WINNER: HBO MAX

After a rocky launch during the height of the pandemic, HBO Max has rallied to become the supernova of the streaming universe.

Netflix remains far bigger overall, but its twoyear-old rival is rapidly adding subscribers around the world and has pulled ahead in terms of industry respect and cultural resonance. The challenge for new boss David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery: Don’t mess things up. Meanwhile, Netflix, already looking shaky a year ago, drops below Disney+ to third place.