Streaming Watch: HBO Max Hits 27.8M Subscribers

This week, we’re updating our HBO Max case study with some exciting news – WarnerMedia’s big 2020 streaming bet has hit 28.7 million subscribers, surpassing the company’s official year-end goal as one of the most tumultuous seasons in the industry's ongoing "Streaming Wars" draws to a close.

The success comes despite a multitude of challenges entertainment brands have been facing in the streaming arena in 2020, from an increasingly crowded landscape to ongoing rights challenges, to a continuing lack of planned original releases due to production shutdowns from COVID-19.

Nevertheless, HBO Max’s big bet on “world-class content” and a more engaging, curated streaming experience appears to be winning out. According to AT&T’s latest earnings report, subscriptions on the platform have gone up from 4.1 million last earnings season, with app activations doubling to 8.6 million since the end of last quarter.

Though the platform still has a way to grow (most notably with its own built-in subscriber base), we feel like it’s a victory worth celebrating. As the recent failure at Quibi shows, when it comes to breaking through the streaming market in 2020, only the strongest will survive.

To learn more about our role in the consumer-facing launch of HBO Max, click here.