Before NBC Peacock and HBO Max launch their streaming services in the coming months, there are discount deals affiliated with both that are worth the money.
In the case of the latter platform, the association is more direct. Right now until February 23, you can get HBO for only $9.99 per month for three months as an add-on. It’s $14.99 per month thereafter, which is HBO Max’s price point.
The other bang-for-your-buck bargain is Starz — available for a rate of $4.99 per month for a three-month period. It usually runs between $8.99 to $13.99, so this is quite a steal.
But which deal is more worthwhile? In the opinion of yours truly, Starz is the superior situation, although it’s a matter of personal taste.
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Starz relieves the Peacock long game
Like HBO Max, Peacock has dived headfirst into the Streaming Wars, aggressively scooping up iconic IPs in massive exclusive rights deals.
In-house NBC shows like Cheers, Frasier, The Office and Parks & Recreation are under the Peacock umbrella again after big purchases. However, there are others, such as Downton Abbey, House and others that also costed a pretty penny to land.
Peacock is launching for Comcast Xfinity customers on April 15, and for everyone else on July 15. Although it boasts a movie catalog featuring Universal Pictures and other big titles, Starz is the bargain of the moment for film fans.
Starz has other exclusives on the strength of first-rights film licensing agreement with Sony.
One title that pops out is Spider-Man: Far From Home. Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood arrives on March 27 to boot. The service boasts strong original shows, too, with prime examples being Power and Outlander.
Due to the deal between Comcast and Lionsgate for Starz, there’s going to be licensed content from Lionsgate to Peacock. The former has a strong movie roster.
However, it’s yet to be revealed when those licenses will transfer, or what content will be included. That further makes Starz the deal to take right now.
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HBO Max: More worth the wait
It’s not long at all before HBO Max goes live some in May — a shorter wait than Peacock for non-Xfinity customers. If you’re already going to fork over $14.99 per month, or have it as a preexisting HBO customer, what’s the point?
HBO is just doing this short-term offer to try to squeeze a little more out of subscribers. There’s little point at this juncture from a consumer’s standpoint, because soon HBO Now and HBO Go will all be under one roof.
HBO Max has been active on the preexisting IP content market, shelling out $500 million for South Park, among other deals. Oh, and The Big Bang Theory? Multiple billions. Did we even mention Friends?
WarnerMedia also signed J.J. Abrams to a reported $500 million exclusive deal, which is a big catch. The HBO catalog will have all its classic TV programming, new original content and even a classic movie collection for film buffs.
Of course, HBO Max is likely to cycle out content just like any other streaming giant. Well, so what? All the more reason to wait it out, because at the cheaper monthly rate, you may not get everything you’re looking for anyway.
With all that on the horizon, it makes little sense to purchase HBO at this moment, even at the discounted rate. All that lovely content is going to be easier to navigate in about two months’ time anyway.
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