Brandwave

HBO Max vs Sky Sport Now:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Sky Sport Now had more branded searches than HBO Max among TV and streaming services in New Zealand. Sky Sport Now had about 77,900 branded searches, while HBO Max had 22,200. Sky Sport Now made up 8.1% of all TV and streaming service searches we track, and HBO Max accounted for 2.3%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about TV and streaming services, HBO Max appeared in four of the five answers and Sky Sport Now in three. HBO Max was mentioned before Sky Sport Now in every answer that named either.

Among TV and streaming services in New Zealand in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Sky Sport Now, about 4 searches for every 1 for HBO Max

Sky Sport Now 77.9K searchesHBO Max 22.2K searches

Who does AI mention more?

HBO Max, mentioned in 4 of 5 answers, Sky Sport Now in 3

HBO Max in 4 of 5Sky Sport Now in 3 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

HBO Max, named ahead of Sky Sport Now in 4 of 4 answers

HBO Max first in 4Sky Sport Now never first

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Top TV and streaming services in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, HBO Max was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Sky Sport Now was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. HBO Max was listed before Sky Sport Now in every answer that named either.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Netflix1st
  2. Prime Video2nd
  3. HBO Max3rd
  4. Disney+4th
  5. TVNZ+5th
  6. Apple TV6th
  7. Neon7th
  8. Sky8th
  9. ThreeNow9th
  10. Sky Sport Now10th
  11. +1 more

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • TVNZ+5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Netflix5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Prime Video5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Neon5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Sky4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Disney+4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Apple TV4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • ThreeNow4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • HBO Max4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Sky Sport Now3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers

+1 more

See every answer about TV and streaming services

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 19, 2026.

Is HBO Max or Sky Sport Now more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for HBO Max and Sky Sport Now by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 11 TV and streaming services we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.

HBO Max and Sky Sport Now among TV and streaming services in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for Sky Sport Now, HBO Max. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthTVNZ+NetflixSkyDisney+Sky Sport NowPrime VideoApple TVThreeNowHBO MaxMāori+Neon
Oct 202527.5%29.1%12.3%9.8%7.2%5.8%3.2%2.8%0.28%1.5%0.48%
Nov 202529.5%25.4%12.5%9.3%6.3%5.1%3.4%3.7%0.37%3.9%0.43%
Dec 202530.4%31%9.9%10.4%3.5%6.2%3.4%3%0.45%1%0.65%
Jan 202629.1%30.4%10.9%10.2%4.2%6.1%2.7%3.6%0.44%1.7%0.61%
Feb 202627.5%25.9%14.4%8.7%6.5%5.2%2.3%5.6%0.46%2.7%0.62%
Mar 202625.5%29%12.5%9.5%6.1%4.8%2.1%5%0.42%4.5%0.57%
Apr 202631.5%23.7%11%9.5%7.4%5.8%2.6%4.2%0.63%3%0.7%
May 202630.6%23.2%12.4%9.4%7.7%7%2.6%2.8%0.51%3%0.85%
Jun 202648.5%16.1%8.8%6.5%6.4%4.8%1.8%1.9%2.6%2%0.48%
Jul 202638.6%18.3%10.2%8.2%9.3%4.5%2%2.7%3%2.8%0.37%
Aug 202625.7%23.7%12.1%10.6%10.1%5.8%3.2%3.6%2.6%2.1%0.44%
Sep 202626.5%25.4%12.4%11.4%8.1%6.3%2.8%2.5%2.3%1.9%0.43%

How has the HBO Max and Sky Sport Now comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for New Zealand TV and streaming services in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Sky Sport Now lost share of searches among TV and streaming services in New Zealand, from 10.1% to 8.1%.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for HBO Max in New Zealand rose 665.5% over 12 measured months, from 2.9K to 22.2K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

11 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using HBO Max’s and Sky Sport Now’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

HBO Max

1 branded search term

  • hbo max

Sky Sport Now

10 branded search terms

  • my sky sport now
  • Sky Sport Now
  • sky sport now app
  • sky sport now guide
  • sky sport now issues
  • sky sport now pass
  • sky sport now rugby
  • sky sport now schedule
  • sky sport now ufc
  • sky sports now

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among TV and streaming services

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