US streaming service Max yesterday officially launched in Taiwan, becoming the third US-based streaming service available in the nation.
The streaming service was also simultaneously launched in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Hong Kong.
The service was launched after Netflix and Disney+, which launched in Taiwan in 2016 and 2021 respectively, have recently adjusted their subscription fees.
Photo: CNA
People in Taiwan can choose between two Max subscriptions: a standard plan for NT$220 per month or an “ultimate” plan for NT$299 per month.
Both plans cost less than those offered by its two competitors.
“Max’s first direct launch in Asia-Pacific marks another major milestone in the worldwide expansion of Max... We look forward to delighting fans across the region with our iconic brands and franchises and are still early in our growth as we look forward to rolling Max out in many more markets in 2025 and 2026,” J.B. Perrette, CEO and president of global streaming and games at Warner Bros Discovery, said in an official statement.
Perrette yesterday told the Central News Agency that the company has just announced subscription plans and has no plans to change them in the short term, but adjusting them to reflect costs would be inevitable.
The most important thing is that viewers feel that the value they receive from watching the content far exceeds the monthly fees, Perrette said.
Jason Monteiro, senior vice president of Warner Bros Discovery’s streaming service in the Asia-Pacific region, said in an interview with Business Next last week that the company would not have landed in Taiwan if it had not thought the nation was a growing market.
“We are here for the long run, and there will definitely be Taiwan-made content,” Monteiro said, adding that original Max content created by Taiwanese writers and producers might be aired in the US and Europe.
A study conducted by Taipei-based Market Intelligence and Consulting Institute in May showed that 63 percent of the over-the-top market subscribers used Netflix, followed by YouTube with 41 percent and Disney+ with 38 percent.
The Taiwan Cultural Content Consumption Trend Survey Report published by Taiwan Creative Content Agency last year showed that on average, Taiwanese subscribed to 1.57 streaming platforms each.
The number was the same from 2019 to last year, with Netflix dominating the entire period.
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