The Netflix vs. HBO battle was the battle that inaugurated the famous streaming war that today has reached its climax. Today we have dozens of platforms that are practically made to the consumer’s liking, with Disney Plus, Amazon Prime Video and SkyShowtime as worthy competitors. However, today’s HBO Max is still ahead of the curve when it comes to competing with Netflix.
The streaming platform, now part of Warner Bros. Discovery, has been operating uninterruptedly for several years, and its commitment to quality and calm content has remained the same since its conception. As more and more platforms emerge, HBO Max remains synonymous with quality, and that could mark the future of its future.
Netflix’s crisis and the benefit of other platforms
Although it is disguising it by lowering prices in several countries, Netflix is in a rather worrying crisis. Although in recent years it has been growing more and more in terms of subscribers, as announced by Bob Iger (CEO of Disney) the trend has evened out, so now it is time to make more money.
And how is Netflix trying to make more money? First of all, by implementing a policy to kill all users who share passwords. Although in the past it boasted of being a free-to-use company, Netflix has banned account sharing between different IP addresses, and it’s something that already affects Spanish subscribers.
It is also by far the most expensive of the rest. Right now, with the Netflix Premium subscription you can afford HBO Max, Prime Video and Disney Plus. But it is also only with this subscription that you can enjoy 4K content, the standard of the other platforms. Little by little we are beginning to see the seams of the streaming service.
In the midst of the crisis, there are many alternatives that can take Netflix to its deepest well, Apple TV+ being one of the most attractive. But there is no doubt that HBO Max will be the platform that will benefit the most from its decline. And the secret is that, since its origins, HBO Max has represented just the opposite of Netflix.
HBO Max: the other side of Netflix
There are many differentiating factors that have marked the differences between HBO Max and Netflix, but we leave you with some of the most outstanding ones that, right now, can make the former pass the latter.
1. Full seasons vs. one episode per week
One of the most curious novelties of Netflix when the streaming platform was launched was the idea of full season premieres. TV channels had always opted for releasing one episode per week, but Netflix wanted to change the rules of the game with its idea of marathons.
In the short term, this has done very well for it and has generated audiences who can get hooked on series after series, but the formula has ended up making it clear that it’s not such a good idea. While HBO Max can fill weeks with premieres like The Last of Us or House of the Dragon, talk of new seasons of Stranger Things or The Bridgertons expire much sooner.
This may be key in the future of both platforms, since on HBO Max there always seems to be something new while on Netflix everything expires very quickly, and trending topics are much more volatile.
2. Quality vs Quantity
Although this point is much more subjective, you only have to take a look at the Filmaffinity ratings to realize that HBO Max series bet on quality much more than Netflix ones. Without going any further, The Witcher, Netflix’s big fantasy bet, has suffered a huge viewer recession and many controversies since its premiere. However, The House of the Dragon or The White Lotus do not stop rising in audience and critics.
In addition, Netflix seems more than ever a “churros factory”. They keep releasing more and more series and movies, without giving the importance they should to many of them, which pass camouflaged among its catalog. This makes them lose the feeling that they are quality products, and soon leads to cancellations.
:format(jpg)/f.elconfidencial.com%2Foriginal%2F0fb%2F585%2Faf9%2F0fb585af9ee923198b0b4d682ff52874.jpg)
3. Betting vs Cancellations
As I was saying, cancellations at Netflix are a daily occurrence. Having so many products, most of them don’t work, and without thinking even a little bit about anything more than the numbers, they end up canceling many of these series. Something that the public, of course, is not able to forgive.
HBO Max, on the other hand, has far fewer premieres, but of higher quality and with a firmer commitment to continuity. Most HBO Max series have more than one season, unless they are conceived as miniseries, and audience loyalty is greater.
The great future of HBO Max
But not everything is in the present. The future of HBO Max is more than exciting, which is causing many people to decide to bet on the platform before many others. While it seemed that when Game of Thrones ended everything was going to end, the streaming service has ended up proving that, rather, it is quite the opposite.
These are just a few of the upcoming premieres coming up on HBO Max:
House of the Dragon – Season 2
After the tremendous success of the first season, which some even equaled Game of Thrones, next year we will be able to see again the story of The House of the Dragon. According to George R.R. Martin, 5 seasons are planned, so there are still years left for the dragons to take flight.
:quality(80)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/semana/D6LWKG6OIFHULFQ7XMPRQPXGNU.jpg)
Other Game of Thrones spin-offs
But The Dragon House will not be the only Game of Thrones spin-off to be developed by HBO Max. There are other confirmed spin-off series in development, such as The Sea Shake, 10,000 Ships, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms or The Golden Empire. Not much is known about them yet, but if they maintain the quality of the rest, we have Westeros for a while.
The Last of Us – Season 2
While there are no plans to extend the story of The Last of Us beyond the video games, HBO Max has confirmed that the series starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey will feature a second season that will explain the events that occurred in The Last of Us – Part II.
Welcome to Derry
One series that has just been confirmed is Welcome to Derry, a spin-off of It that will explore the origins of Pennywise the clown and the city he terrorizes. Directed by Andy Muschietti and produced by his sister Barbara Muschietti, it promises to be as terrifying as the original films.
The Penguin
Another series that has been announced for some time and may become an HBO Max hit is The Penguin. Starring Colin Farrell, it will be an extension of Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson’s The Batman universe. The director is also behind its development.
The White House Plumbers
This miniseries to be released later this year stars Woody Harrelson and Justin Theroux. It is a political drama that explores the era of President Richard Nixon behind the government of the United States of America.
DC Studios Series
HBO Max is also the home of DC, so it will be the home of the future series and movies that James Gunn and Peter Safran are developing for their future DC Studios project. Among them we will be able to see the new season of Pacemaker and other series such as Creature Commandos or Waller.
The Lord of the Rings
While it looked like Amazon Prime Video would have Lord of the Rings supremacy with its Rings of Power series, Warner has announced new Middle-earth movies, as it has the rights to both Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. This means that, at some point, they will be coming to HBO Max.
Other future series
HBO Max does not stop premiering series, and some of the ones we will have in the near future are the fourth season of Succession, the second season of Perry Mason, The Idol or Lakers: Time to Win. Undoubtedly, the next few years of HBO Max look very, very good.
