It makes sense to me because HBO doesn't really have the same type of catalog. They also don't have the data. In my experience, people subscribe to HBO because they have the content and people are already aware of their content. It makes curation way easier.
HBO Max is going to exclusively have the entire Friends collection and Ghibli collection. I know and am aware of what HBO has to offer.
On the flip side, Netflix is creating their own content. People have no idea what content is on Netflix. They have to try really hard to push content and generate engagement. I've never heard of Outer Banks, but they keep pushing it to me and so I saw the pilot and now I'm watching the series.
I watch one comedy show and now they keep throwing comedy shows at me so I saw and enjoyed another. Their need to create is different.
HBO Max has the entire WB + others back catalog, and represents some of the most productive studios out there. Rumor has it, they’re also going to be making exclusives.
Even knowing what they have across brands is nontrivial.
On the flip side, Netflix is creating their own content. People have no idea what content is on Netflix. They have to try really hard to push content and generate engagement. I've never heard of Outer Banks, but they keep pushing it to me and so I saw the pilot and now I'm watching the series. I watch one comedy show and now they keep throwing comedy shows at me so I saw and enjoyed another. Their need to create is different.