Just Max: Streaming wars heat up as HBO tries climbing this top 5 list

Apr 14, 2023

Simone Del Rosario Business Correspondent

By Simone Del Rosario (Business Correspondent), Emma Stoltzfus (Editor), Brent Jabbour (Producer)

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The streaming wars are heating up with more and more competition entering the chat, even though most streaming services still fail to turn a profit. The streaming audience, at least, can’t get enough content. The majority of streamers have at least three subscriptions, according to tracking data from CivicScience. Here are the top streaming platforms fighting for your downtime in this week’s Five For Friday.

#5: Hulu

Hulu is one of the old guards in streaming, created in the olden times of 2007. It was initially launched as a joint venture between NBC and Fox to stream their programming online. At the time, skeptics dubbed it Clown Co. Who’s laughing now? Disney is the current majority stakeholder in the service and it has built up 48 million subscribers. Hulu has acclaimed originals like “The Handmaid’s Tale.” It’s also paving the way for a new cable age with Hulu + LiveTV, which is a big step for those looking to cut the cord and still maintain access to live sports.

#4: Max

Warner Bros. Discovery made moves in the streaming space this week by combining HBO Max with Discovery+. The two platforms have a combined 96 million subscribers. Starting in May, the final season of “Succession” can sit in your list right next to “Dr. Pimple Popper.” The new service is simply called Max. It’s been hard for anyone to squeeze out a profit in the streaming game, but Warner Bros. Discovery thinks this family combo could help them break even sometime next year.

#3: Disney+

Disney+ has been around for less than four years but has amassed more than 160 million subscribers, though it sheds a few million subscribers at the start of the year. Originals in the Star Wars and Marvel universes helped make it a major player. Disney+ also shook things up by releasing blockbusters like “Black Widow” straight to streaming, which resulted in a lawsuit. The platform is wading into live content with “Dancing with the Stars” and animated ESPN hockey in an effort to get kids interested in the sport – shaping them into future ESPN viewers, which Disney also owns.

#2: Prime Video

Amazon Prime Video may have the most subscribers of any streaming platform, according to at least one firm. But the company’s latest tally in 2021 showed it has 200 million users, which puts it squarely in second place. That said, its service is bundled with Prime 2-day shipping, so there’s always an asterisk next to its name in the streaming wars. Prime Video has original content like “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and has the most movies of any service. The only problem is analytics firm Reelgood say less than 6% of those films are actually good.

#1: Netflix

Netflix is still the king of streaming. It may have started business by mailing DVDs, but the world’s biggest streamer has 230 million subscribers. Netflix made headlines when it lost customers last year but growth is coming back. There’s no shortage of content on the platform with hits like “Stranger Things” and comedy specials. They’ve also made multi-movie deals with superstars Adam Sandler and Ryan Reynolds. Netflix is the only profitable player in the game but with more competition, it’s taking a page out of its competitors’ books by offering a lower-tier subscription for those willing to deal with ads.

Tags: Amazon Prime, Disney Plus, ESPN, Fox, HBO, HBO Max, Hulu, NBC, Netflix

Simone Del Rosario: THE STREAMING WARS ARE HEATING UP THIS YEAR AS MORE COMPETITORS TRY TO MAKE A SPLASH FOR YOUR CASH. ON ONE HAND, THERE’S A CAPTIVE AUDIENCE TO GO AROUND. THIS YEAR A MAJORITY OF STREAMERS HAVE AT LEAST THREE SUBSCRIPTIONS. HERE ARE THE OFFERINGS FIGHTING FOR YOUR DOWNTIME IN THIS WEEK’S FIVE FOR FRIDAY.

AS ONE OF THE OLD GUARDS, HULU IS A STEADY SURVIVOR. NBC AND FOX JOINED FORCES IN ‘07 TO BRING TV TO WEB – AND SKEPTICS DUBBED IT CLOWN COMPANY. NOW DISNEY’S THE MAJORITY STAKEHOLDER, THEY’VE GOT 48 MILLION SUBSCRIBERS, AND HULU’S PAVING THE NEW CABLE AGE WITH LIVE TV ALONG WITH TOP TIER ORIGINALS LIKE THE HANDMAID’S TALE… A BIG STEP FOR ANYONE WANTING TO CUT THE CORD BUT STILL WATCH LIVE SPORTS. IT ALSO OFFERS BUNDLES WITH ONE OF ITS FRIENDS ON THIS LIST.

WATCH OUT FOR HBO – MAKING MOVES THIS YEAR TO JOIN WITH DISCOVERY PLUS FOR A COMBINED 96 MILLION SUBS. BECAUSE WHO DOESN’T WANT TO BREAK UP A SUCCESSION BINGE WITH DOCTOR PIMPLE POPPER? THE NEW SERVICE WILL GO BY … JUST MAX, AND IT’LL COST THE SAME AS HBO MAX FOR AD FREE. PRETTY MUCH EVERYONE’S STILL LOSING MONEY IN THE STREAMING WORLD, BUT WARNER BROTHERS DISCOVERY THINKS THIS FAMILY COMBO COULD HELP IT BREAK EVEN SOMETIME NEXT YEAR.

LESS THAN FOUR YEARS IN THE MAKING, DISNEY PLUS IS SURGING WITH MORE THAN 160 MILLION SUBSCRIBERS, THOUGH THEY LOST A FEW MIL TO START OFF THE YEAR. STAR WARS AND MARVEL ORIGINALS HELPED MAKE IT A MAJOR PLAYER. THEY SHOOK THINGS UP, RELEASING BLOCKBUSTERS LIKE BLACK WIDOW STRAIGHT TO STREAMING, WHICH LED TO A LAWSUIT. AND THEY’RE LEANING IN TO LIVE CONTENT LIKE DANCING WITH THE STARS AND ANIMATED ESPN HOCKEY COVERAGE TO GET THE KIDS IN ON THE ACTION…AND MAKE ‘EM FUTURE ESPN VIEWERS. IT’S ALL IN THE FAMILY.

AT LEAST ONE FIRM THINKS AMAZON PRIME VIDEO HAS TAKEN THE TOP SUBSCRIBER SPOT, WE KNOW IT AT LEAST SITS AT 200 MILLION, ACCORDING TO THE COMPANY’S LATEST TALLY IN 2021. BUT HERE’S THE THING, IT’S BUNDLED WITH PRIME 2-DAY SHIPPING, SO ON THE STREAMING SIDE, IT’LL ALWAYS HAVE AN ASTERISK. PRIME VIDEO HAS ORIGINAL HITS LIKE THE MARVELOUS MRS MAISEL. IT ALSO HAS THE MOST MOVIES OF ANY SERVICE, BUT ANALYTICS FIRM REELGOOD SAYS LESS THAN 6% OF ITS MOVIES ARE ACTUALLY GOOD.

FOR NOW NETFLIX IS STILL THE KING. IT MAY HAVE STARTED BUSINESS BY MAILING DVDS, BUT THE WORLD’S BIGGEST STREAMER HAS 230 MILLION SUBSCRIBERS. THE COMPANY HAD A ROUGH GO OF IT LAST YEAR AFTER LOSING CUSTOMERS BUT GROWTH IS COMING BACK. FROM STRANGER THINGS TO COMEDY SPECIALS, THERE’S NO SHORTAGE OF CONTENT. NETFLIX IS THE ONLY PROFITABLE PLAYER IN THE GAME, BUT WITH MORE COMPETITION, THE O-G TOOK A PAGE FROM ITS COMPETITORS, OFFERING A LOWER-PRICED SUB FOR THOSE WILLING TO SIT THROUGH ADS.

PARAMOUNT PLUS BARELY MISSED THE LIST. IT’S CURRENTLY THE FASTEST-GROWING STREAMING SERVICE IN THE U-S AND IS EVEN IN ITS OWN STREAMING WARS FIGHT OVER SOUTH PARK. BUT HEY GOTTA BE IN THE TOP FIVE FOR FIVE FOR FRIDAY. I’M SIMONE DEL ROSARIO AND IT’S JUST BUSINESS.