And with that, a new streaming platform has entered the ring. HBO Max finally launched after the much-talked-about announcement that they’ll soon release the anticipated Snyder Cut of “Justice League,” “Friends,” every Studio Ghibli movie, and thousands of other titles. But after just three days, analysts have already made up their mind and deemed HBO Max to be lackluster.
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According to Deadline, Michael Nathanson and Craig Moffett of MoffettNathanson, an independent research company that analyses media and communications, reported on the less-than-stellar launch of HBO Max on Friday, with Moffett assigning the streaming platform a C+ and describing it as “chaotic with the mess of brands that they’ve got.”
That much is hard to dispute. HBO Max, much like Disney+, made a big deal out of it being able to put a pantheon of known IPs under the same roof. Where Disney focused on specific properties like its classic animated features, “Star Wars,” and “Marvel,” the Warner Bros. streaming platform includes every HBO show and movie, “Sesame Street,” tentpole franchises like the “Harry Potter” and DC universes, as well as the Adult Swim library, and that’s not counting its anime library from Crunchyroll, its classic movies library from TCM and the exclusive streaming rights to Studio Ghibli films.
It’s a lot of great content, which makes navigating the app much more difficult than Disney+ with its more streamlined (if smaller) library. When comparing HBO Max to Disney+, Moffet said “The brands don’t resonate the same way because they aren’t as clear.”
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A big problem that the launch of HBO Max faced is the COVID-19-related production shutdown, which prevented the making of the “Friends” reunion special, as well as several planned shows. Moffett criticized the “lack of new, buzzworthy content” on the platform, which is certainly lacking when compared to the much-discussed release of “The Mandalorian” on day one of Disney+. Despite the lockdown prompting a craving for streaming options, Deadline writes that the HBO Max launch has been a “failed opportunity” to capitalize.