It seems like all the streaming services are finally turning towards Southeast Asia in search of new horizons. As of now, Warner Bros. is ready to serve MAX to the audience of Southeast Asia. The streaming service will be available to the users in the region following November 19. The countries include Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.
Previously, we had seen Netflix subliminally shifting its target audience to Southeast Asia by promoting local and Asian content. It was only natural that the competition would soon follow. This, however, will have a rather adverse effect on the local streaming services, which will be overtaken by these streaming giants.
Prior to this, the company was imparting entertainment in the region through a standalone HBO Go service. The upgrade will open the people to a larger catalog of content, supplied by a much larger platform. The SEO of global streaming and games at WBD mentioned on Tuesday, “We are thrilled to bring Max to more consumers in Asia.” The region will have access to content from brands like Discovery, DC, Cartoon Network, and more, all under one subscription.
This expansion will establish WBD’s foothold in a total of 72 markets. The competitors, however, have their own strategies to expand in APAC. As previously mentioned, Netflix has been promoting Asian content and anime as a means of wooing the audience. On the other hand, Amazon Prime Video has been acquiring multiple labels under one subscription and expanding its catalog, which includes multiple local streaming services as well.
Not just that, the biggest competitor for Max would be Disney+ Hotstar, which stands as the top ranker in the region. It will be interesting to see these two clash as in the south Asian market, that is, India, the content of Max is relayed through Disney+.