Hulu) — illustrates the model Cinemax may need to evolve toward as pay-TV declines, and a direct competitor for action/prestige drama viewership.

Direct peers

• Showtime: Direct competitor as a premium US pay-TV and streaming channel featuring original prestige series and theatrical films, distributed through the same cable/satellite/streaming ecosystem; historically the most direct peer in the premium cable movie network category.
• AMC+: Premium add-on streaming tier from AMC Networks offering original series, theatrical films, and library content distributed through pay-TV and streaming marketplaces — directly comparable in positioning, pricing tier, and target viewer.
• HBO: Flagship premium cable and streaming brand under the same parent (Home Box Office, Inc./Warner Bros. Discovery) offering original series, Hollywood films, and True HD streaming via the same distribution partners — Cinemax is effectively a sibling label targeting a more action-oriented niche.
• Starz: Premium cable and streaming network bundled through pay-TV providers and direct-to-consumer, focused on original series and theatrical films — a direct functional peer in channel positioning, distribution model, and content strategy.
• MGM+ (formerly Epix): Premium movie and original-series network distributed via pay-TV and streaming add-ons, competing for the same multiplex/distributor shelf space and premium-add-on subscriber dollars as Cinemax.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cinemax
• Facebookfacebook.com/cinemax

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cinemax