Content Overload: Recognizable content positions HBO Max as powerful new streaming service

With the COVID-19 pandemic, many have seen a drastic change in how and where they consume entertainment. While movie theaters have been the more prominent mode of content consumption compared to streaming services in the past, the latter seems to have caught up, if not exceeded, in relevance lately. Columnist Stacy Bang explores how the recent boom in streaming services has led to a content overload.

HBO Max is proving itself to be a new but fierce competitor in the game of streaming services.

It’s no surprise that with more than 50 content providers ranging from DreamWorks to Adult Swim, HBO Max will continue curating its powerful collection of media. The streaming platform’s ability to provide well-known content has been a helpful factor in increasing its activated user count to about 17.2 million for the fourth quarter of 2020. Amid the diverse library, third-year public affairs student Karlinna Sanchez said they have been particularly enjoying the Turner Classic Movies on the site.

“(HBO Max’s content) seems really curated. … All their licensed content is super great,” Sanchez said.

[Related: Content Overload: Netflix overwhelms users with different streaming options]

A few months after the May 2020 launch of HBO Max, Sanchez said they created an account mainly because of its Cartoon Network collection that featured the new “Adventure Time” specials. Upon using the service, features such as the easy-to-use navigation and organization system as well as the large variety of Studio Ghibli movies prompted them to decide that it was worth the $14.99 per month.

Meanwhile, first-year English student Ryan McGurk said although he enjoys HBO original series like “Westworld” and “Succession,” the older films in the library are what he loves about the streaming service. HBO Max has been doing a great job providing films that had not been streaming elsewhere, he said, including Stanley Kubrick’s classic “2001: A Space Odyssey.”

With the COVID-19 pandemic and the shutdown of movie theaters, McGurk said streaming platforms are definitely much more economical, despite the sensory experience that movie theaters used to provide. He said when one goes to large chain theaters like AMC, one ticket can cost at least $15, while a streaming service like HBO Max costs $15 a month and provides access to a countless number of movies and television series.

But in this era of endless streaming services, HBO Max must be able to constantly captivate its subscribers who can decide to cancel their subscriptions with a click of a button.

So far, its organization system happens to be one of the more prominent features that impresses its users. In addition to conventional categorizations such as comedy or documentary, HBO Max also includes categories specifically for its content providers. Sanchez said the categories of content featured at the bottom of the site helps them navigate how to choose what to stream, whether it be Turner Classic Movies or Crunchyroll content.

“I’ve definitely been watching shows … that I hadn’t seen before,” Sanchez said. “But (I) didn’t have a place to watch them until now.”

Such a wide selection of well-known movies and television series is what makes HBO Max stand out from other streaming services, they said. Netflix and Hulu provide a great deal of content that they are unfamiliar with, and they said HBO Max’s content is much more recognizable. McGurk also added that the streaming service is doing an admirable job with adding new titles every day – though Netflix may have a superior algorithm in suggesting content to its subscribers.

[Related: Content Overload: With endless entertainment options, many viewers are left feeling fatigued]

However, HBO Max still has a long way to go before it can reach the caliber of streaming services such as Netflix or Hulu. While Netflix flaunts an impressive 73 million U.S. subscribers, HBO Max has only acquired around 37 million subscribers, boosted by its “Wonder Woman 1984” release. But since Netflix launched much earlier than HBO Max, only time will tell which platform will reign superior.

What may be one of HBO Max’s greatest strengths is that it had a head start because of its predecessor, HBO Now. Not only does HBO Max supply the same content from HBO Now in addition to the large collections from its content providers, it also provides them at the same price. What’s more, is that HBO cable subscribers are able to access HBO Max with their cable logins at no extra cost. With more content offered at the same price, HBO Max was able to start off with a hefty number of subscribers and recognition from its inception.

Having been developed under the WarnerMedia entertainment division, HBO Max will also have the advantage of being able to boast all of Warner Bros. 2021 releases instantly upon premiere rather than after the conventional three-month period between a film hitting the theaters then streaming services. And by gaining steady traction with increasingly loyal customers like Sanchez, HBO Max won’t likely be running into any problems soon with gaining subscribers and the spotlight.

“(HBO Max) just had all of my favorite things in one place,” Sanchez said.