The Power of a Promo: Max Pulled in More than 1 Million Subscribers With Black Friday Deal

Not all streaming services participate in Black Friday deal offers, but those that do are usually available at incredibly deep discounts. Max got in on the game in 2023, offering its ad-supported streaming tier for a 70% discount; instead of the $9.99-per-month standard price, Max was available for $2.99 per month for a period of six months. Data released by Ampere Analysis in December is demonstrating how successful that promotion was, and shows which streamers should consider offering Black Friday deals of their own.

• Max gained 1.2 million subscribers thanks to its Black Friday offer.
• Ampere’s data shows that Black Friday subscribers were retained at a higher rate, as well.
• Hulu offers Black Friday discounts, but Disney+ and Prime Video stand out as a streamer that should consider its own Black Friday bargains.

How Successful Was Max’s Black Friday Deal?

Ampere’s numbers show that Max was able to scoop up 1.2 million subscribers thanks to its deep Black Friday discount. That was more than double the sign-up rate from the preceding three months for Max, and the data also shows that these customers stayed subscribed to Max for at least one month at a much higher rate than viewers who signed up the week before Black Friday. Just 2.3% of Black Friday Max subscribers had churned away by December, as opposed to 6.1% of those who signed up in the days before the holiday.

Warner Bros. Discovery has experienced two quarters of subscriber loss in a row. Much of the loss is attributable to discovery+ content making its way to the new Max platform, causing subscribers to cancel discovery+ subscriptions. Nevertheless, this influx of new customers will be a welcome sight for WBD executives as it tries to make its streaming segment profitable.

One critical point of data from Ampere’s research is that Max’s ad-supported subscribers jumped from 5.5% of its total subscriber base in October to 7.5% in November. From Netflix to Disney+, streaming providers are desperate to get more customers for their ad plans, as these tiers help raise the average revenue per user (ARPU) streamers collect and bring them that much closer to profitability.

Which Other Streamers Offer Black Friday Deals, and Which Should?

Hulu offered an even longer deal term than Max did this Black Friday, giving customers a full year of ad-supported streaming for $0.99 per month. Customers could also grab big savings on the Disney Bundle by adding the Disney+ add-on to their discounted Hulu service, adding up to just $2.99 per month for a year of both services.

Ampere’s data shows that perhaps this season, Disney+ should consider adding a standalone deal offer. Disney+ has a lower proportion of ad-supported customers in its total subscriber base than either Max or Netflix, and Max’s success with its Black Friday deal demonstrates that such deals will bring a large influx of loyal customers to a streaming platform in short order.

Prime Video should also consider offering customers a Black Friday discount. The streaming service normally costs $8.99 per month, and a subscription is a requirement if customers want to purchase additional streaming subscriptions to services like AMC+, Max or Paramount+ through the Prime Video Channels platform. Amazon frequently offers big discounts on streamers via Prime Video Channels, but it could get even more signups for those services if it lowered the price of Prime Video as well during the holidays. That would bring it more subscribers for Prime Video, and more commissions off every additional service its customers sign up for on Prime Video Channels.

Ampere’s data makes it crystal clear: everyone loves a discount! Max saw a big influx of new subscribers from its 70% discount on six months of service offer on Black Friday, and Disney+ and Prime Video should take a close look at whether offering discounts on their ad-supported streaming tiers during the holidays would be useful as well.