AMC+ Shows See Rise in Popularity During Stay on Max; Which Other Streamers Could Partner with WBD’s Service?
Co-exclusive licensing agreements like the recent one between Max and AMC+ are becoming more common, but who could be the next to team up?
Halloween on Max was a little spookier than normal in 2023. The streamer imported seven series from AMC+ in early September, many with a supernatural or horror theme: “Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire,” “Dark Winds,” “Gangs of London,” “Fear the Walking Dead,” “Killing Eve,” “A Discovery of Witches,” and “Ride with Norman Reedus.”
- New data from Ampere shows that five of the seven titles licensed temporarily to Max saw their popularity increase during September.
- Max has licensed several HBO originals to Netflix, which has led to greater engagement for those titles on both streamers.
- Peacock, MGM+, and STARZ stand out as platforms that could license to Max next.
Max Licensing Deal Leads to More Popularity for AMC Shows
New data released by Ampere Analysis demonstrates conclusively that the licensing agreement between Max and AMC+ was beneficial to the shows included in the deal. Five of the seven titles made available on Max between early September and the end of October saw their Popularity Score — a proprietary formula from Ampere that reflects the online search activity for each title each month — rise from August to September. “Gangs of London” saw the biggest increase, jumping 14 points after its addition to the Max library.
The data from Ampere is yet more evidence that exclusive co-licensing agreements that allow streamers to share their content with each other are good for both companies who engage in them. Max recently entered into a similar agreement with Netflix, but instead of importing Netflix shows it is sending its own HBO originals to that platform. The titles licensed to Netflix have seen big jumps in engagement, and now AMC has reason to hope for at least a moderate influx of new subscribers.
Which Streaming Services Could Be Next to License Content to Max?
The success of the co-exclusive deal which sent AMC titles to stream on Max is easily replicable, and there are several other platforms that could benefit from coming to a similar agreement with the Warner Bros. Discovery streaming service.
STARZ is a platform that could surely benefit from the exposure that Max would grant. Obviously a show like “Outlander” would be an instant success on Max, but other properties like the “Power” franchise, which has always gotten high marks from critics, could see a big jump in popularity similar to “Gangs of London.”
Similarly, MGM+ with its “Godfather of Harlem” series would seem to be a logical partner for Max. The streamer is the new home of “Pennyworth,” which Max canceled earlier this year, and it would make perfect sense for WBD’s streamer to bring the show back for a limited time, which would allow further promotion of other DC titles on the platform.
Peacock is another potential ally for Max that would make a lot of sense. Recent successes like “Five Nights at Freddy's” and “Twisted Metal” are excellent candidates for importation by Max, but Peacock’s real secret weapon might be its library content. Shows like “The Office” are incredibly popular still, and could see a big boost on Max while simultaneously letting people know the only place to stream them normally is on Peacock.
There are myriad streamers who could benefit from a partnership with Max similar to AMC’s co-exclusive licensing deal. It seems likely that others will be made, but users will just have to wait and find out which platform will send its content to Max next!
Max
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