Apple doesn’t want to let WarnerMedia have its moment in the sun.
On Tuesday, Disney was heavily promoting Disney+, its upcoming streaming service, on Twitter — only hours before WarnerMedia is set to host a media event debuting HBO Max, its own upcoming streaming service.
The #DisneyPlus hashtag was the top trending topic in the Los Angeles area early on Tuesday, with Disney throwing some money behind it to make the promotion the first thing users see. After clicking the topic, users see a series of Disney+ ads, including several promoting “The Mandalorian,” its new “Star Wars” TV show. Other promoted tweets include reminders that “The Simpsons” will be on Disney+ when it launches on Nov. 12, as well as gushing tweets from Disney fans about how excited they are for the service.
Disney’s marketing push also comes as another upstart streaming service, Apple TV+, prepares to launch on Friday.
WarnerMedia, meanwhile, will be showing off HBO Max and what is has to offer on Tuesday afternoon. Key questions, including when the service will debut — beyond its anticipated spring 2020 target — and how much it will cost, are expected to be answered.
Last week, Reuters reported WarnerMedia plans on giving 10 million AT&T customers that already subscribe to HBO access to HBO Max for free. WarnerMedia is eyeing 80 million global subscribers by 2025, with about 50 million of that coming from the U.S., according to Reuters. For comparison, Disney+ has projected between 60-90 million subscribers by 2024.