Warner Bros. Discovery is rolling out its Max streaming service in Asia this week with a contrarian strategy: Rather than investing billions of dollars in local content to attract new subscribers, it’s banking on its flow of big Hollywood movies and TV shows.
The media and entertainment company is relying on established franchises like Harry Potter and Friends to draw viewers across the region, setting it apart from rivals Netflix and Disney. Arriving in Asia after its peers, New York-based Warner Bros. is partnering with local platforms to efficiently build loyalty for its streaming content and increase subscribers without heavy initial investments.
"This is an area where we have an advantage in coming this late, because they’ve spent a lot of money and arguably maybe wasted a lot of money trying to compete with great local players that are producing great local stories,” JB Perrette, CEO of global streaming and games at Warner Bros., said in an interview. "Our approach is very different from theirs.”
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