Can HBO Max beat Netflix, Disney+ in the streaming wars? New service banks on old favourites like Friends and The Big Bang Theory to win fans over
- HBO Max plays host to TV shows like Game of Thrones, The Sopranos and The Wire, as well as Warner Bros films from Citizen Kane to the Harry Potter series
- At US$15 a month it is more expensive than its competitors, but analysts say it is a good time to unleash beloved content on a public stuck at home
Decades before glossy Netflix and Amazon shows began luring Hollywood A-listers to the small screen, cable network HBO helped invent premium television.
Now, the home of TV hits The Sopranos, The Wire and Game of Thrones is looking to catch up with its new-found online rivals through the launch of its own multibillion-dollar streaming platform – HBO Max – this week.
“Within the crowded constellation of entertainment brands, HBO is a crown jewel,” says Christopher Smith, a communications professor at the University of Southern California in the US. “They’re using the HBO brand bludgeon to break their way through in the streaming wars.”
Fifteen new HBO Max original productions, including The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo and Love Life, will be available on HBO GO (available as a subscription on Now TV) in Hong Kong.
