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Netflix vs. HBO GO – Which streaming “guru” will be the winner during the second wave of the pandemic?!
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During the second wave of the pandemic, the „battle” between Hungarian streaming service providers seems to restart. However, it is still unknown which contents will attract viewers during the unusual Christmas period and what novelties can be expected when there is hardly any new premiere or movie.
In the state of emergency during the first wave of the pandemic, Hungarian streaming service providers had traffic similar to Christmas holidays. Suddenly, a lot of Hungarians subscribed and spent much more time consuming content than before.
Even though Netflix has been present in the Hungarian market since 2006, it started to conquer the Hungarian customers only last October, thanks to the introduction of the localised, Hungarian menu-based new interface. As a result of this novelty, the audience has expanded significantly. The Hungarian Netflix provides its packages with a trial period of 30 days, at a favourable price – between EUR 7-11/month (~HUF 2,490-3,990 /month).
Read also: Watch the greatest Hungarian movies on Netflix!
Still, due to the price sensitiveness of Hungarians, there is an even more widely preferred streaming provider — namely, HBO GO — providing its services for a monthly fee of EUR 5/month (~HUF 1,890/month). However, the trial period of HBO GO is only seven days.
Even though there are several smaller competitors in the Hungarian market, the two major providers are likely to have the most significant number of users.
Even though exact numbers are not known, JustWatch.com, a collection portal for streaming subscriptions, saw a 40% interest in Netflix and a 20% interest in HBO GO. For them, Amazon’s service, Prime Video, is also outstandingly popular: it has even dropped HBO streaming by 1%.
During the first wave of the pandemic, the number of subscribers and the time spent with consuming content has increased significantly. The proportion of new subscriptions during the first wave was 61% in the case of Netflix, and 24% in the case of HBO GO. And of those who planned to subscribe, 53% planned to subscribe to Netflix, 21% to HBO GO, 7-7% to Disney + and YouTube Premium, and 4% to Apple TV +.