Ranking The Potential Of Each Streaming Service
4. HBO Max
Estimated Subscribers – 37m
Given that they own the rights to Harry Potter, DC Comics and Game Of Thrones, three properties that are renowned around the world, it’s hard to see how HBO Max could be anything other than a success, particularly given the reputation of HBO in the world of television that prompted AT&T to use its brand, rather than that of Warner Bros, for its streaming service.
Despite being less than a year old, HBO Max has already garnered significant attention within the entertainment industry. Much of this relates to their decision to concurrently release blockbuster films on the platform in tandem with their cinema releases, to the consternation of filmmakers and cinema purists.
Whether this strategy persists once cinemas are permitted to reopen is anyone’s guess, but it’s a ballsy move that is sure to attract mainstream film fans.
The biggest issue that HBO Max is likely to face stems from its pricing strategy. At $14.99 per month it is almost twice as expensive as any of its competitors, which is particularly egregious given that outside of a 50% stake in the CW, Warner Bros lack a ‘traditional’ presence amongst the major television networks to draw content from.
Throw in the rights to Friends (important enough for Netflix to pay $100m in 2019) and content from subsidiaries and contributors like Cartoon Network, New Line Cinema (the Lord Of The Rings film trilogy), Studio Ghibli and the Criterion Collection, however, and they have plenty to lean on for now.