HBO Max takes on Netflix as competition grows

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Keshav Madhavan, Staff Writer

As the age of technology continues to progress, streaming platforms continue to gain in popularity with its content consistently disrupting entertainment. As Netflix’s users have grown dramatically over the past couple months, companies are more willing to invest in streaming platforms.

The most recent company to pursue a platform was HBO with the release of HBO Max. On release, it held a sizeable library but insignificant when compared to those of the likes of Hulu and Netflix. The price also turned away many users starting at 15 dollars a month; the same as Netflix’s most expensive tier. Although recently HBO’s decisions have upheld the platform as a worthy competitor.

With the age of cinema starting to wane and corona virus affecting society, HBO made the decision to have movies release on their platform at the same time as they release in theatres. This faced heavy skepticism as it was unheard of to release movies on streaming platforms the day of theatrical release. Although HBO delivered with a timeline for the rest of 2020, with all the major blockbusters aimed to release on the platform.

Wonder Woman 1984 was one of the most anticipated movies of the year and fans were disappointed to see it release at a time where they weren’t able to view in theatres. Although after the announcement that it would arrive on HBO Max, fans rejoiced. The users for HBO Max dramatically increased during the release with its userbase rivaling many popular platforms.

After the release of Wonder Woman, the public opinion for HBO Max significantly rose. If a blockbuster movie at the caliber of Wonder Woman can release, almost any movie was on the table. This ideology tended to prove accurate as recently the trailer for Kong vs Godzilla released. A trailer that garnered more than 30 million views, was also advertised to be released in theatres and HBO Max.

This tangent seemed to show that Netflix isn’t safely at the top of platforms, and with enough creativity can be rivaled. As long as companies are willing to invest deep into them, the competition for platforms will thrive.