Did Netflix win? Why are HBO Max and Paramount+ series on rivals?

Anyone who subscribes to Netflix may have already noticed that many HBO productions are arriving in the catalog. This wouldn't be strange if the rival didn't have its own streaming, still titled HBO Max in Brazil.

Although the streaming platforms are rivals, both benefit from this agreement. Netflix has always been the most popular service, delivering dozens of films, series, documentaries and animations every year to fans.

HBO Max, despite the power of HBO's original productions, has a more discreet popularity. Now, with their titles landing on a platform that is a worldwide success, more people are getting to know their stories.

Streaming war?

Insecure was one of the first HBO series to arrive on NetflixSource: HBO/Disclosure

At the end of 2023, Netflix had almost 250 million subscribers worldwide, ahead of Prime Video with almost 200 million. Other competitors, such as HBO Max, Apple TV+ and Paramount+ do not reach 100 million.

If there is a streaming war, Netflix is ​​definitely the champion, as an industry expert points out. Matthew Belloni, former editor of The Hollywood Reporter, recently spoke about the partnership.

“All of the films in Netflix's top 10 are now licensed from legacy studios, and 9 are from studios with their own streaming services (including 4 recent hits from Warner Bros.,” the expert said on X/Twitter on January 4 “The streaming wars are officially over,” he added.

Belloni was referring to the top 10 in the United States, which has a different catalog than Brazil. On the aforementioned date, the specialist spoke about films such as Aquaman, Super Mario Bros It is Megashark 2.

So, there's no doubt that things are going great for Netflix. “There's a sense in Hollywood that Netflix can make something a success more than any other service,” says Matthew Belloni.

Growth

At the end of January 2024, Netflix celebrated an 11% increase in its subscriber base. In the fourth quarter, the streaming platform accumulated 13.1 million subscribers, the biggest increase since the start of the pandemic.

The company even exceeded expectations, which estimated an increase of 8.97 million subscribers in the period. Netflix now plans to spend no less than US$17 billion on new content this year alone.

After all, why are HBO and Paramount+ series on Netflix?

Seven Feet Under, or Six Feet Under, is also on NetflixSource: HBO/Disclosure

Several HBO Max series began to enter the Netflix catalog in 2023, such as Ballers It is Insecure, in addition to productions from Warner Bros. Discovery as a whole. Although the rival company is known for its successful productions, dMaking titles available on other services is a strategy to increase your numbers.

Warner Bros. Discovery made a licensing deal with Netflix, as Casey Bloys, an executive at HBO and HBO Max at the time, explained. In an interview, the companies' CEO commented that series that were no longer watched as much on his platform are now well engaged on Netflix.

The Netflix catalog is becoming increasingly filled with HBO productions. The first series to arrive there were the ones already mentioned Ballers It is Insecurefollowed by War brothers It is The Pacific.

Recently, the streaming platform also received the series True Blood It is Six Feet Underas he prepares to welcome the Sex and the City. In addition to HBO's plots, Netflix recently debuted two successful series previously only available on Paramount+: Yellowjackets It is Yellowstone.

With the numbers mentioned, it will soon be rare that a studio or streaming platform does not want to see their work published on Netflix, which is just beginning partnerships with other studios.

We are still a long way from seeing everything in one place, but the streaming platform is motivated to remain number 1 in the market.