HBO Max cancelers started rival services most often in the cancellation month
Distinct members of a 2,028-person direct-billed HBO Max cancellation cohort with a Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, Peacock, Paramount+, or Starz start signal by month relative to cancellation, July 2025–January 2026
Cancelers with a competitor start
Source: YipitData U.S. e-receipt panel. Competitor starts include new subscriptions and reactivations. Every canceler had a prior HBO Max start and six fully observed months before and after cancellation. Analysis current through August 18, 2026.
Chart data
| Series | Cancelers with a competitor start |
|---|---|
| Cancellation month | 207 users |
| One month after | 158 users |
| Average month, six months before | ~107 users |
Which rivals were most common after cancellation?
A separate cross-check measured any active rival subscription rather than a newly started service. Among 1,354 HBO Max subscribers who canceled in the fourth quarter of 2025, at least 48.8% had a direct-billed competing subscription in the first half of 2026. Netflix appeared for 36.4% and Peacock for 10.3%. Sparse emails and excluded third-party billing make these rates floors.
Assumptions & Methodologies
We analyzed our U.S. e-receipt panel through August 18, 2026. The cohort included 2,028 established, direct-billed HBO Max cancelers from July 2025–January 2026 with a prior start and full six-month observation before and after cancellation. A competitor start was a welcome, welcome-back, or subscription-confirmation signal from Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, Peacock, Paramount+, or Starz. The pre-cancellation average was ~107 distinct cancelers per month; 207 appeared at cancellation and 158 one month later. Third-party billing is excluded, starts include reactivations, and timing does not establish that canceling HBO Max caused the rival start.