HBO, short for Home Box Office, launched on November 8, 1972, as the first service transmitted directly to cable systems. Cable pioneer Charles Dolan founded the network, which debuted to 365 subscribers in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. HBO pioneered the modern premium-channel model, charging subscribers directly rather than relying on advertising. It remains the oldest continuously operating subscription television service in the United States, now under parent company Warner Bros. Discovery.

Alongside its scripted programming, HBO has built a lineup of prestige talk and newsmagazine shows fronted by recognizable hosts. Real Time with Bill Maher has aired weekly political discussion and comedy since February 2003. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver has delivered deep-dive satirical news segments since April 2014.

Comedian Nathan Fielder created and hosts The Rehearsal, an HBO docu-comedy that helps ordinary people practice difficult life moments. Bryant Gumbel anchored Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, HBO’s investigative sports newsmagazine, for nearly three decades. The show concluded in December 2023 after 29 seasons, having won 37 Sports Emmy Awards and three Peabody Awards. Its conclusion marked the end of HBO’s longest-running series.

HBO’s programming has earned a combined record of Emmy, Peabody, and Golden Globe wins across scripted and unscripted categories alike. The network’s talk and newsmagazine franchises air alongside dramas, comedies, and documentaries that built HBO’s reputation for prestige television. Its programming is now distributed primarily through the Max streaming service, alongside traditional cable and satellite carriage. HBO remains a flagship property of Warner Bros. Discovery, headquartered at 30 Hudson Yards in New York City.