WarnerMedia Reports Large Viewership Increases for HBO Now, Other Platforms
More time indoors means more time for film and television binging, and HBO Now is enjoying a particularly large spike in popularity: The platform’s usage jumped 40 percent from its four-week average, according to WarnerMedia.
WarnerMedia announced a slew of details about its film and television platforms and various releases Tuesday, including the large gains at HBO Now, the standalone service that gives subscribers on-demand access to HBO’s original programming. Overall TV viewing across the industry grew by 20 percent, according to the announcement, which was written by WarnerMedia executive Cheryl Idell. The company’s data, which was not independently verified, also notes considerable viewership boosts at TNT, TBS, and TruTV.
As for individual shows, “Westworld” is currently HBO’s most popular show. The mind-bending sci-fi series is airing its third season. Recently-aired programming is also performing well and dark times haven’t stopped viewers from tuning in to dark shows: “Euphoria” doubled its viewership over its four-week average, while “Chernobyl” and “Game of Thrones” have seen gains of over 50 percent. The same goes for “Big Little Lies” and “His Dark Materials,” which each released new episodes last year.
HBO’s library of older projects are also seeing bumps in popularity, including “The Wire” which has seen its viewership triple recently, according to WarnerMedia. Meanwhile, “Sex and the City” and “The Sopranos” have seen their audiences double.
On the film side, WarnerMedia said engagement is up 70 percent from the four-week average. The company cited “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw,” “X-Men: Dark Phoenix,” “Armageddon,” “Black Swan,” and “Apocalypse Now” as several of its most popular films.
Unsurprisingly, WarnerMedia also cited “Contagion” as one of its most popular films. “Contagion,” which is available on Cinemax’s on-demand and digital platforms, has ranked as Cinemax’s top title throughout the last two weeks, according to WarnerMedia. The film, among many other pandemic-related movies, has also seen a resurgence in popularity on platforms such as iTunes. WarnerMedia added that its “Ebola: The Doctor’s Story” documentary is also among its most-watched titles, with viewership up sevenfold over recent weeks.
HBO Max, WarnerMedia’s upcoming streaming service, is still expected to launch in May.
