BBC Studios’ long-running show Doctor Who is heading to HBO Max. Season 11’s video-on-demand premiere will coincide with the release of the streaming service in May 2020.
This agreement will see all Doctor Who episodes since 2005 be available on HBO Max. It also gives HBO Max exclusive rights to new seasons once they have aired on BBC America.
If you’re unfamiliar with Doctor Who, the last two seasons have received high scores from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Season 10 earned 88%, while Season 11 earned 90%. However, viewers of the show were less favorable. For example, Season 11 earned a hideous 21%. Despite this, the show remains hugely popular in Europe.
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Part of a bigger deal
HBO and BBC Studios worked hand-in-hand for the recent His Dark Materials show, which we rated binge-worthy. You can read our review here.
What’s surprising is that HBO appears to have partnered up with a number of studios, specifically in Europe. Partnerships include Sky TV (owned by Comcast), BBC, and Channel 4. These partnerships look to have extended into licensing content, as it’s not only Doctor Who that HBO Max has picked up.
In total, 700 episodes of BBC-made content will make its way exclusively to HBO Max as part of numerous agreements. Shows including Top Gear, The Office (Ricky Gervais), and Luther. Channel 4’s content includes Stath Lets Flats, and the Sky connection includes the amazing Chernobyl, amongst many others.
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4K/HDR/Dolby Atmos
With more shows getting the 4K/HDR treatment and HBO Max having a premium $14.99 price, it’s likely Doctor Who will have all the audiovisual bells and whistles needed in 2020, including 4K, HDR, and Dolby Atmos.
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Watch the official Doctor Who trailer below.