As a long-time fan of sports and streaming services, I must say I’m thoroughly impressed by Warner Bros. Discovery’s (WBD) performance during the Paris Olympics. It feels like they’ve struck gold with Max, their streaming platform!
Warner Bros. Discovery is Max-ing out on the Olympics.
Over these initial five days of the Paris Olympics, I’ve noticed an impressive surge in viewership and subscribers on Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max streaming platform across Europe, surpassing our anticipations. This positive trend suggests a promising future for the streamer as it broadens its reach in Europe.
According to data provided to The Hollywood Reporter, over 4 million viewers in Europe have subscribed to watch the Paris Olympics on Discovery+, which is operated by Max and Warner Bros. Discovery. Interestingly, about three-quarters of these viewers, or 77%, were watching via Max. When considering all platforms (streaming, traditional TV, and online), approximately 100 million people in Europe have interacted with WBD’s Olympic content.
Speaking about the Olympics, JB Perrette, CEO and president of global streaming and games, expressed that our initial assumptions were surpassed dramatically. The early data, particularly concerning Max, has been astounding. In just the first four to five days, the number of new paid streaming subscribers surpassed the total for the entire Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
WBD has a lot riding on the Paris Olympics. This year’s games are the first since the merger of Discovery and WarnerMedia into WBD and the network timed the launch of its standalone streaming service Max in Europe to capitalize on the attention around the event. Max launched in its first 20 European countries on May 21 and in France on June 11. WBD is carrying the Olympics across 47 markets in 20 languages in Europe on its streaming platforms Max and Discovery+, and on linear TV and online through its Eurosport channels.
Perrette stated that compared to last year’s U.S. release of Max, the European launch has been “ideal from a content perspective” as we weren’t aligned with some of our major HBO and Max series during that time, lacking our strongest content. However, this year, with the new season of House of the Dragon and the Olympics, it’s like we’ve delivered a powerful one-two punch.
As a devoted fan, I’m excited about WBD’s long-term strategy for Max in Europe post-Paris Olympics. According to Perrette, early indications are promising, with new Max subscribers demonstrating high engagement levels. In fact, these new subscribers are consuming over three times the entertainment content compared to those who signed up on Discovery+, suggesting a strong interest in WBD’s offerings.
In both traditional television with ads and online platforms, Warner Bros. Discovery announced that the advertising revenue for the Paris 2024 Games surpassed twice the total from the Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 Games combined.
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2024-08-02 03:54