HBO's modern strategy won
This is a single insight from This Week in Apps #64 - TikTok the King Maker. Check out the full article for more insights.
Last week HBO Max aired the reunion of Friends. The same weekend Disney+ released its latest movie Cruella. This is the latest movie from Disney+ to require paying more to see the movie while its also in theaters.
I wasn't sure what to expect when Disney+ first used this strategy when it released Mulan, but after, it became pretty obvious it wasn't a good idea. I think it's safe to say that was proven again last weekend.
Report: Friends gives HBO Max more downloads than Cruella for Disney+
Friends fans flocked to HBO Max, adding more than 180K new downloads for the service on Friday, more than double HBO's daily average, and increasing downloads in the days after as well. Disney+'s downloads didn't fare as well, though, with Cruella earning a bump of shy of 20K downloads.
My take: Being stuck at home has forever altered the way we consume movies and not just the technical but also the perception behind how. As most streamers became very flexible with new content and even rushed to make it more available, why would someone pay extra for a service they already pay a monthly fee for?
That antiquated way of thinking, putting theater releases in a different class from streaming releases, is unlikely to stick around for long, and as no other streamer is even considering it, I think that'll happen soon.
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