'Peacemaker' is the biggest TV series in the world right now, as HBO Max originals gain momentum

HBO Max's "Peacemaker" was the most in-demand series in the world as of January 22.
It surpassed Netflix's "The Witcher" and Disney+'s "The Book of Boba Fett."
It reflects the growing popularity of Max originals.

HBO Max's latest DC Comics series, "Peacemaker," has gained momentum against some of streaming's most popular shows.

The series, which is a spinoff of last year's "The Suicide Squad" and was created by the movie's director James Gunn, was the most in-demand TV series in the world as of January 22, according to the data firm Parrot Analytics. It was 69.5 times more in demand than the average series.

Parrot Analytics measures audience demand, which accounts for the interest in and engagement with, or overall popularity, of a TV series.

"Peacemaker," starring John Cena in the title role, surpassed Netflix's hit fantasy series "The Witcher" and Disney+'s "Star Wars" show "The Book of Boba Fett" in demand.

It reflects the growing popularity of HBO Max originals. Throughout 2021, total demand for Max series grew by 39.2%. Demand for Netflix originals in the same 12-month period grew by 10.3%.

Parrot Analytics said that Max was the fastest-growing major streaming service in 2021 when it came to demand share for originals.

By the end of the year, total demand for Max originals was well ahead of Netflix. The chart below illustrates the growth:

hbo max originals demand — Parrot Analytics

The demand for Max's originals is impressive given that it has far fewer subscribers than Netflix and Disney+. Netflix said last week that it had 222 million subscribers worldwide. Disney+ had 118 million global subscribers as of October.

HBO and Max ended 2021 with a combined 73.8 million subscribers, according to parent company AT&T, surpassing projections while Netflix and Disney+'s subscriber growth had slowed.

DC content will be essential for Max's growth throughout 2022 and beyond. New series like "Green Lantern" and "Justice League Dark" are in development. A "Batgirl" movie is in the works for the service to debut this year. Theatrically released Warner Bros. movies will have a 45-day window before debuting on HBO Max, including "The Batman," which hits theaters in March.

"Peacemaker" has been a hit with critics as well and has a 94% Rotten Tomatoes critic score.

"Cena was a stand-out in 'The Suicide Squad,' an impressive feat considering the stacked deck that was its cast, and he's even better in 'Peacemaker,'" Jarrod Jones wrote for AV Club.

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