[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] HBO Max, the online video streaming service (OTT) operated by WarnerMedia, has reached its subscriber target two years ahead of schedule.
According to CNBC on the 27th (local time), the number of HBO Max subscribers, including the existing cable channel HBO, reached 41.5 million by the end of last year. This represents a 20% increase from the previous year (34.6 million).
This subscriber count includes not only HBO Max subscribers but also those who can access HBO Max through their existing HBO subscriptions and those who can access HBO Max via AT&T mobile phone promotions, the parent company.
Among the 37.7 million HBO Max subscribers, 17.2 million are active subscribers, doubling from 8.6 million at the end of September last year.
AT&T explained that the recent subscriber growth was due to the simultaneous online and offline release of Warner Bros.' new movies.
Warner Bros. simultaneously released the movie "Wonder Woman 1984" in theaters and on HBO Max last year, and has announced plans to release 17 more films, including "Matrix 4," "Godzilla vs. Kong," and "Dune," using the same method.
John Stankey, CEO of AT&T, said, "'Wonder Woman 1984's simultaneous release helped increase the number of HBO Max and HBO subscribers," adding, "Surpassing 41 million subscribers is two years earlier than our initial expectations."
Meanwhile, competing services Netflix had 203.7 million subscribers at the end of last year, and Walt Disney's Disney+ was reported to have 73.7 million subscribers as of October last year.
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