HBO Max is growing faster than expected, according to a Q4 2020 report shared by AT&T today. HBO Max activated subscriptions doubled in in the fourth quarter, reaching 17.2 million, with HBO and HBO Max combined at 41.5 million domestic subscribers.
It looks like WarnerMedia’s plan to release movies on HBO Max concurrently with theater premieres is paying off. AT&T shared that HBO and HBO Max saw an increase in subscribers thanks to Wonder Woman 1984.
“We ended the year with strong momentum in our market focus areas of broadband connectivity and software-based entertainment,” said John Stankey, AT&T CEO. “…the release of Wonder Woman 1984 helped drive our domestic HBO Max and HBO subscribers to more than 41 million, a full two years faster than our initial forecast.”
Before the launch of HBO Max, AT&T said it had a goal of reaching 50 million subscribers within the new app’s first five years.
While Wonder Woman 1984 contributed greatly to the increase in subscribers, AT&T CEO John Stankey warns that we shouldn’t expect to see the same jump in numbers with every 2021 release. During today’s call with investors, Stankey noted that there are some “tentpole releases” that will likely generate the same amount of excitement as Wonder Woman, but other titles will be geared toward “a less broad audience.”