Disney+ and HBO Max – A Tale of Two Release Strategies

The simultaneous release of new movies in theaters and on studio-owned subscription video on-demand services had a dramatic impact on the content most enjoyed among HBO Max users, but not so much for users of Disney+. According to data from Kagan's U.S. online consumer surveys, conducted in September of 2020 and 2021, the share of HBO Max users indicating they most enjoy that recent movies (released within the past two years) nearly doubled, from 17% in 2020 to 31% in 2021. HBO Max users were also more likely to have viewed recent movies on the service in 2021, at 66%, up from 57% the previous year.

The same could not be said for Disney+ "Premier Access," where users pay an additional fee to watch current theatrical releases on the platform. Among Disney+ users surveyed, only 19% indicated that the content they most enjoy on the service were recent movies in both the 2020 and 2021 surveys. Viewership of recent movies increased from 58% in 2020 to 63% in 2021. The additional cost of "Premier Access," and the fact that users would only have to wait about three months after theatrical release for these movies to be available on Disney+ at no extra cost, seems to have kept most users from changing their views about content on the service.

Going forward, new movies will not be available on these services while in theaters. Disney has already moved to exclusive theatrical releases for "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" and "Eternals." Disney+ and HBO Max will be worked into the release window quickly on the heels of the theatrical release. For example, "Shang-Chi" reached Disney+ on November 12 after hitting theaters on September 3. 

Kagan's Consumer Insights surveys span key markets in the U.S., Europe and Asia Pacific and track consumer behaviors surrounding topics including cord cutting, streaming video, connected devices, gaming and pay TV.  Please see the link below to request a demo to learn more about Kagan's Consumer Insights survey results and broader analysis and coverage of the streaming video sector.

Data presented in this post is from Kagan's U.S. Consumer Insights surveys conducted in September 2020-2021. The online surveys included 2,502 (2020) and 2,529 (2021) U.S. internet adults matched by age and gender to the U.S. Census. The survey results have a margin of error of +/-1.9 ppts at the 95% confidence level. Percentages are rounded up to the nearest whole number.