MMM: Warners Bros. Plans to Merge HBO Max and Discovery+

Key Takeaways:

• WBD to merge HBO Max and Discovery+ SVOD services into newly branded “Max” streaming service that combines HBO’s premium dramatic/serialized content with Discovery’s casual reality TV offerings

  • The company also announced new features geared towards enhancing the UI/UX for users with children, noting an increased priority on providing a more family & child friendly experience on Max given its large library of original animated brands and content whereas predecessor HBO traditionally was catered more towards a mature audience

  • Sensor Tower’s Time of Day feature within Consumer Intelligence reveals that user time spent on HBO Max peaks much later in the day compared to other SVOD apps. Nearly 31% of time spent on HBO Max throughout the day is logged between 10 PM to 4 AM compared to 29% on Netflix and 26% on Disney+, exacerbating the effect of users tuning in for late-night, mature-themed premium content that HBO has become known for

• Alt-tech social media platform Parler was acquired for an undisclosed sum last week by digital media company Starboard, which announced that it would temporarily shut the platform down ahead of a planned relaunch sometime in the future

  • Per ST data,Parler’s popularity soared immensely in 2020, as the election year prompted a rise in consumers seeking alternatives to Twitter. Parler was downloaded nearly 10mn times in 2020, a 24x increase from 2019, and saw MAUs soar more than 100x YoY during election month (Nov’20)

  • However, Parler’s popularity was rather short-lived as it was removed from both app stores after reports emerged that it was used to plan the 2021 capitol riot. Though relisted on both app stores, Parler has faded from consumer interest with MAUs as of Mar’23 down 98% vs. the Nov’20 peak

For more information, request the full report from reports@sensortower.com.