Snatching back the rights to “Friends” for $400 million from Netflix won’t do the new HBO Max streaming service much good according to a new Morning Consult poll for THR.
In a survey of 2,200 nationally representative adults conducted last week, it was the TV shows and movies from HBO that was the big draw of the new service with 34% of respondents said they were more likely to subscribe because of them.
The Warner Bros. TV and movie library was also a big lure at 32% and while “Friends” scored high at 21% on its own – it was behind both the DC Extended Universe (26%) and “Game of Thrones” (23%). That may partly explain the decision WarnerMedia is shelling out $20-30 million for Zack Snyder’s recut “Justice League” in 2021.
“Friends” has power though as 6% of those polled have or will cancel their Netflix subscription due to the lack of the series. Original programming will be a key driver for HBO Max with 25% more likely to subscribe based on the mix of new TV shows.
HBO Max will launch on May 27th.
