Yesterday, Prime Video India announced that it is bringing a massive slate of HBO Max Original films and series for Indian viewers. The update was received favourably by Indian digital viewers, except for one thing – the hint of bad news hidden in the above announcement. The most popular HBO Max titles such as ‘The Flight Attendant’ and ‘Peacemaker’ coming on Prime Video can only mean one thing – that HBO Max is not coming to India any time soon.
Which brings us to the question – is the HBO Max launch in India happening or not?
The streaming service from HBO and Warner Bros. launched in the USA in May 2020. There was some speculation that HBO Max would launch in India by summer 2022, which of course has not happened. Now, HBO Max’s launch in India looks to be an even longer way away.
Indian digital viewers have been waiting patiently for the launch of HBO Max in India. At present, trade pundits are even wondering whether HBO Max will launch in India or not. As per our sources, HBO Max will definitely launch in India, but not as soon as we thought. There are a number of factors that are contributing to a delay in the launch of the streaming service in India –
1. Netflix’s shocking loss of subscribers
Netflix’s April 2022 earnings report revealed that the streamer had lost 200,000 subscribers in the first quarter of 2022, the first time it lost subscribers in over 10 years. Additionally, Netflix also reported that it expects to lose another 2 million more subscribers in the second quarter of 2022. The revelation led to an immediate crash of over 40% in Netflix’s stock price. Netflix being the biggest streaming service in the world, its decline has spooked every streaming service, whether they care to admit it or not – including Warner Bros. Discovery’s HBO Max. As a result, the head honchos at HBO Max have preferred to slow down in terms of the global expansion of the streamer, including India.
2. The rise of the SonyLIV and ZEE5 combine in India
2022 has seen massive consolidation in the Indian streaming space. The most prominent is the merger of SonyLIV and ZEE5 – the two homegrown giants in the Indian streaming industry. The merger has given the SonyLIV – ZEE5 combine a much bigger hold on Indian OTT viewers, more financial clout and higher logistics firepower to take on giants such as Disney Plus Hotstar, Prime Video and Netflix. It would be foolhardy for HBO Max to make an entry into India in such a scenario. Better to adopt a wait and watch policy and take things slow, than to rush in at an inopportune time and start on the backfoot.
3. The coming together of Reliance Entertainment, Paramount, Viacom 18 and Bodhi Tree Systems –
The Indian streaming space is witnessing the rise of another combined OTT power – the coming together of Reliance Entertainment, Paramount, Viacom 18 and Bodhi Tree Systems. The combined entity boasts Reliance Entertainment’s money power, Paramount Global’s content power, Viacom 18 and Bodhi Tree Systems’ (run by Fox’s James Murdoch and Disney’s Uday Shankar) expertise. The entity, though not as big at present, has the makings of a considerable threat – to established players, and certainly to new entrants if HBO Max decides to enter into India now.
4. Global slowdown in streaming subscriptions
The Covid-19 pandemic led to skyrocketing demand for OTT entertainment, as millions of home-bound people turned to streaming for entertainment. However, it was an unsustainable boom for the streaming industry. This year has seen a slowdown in new subscriptions at every streaming service, big or small. There is a definite slowdown in the world of OTT entertainment, and HBO Max is certainly not immune to it. At such a time, it is better for HBO Max to consolidate its presence in established markets than to venture into new, untested ones.
5. HBO Max’s cost-cutting measures
Last week, HBO Max announced that it has scrapped plans to commission new local fare for the platform in the Nordics, Central Europe, Holland and Turkey, as part of a company-wide $3 billion cost-savings measure. Also, Warner Bros. Discovery president David Zaslav has specified that the streamer will not be launching in any new markets for the time being. HBO Max’s international rollout seems to be at a standstill for the time being.
6. New streamers struggling in India
The folks at HBO Max are no fools. In addition to keeping an eye on their own operations, they’ve got a sharp eye on their streaming rivals too. And it mustn’t have escaped their notice that new OTT entrants in India such as Lionsgate Play and Hayu are struggling to grab subscribers in the cluttered Indian streaming space. Even Netflix, with a six-year-old presence in India, is struggling to gain subscribers, for that matter. Better to enter India late, when OTT audiences are more mature, than to launch early and struggle like the already present streamers in India.
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