Streaming wars: HBO, Amazon fantasy series face off

Updated: Aug 28, 2022 / 10:11 PM CDT

English actress Emily Carey (4th L) and English actor Matt Smith (R) join other cast members of the new HBO Max series House of the Dragon as they pose during its European premiere in Amsterdam on August 11, 2022. – Netherlands OUT (Photo by Wesley de Wit / ANP / AFP) / Netherlands OUT (Photo by WESLEY DE WIT/ANP/AFP via Getty Images)

(NewsNation) — Soon there will be two fantasy epic series for you to stream and watch.

Last week, millions tuned in for the premiere of “House of the Dragon” on HBO. Before the second episode even had the chance to air, HBO announced it greenlit a second season of the “Game of Thrones” spinoff.

Amazon Prime hopes that its most expensive show will pull the same numbers, or maybe better. “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” drops next week and will go head-to-head with HBO’s new show, which had at least 20 million viewers for its debut episode, the company said.

It’s good news for the company after a rocky last few months. More than 68 movies and TV shows were reportedly slashed from the HBO Max service. Many of them were original projects, including the highly anticipated HBO Max film Bat Girl. Now, the summer box office smash Elvis biopic will be streaming on the service this Friday.

It’s the kind of success Amazon is hoping for with its new series.

“The Rings of Power” reportedly cost the company $715 million to produce, which included at least $250 million to buy the rights from author J.R.R. Tolkien’s estate.