HBO awarded Australian trademark for HBO Max streaming service

The cable channel that paved the way for powerhouse streamers like Netflix and Disney+ looks to be eyeing off the Australian market.

Powerhouse streaming video on demand (SVOD) services Netflix and Disney, as well as local competitors like Stan and Foxtel, face a fresh new challenge as the company that paved the way for their success looks set to enter the Australian market.

HBO (Home Box Office) has registered a trademark for its streaming service HBO Max.

The company, owned by US telecom AT&T through WarnerMedia, filed the trademark in September last year, but it was only officially registered last Tuesday.

HBO came to prominence in the US by selling subscriptions to cable subscribers on top of the cost of their existing subscription.

It built a strong reputation through its airing of must-see television events like pay-per-view boxing and premium original programming, including movies, that were often more mature in content than the family-friendly offerings on network television.

The Thrilla in Manila between Joe Frazier (left) and Muhammad Ali (right) was the first pay-per-view boxing event and was broadcast on HBO.

Shows like The Sopranos, Game of Thrones, The Wire, Silicon Valley, and Girls to name a few helped strengthen the brand’s reputation and subscriber base.

Netflix, as it grew from a mail-order DVD rental service to an online SVOD provider, also invested in premium original content like Orange Is The New Black, House of Cards, Stranger Things and Bojack Horseman.

Despite a massive back catalogue including its own historic archive of animated films as well as the famous intellectual properties like the Marvel cinematic universe, Star Wars franchise, and The Simpsons, Disney made an investment in original programming ahead of the launch of its Disney+ streaming service as well.

Apple recently launched its own TV+ service, which is made up entirely of original programs.

Local streaming service Stan, owned by Nine Entertainment, has rolled out several new original programs over the past month, and Foxtel (owned by News Corp, publisher of news.com.au) has produced plenty of its own content over the years in addition to airing shows from other companies, including HBO.

James Gandolfini as mob boss Tony Soprano in the HBO series The Sopranos. He died aged 51 in 2013. Picture: AP Photo/HBO, Anthony Neste

Isaac Hempstead Wright as Bran Stark in HBO series Game of Thrones Picture: Macall B. Polay/HBO

With the possible introduction of HBO Max to the increasingly crowded streaming market, Australians will be faced with the double-edged sword of more choice as more content becomes available across more services.

HBO Max is expected to launch in the US in May at a cost of $US14.99 ($A22.50) a month, making it one of the most expensive SVOD services on the market.

If it does end up launching in Australia, it would compete with all the other paid services we already have but could pose a particular threat to two of them.

Stan and Foxtel have a large amount of content that would likely be brought back in house if HBO Max was to make its entrance Down Under.

Stan recently faced a similar issue with the introduction of Disney+.

Disney+ shook up the streaming market on entrance last year. Picture: Robyn Beck / AFP)

Soon after the new SVOD launched, Stan lost several Disney properties, including Marvel movies.

Currently, Stan has content deals for shows including The West Wing, South Park, Friends and Top Gear to name a few, all of which are expected to be on HBO Max when it launches in the US.

This doesn’t mean they’ll disappear off Stan overnight but makes it likely the current content deals won’t be renewed.

RELATED: What we know about Foxtel’s new streaming platform

Foxtel has HBO content on its pay-TV service, as well as streaming on demand, but is reportedly looking at launching its own dedicated streaming service for drama content.

The platform, currently codenamed Project Ares, would be similar to the existing Kayo Sports streaming service but for scripted content.

Contacted for comment by news.com.au, Foxtel and Stan had nothing to say.

A Netflix spokesperson said the company wasn’t worried.

“We’ve always faced tons of competition, including from bigger competitors, and we’ve learned over the years to focus on what we do best — control and choice for consumers — and to do it even better.”

CORD-CUTTING DREAM TURNING TO COSTLY NIGHTMARE

The potential introduction of HBO Max to Australia means the potential addition of another recurring payment to your entertainment budget, as subscriptions become the new norm.

Formerly the primary domain of newspapers and magazines, the internet has provided new ways to deliver content (and products) that now means you don’t need to actually own or store any of it.

This has helped subscriptions be applied to everything from razor blades to music, television, movies and video games.

Companies love subscriptions because it provides a steady and predictable income stream, as well as locking forgetful customers into ongoing payments they sometimes forget or find too laborious to cancel.

Netflix is expected to spend around $US20 billion on programming this year to retain old subscribers and attract new ones. Picture: Alastair Pike / AFP

With more and more subscription services on the market, the costs are beginning to add up.

You’re relatively insulated from this issue on music services like Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube Music, as labels usually licence the content to all of the different platforms, although occasionally big-name artists with exclusive deals like Taylor Swift, Drake or Frank Ocean will make new releases temporarily exclusive to one platform.

For television and movies, the landscape is much more fractured, as content is spread across multiple platforms.

If you were to subscribe to high definition plans for Netflix ($13.99), Stan ($14), Amazon Prime Video ($6.99), Disney+ ($8.99), Apple TV+ ($7.99), and Foxtel Now (starting at $25) it would set you back $76.87 a month.

On the upside, SVOD services don’t have lock-in contracts, making it easy to chop and change between services monthly.

How many SVOD services do you regularly subscribe to? Let us know in the comments below.