HBO Max is an upcoming streaming service from AT&T, its subsidiary Warner Brothers and many of its subsidiaries. The amount of content that all these companies collectively own is truly massive, but HBO Max won’t stop there. AT&T is investing billions to create Max Originals and buy the rights to stream Friends, Seinfeld, South Park and many other titles that have proven to be popular among video streamers.
Here’s a quick look at how HBO Max stacks up against three of the main streaming services that it will compete against when it debuts in May of next year.
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HBO Max vs. Disney Plus
One of HBO Max’s main competitors will be Disney Plus. Like AT&T, Disney has massive resources and owns a huge library of content. Its production companies include Pixar, Marvel and Lucasfilm– three giants of the entertainment industry.
The production companies connected to HBO Max through AT&T are perhaps equally as impressive. AT&T subsidiary Warner Brothers owns The CW, TruTV, TBS, TNT, Hanna-Barbera and Rooster Teeth. A slew of classic Warner Brothers movies will be added to HBO Now’s catalog. In addition, Warner Brothers owns the rights to create content based on the DC comic book universe. And let’s not forget that many of HBO’s TV shows form the basis of what many critics consider to be the New Golden Age of Television.
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One huge advantage that Disney Plus has over HBO Max is price. Disney Plus only costs $7/month, while HBO Max will cost $15. Only time will tell if HBO Max’s content catalog will convince consumers to pay over twice as much for access.
Related: Disney+ Review 2019 – Move Over Netflix, it’s the Mouse’s House Now
HBO Max vs. Hulu with Live TV
One of Disney Plus’s biggest selling points is that you can bundle it with Hulu. For $13/month, you can get not only Disney Plus but also full access to Hulu’s vast collection of popular TV shows and movies. The option to upgrade to Hulu with Live TV adds even more value. Even by itself, Hulu with Live TV is a very compelling alternative to cable. You get 70+ channels when you subscribe and no other streaming service offers and unlimited simultaneous stream feature upgrade.
HBO Max doesn’t currently offer live TV, but its plan is to add live TV later. AT&T has many connections in the sports entertainment world and it may leverage those to offer exclusive streams of sports events that other services don’t carry.
| Hulu + Live TV 7-Day Free Trial $54.99/ month | 67 Channels 2 simultaneous streams ESPN and Disney | SIGN UP |
Even with the recent price hike, Hulu with Live TV’s prices are comparable to YouTube TV, fuboTV and the streamer’s other competitors in the live TV space. HBO Max will be an on-demand only service at launch, but it will also be far cheaper than Hulu with Live TV. If HBO Max manages to keep its prices down after it starts adding live content, it could present a serious challenge to Hulu with Live TV and other live TV streaming services.
HBO Max vs. Netflix
Without Netflix, the streaming industry would look totally different today. Founders Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph started the service back in 1999 and they’ve been blazing a trail in the entertainment industry ever since.
Netflix’s leaders claim that they aren’t worried about the increasingly crowded streaming service marketplace. The company says that there is plenty of room for all kinds of different streaming platforms and that its award-winning originals offer “variety, diversity and quality” that other streamers can’t match.
In terms of price, $9/month is still very competitive– especially when compared to HBO Max. However, history shows that AT&T has a tendency to implement big streaming service price hikes on a regular basis. If the price of HBO Max rises past $15/month, that could trigger an exodus to Netflix and other cheaper on-demand services.
Related: HBO Max Content Library and List of Titles – Everything You Need to Know
