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Arya Stark is no match for Bugs Bunny. According to a new report from Parrot Analytics, Looney Tunes Cartoons and The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo have been far more successful on HBO Max than flagship adult dramas like Game of Thrones and The Sopranos. While breaking into children’s entertainment is certainly good news for the new streaming service, it’s not all roses for AT&T’s WarnerMedia: according to Bloomberg, HBO Max’s originals are still nowhere near as popular as Disney+’s launch day offering The Mandalorian. You win some, you lose some.
While HBO Max has touted its connection to the premium cabler, Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw reports that in the platform’s first week, viewers eschewed HBO’s flagship offerings for new, family-friendly fare. Per Parrot Analytics, Looney Tunes Cartoons — a new series that reunites viewers with their favorite Warner Bros. cartoons — was the most-watched show on HBO Max following the service’s May 27 debut, and Elmo talk show The Not-Too-Late Show came in second.
As Netflix’s model has made clear, new streaming services need a mix of adult and kid-friendly content to succeed long-term, so the popularity of Looney Tunes and The Not-Too-Late Show is encouraging. However, the good news may end there: according to Bloomberg, Elmo’s second-place status has since been overtaken by Anna Kendrick’s Love Life, a romantic comedy series geared towards adults.
Furthermore, Looney Tunes and Love Life are nowhere near as popular as Disney+ series The Mandalorian at the time of its November premiere. Parrot Analytics estimates that in the first four days after Disney+’s November 2019 launch, The Mandalorian was 46.1 times more in-demand than the average show; in that same time frame, Looney Tunes Cartoons was 19.4 times as popular as the average TV show, while Love Life was only nine times higher. That’s quite a stark difference.
HBO Max has only been live for one week, so AT&T and WarnerMedia have plenty of time to catch up to Disney+, Netflix, Prime Video, and Hulu. With prominent originals like Zack Snyder’s Justice League cut, a Gossip Girl spinoff series, Seth Rogen’s An American Pickle, and more on the horizon, it’s only a matter of time before the playing field levels off.
