Just Max: Streaming wars heat up as HBO tries climbing this top 5 list

Simone Del Rosario: THE STREAMING WARS ARE HEATING UP THIS YEAR AS MORE COMPETITORS TRY TO MAKE A SPLASH FOR YOUR CASH. ON ONE HAND, THERE’S A CAPTIVE AUDIENCE TO GO AROUND. THIS YEAR A MAJORITY OF STREAMERS HAVE AT LEAST THREE SUBSCRIPTIONS. HERE ARE THE OFFERINGS FIGHTING FOR YOUR DOWNTIME IN THIS WEEK’S FIVE FOR FRIDAY.

AS ONE OF THE OLD GUARDS, HULU IS A STEADY SURVIVOR. NBC AND FOX JOINED FORCES IN ‘07 TO BRING TV TO WEB – AND SKEPTICS DUBBED IT CLOWN COMPANY. NOW DISNEY’S THE MAJORITY STAKEHOLDER, THEY’VE GOT 48 MILLION SUBSCRIBERS, AND HULU’S PAVING THE NEW CABLE AGE WITH LIVE TV ALONG WITH TOP TIER ORIGINALS LIKE THE HANDMAID’S TALE… A BIG STEP FOR ANYONE WANTING TO CUT THE CORD BUT STILL WATCH LIVE SPORTS. IT ALSO OFFERS BUNDLES WITH ONE OF ITS FRIENDS ON THIS LIST.

WATCH OUT FOR HBO – MAKING MOVES THIS YEAR TO JOIN WITH DISCOVERY PLUS FOR A COMBINED 96 MILLION SUBS. BECAUSE WHO DOESN’T WANT TO BREAK UP A SUCCESSION BINGE WITH DOCTOR PIMPLE POPPER? THE NEW SERVICE WILL GO BY … JUST MAX, AND IT’LL COST THE SAME AS HBO MAX FOR AD FREE. PRETTY MUCH EVERYONE’S STILL LOSING MONEY IN THE STREAMING WORLD, BUT WARNER BROTHERS DISCOVERY THINKS THIS FAMILY COMBO COULD HELP IT BREAK EVEN SOMETIME NEXT YEAR.

LESS THAN FOUR YEARS IN THE MAKING, DISNEY PLUS IS SURGING WITH MORE THAN 160 MILLION SUBSCRIBERS, THOUGH THEY LOST A FEW MIL TO START OFF THE YEAR. STAR WARS AND MARVEL ORIGINALS HELPED MAKE IT A MAJOR PLAYER. THEY SHOOK THINGS UP, RELEASING BLOCKBUSTERS LIKE BLACK WIDOW STRAIGHT TO STREAMING, WHICH LED TO A LAWSUIT. AND THEY’RE LEANING IN TO LIVE CONTENT LIKE DANCING WITH THE STARS AND ANIMATED ESPN HOCKEY COVERAGE TO GET THE KIDS IN ON THE ACTION…AND MAKE ‘EM FUTURE ESPN VIEWERS. IT’S ALL IN THE FAMILY.

AT LEAST ONE FIRM THINKS AMAZON PRIME VIDEO HAS TAKEN THE TOP SUBSCRIBER SPOT, WE KNOW IT AT LEAST SITS AT 200 MILLION, ACCORDING TO THE COMPANY’S LATEST TALLY IN 2021. BUT HERE’S THE THING, IT’S BUNDLED WITH PRIME 2-DAY SHIPPING, SO ON THE STREAMING SIDE, IT’LL ALWAYS HAVE AN ASTERISK. PRIME VIDEO HAS ORIGINAL HITS LIKE THE MARVELOUS MRS MAISEL. IT ALSO HAS THE MOST MOVIES OF ANY SERVICE, BUT ANALYTICS FIRM REELGOOD SAYS LESS THAN 6% OF ITS MOVIES ARE ACTUALLY GOOD.

FOR NOW NETFLIX IS STILL THE KING. IT MAY HAVE STARTED BUSINESS BY MAILING DVDS, BUT THE WORLD’S BIGGEST STREAMER HAS 230 MILLION SUBSCRIBERS. THE COMPANY HAD A ROUGH GO OF IT LAST YEAR AFTER LOSING CUSTOMERS BUT GROWTH IS COMING BACK. FROM STRANGER THINGS TO COMEDY SPECIALS, THERE’S NO SHORTAGE OF CONTENT. NETFLIX IS THE ONLY PROFITABLE PLAYER IN THE GAME, BUT WITH MORE COMPETITION, THE O-G TOOK A PAGE FROM ITS COMPETITORS, OFFERING A LOWER-PRICED SUB FOR THOSE WILLING TO SIT THROUGH ADS.

PARAMOUNT PLUS BARELY MISSED THE LIST. IT’S CURRENTLY THE FASTEST-GROWING STREAMING SERVICE IN THE U-S AND IS EVEN IN ITS OWN STREAMING WARS FIGHT OVER SOUTH PARK. BUT HEY GOTTA BE IN THE TOP FIVE FOR FIVE FOR FRIDAY. I’M SIMONE DEL ROSARIO AND IT’S JUST BUSINESS.