If you’ve been sleeping under a rock, you may have missed that we are about to get another streaming service. Called Max, it is basically another HBO rebrand with Discovery content added on top.
Warner Bros. Discovery dubs the service as the destination for HBO Originals, Warner Bros. films, Max Originals, the DC universe, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, kids content, and best-in-class programming across food, home, reality, lifestyle and documentaries from the likes of HGTV, Food Network, Discovery Channel, TLC, ID and more. The company goes on to suggest that Max will stand out amongst streamers by “uniquely combining unrivaled breadth and superior quality with iconic franchises and strong product experience, all for great value.”
We’re not sure we buy that, but what do we know?
Alas, Warner Bros. Discovery (notice how these names are getting bigger and bigger) also dubs the “improved product experience” and “expanded content for everyone in the household.”
It’s all about content
In addition to bundling existing content catalogs from HBO Max and Discovery, we should expect “a regular freshness of content with an average of more than 40 new titles and seasons every month.”
In other words, as the press release says, we’ll get “a world-class collection of globally recognized brands, franchises, series, and characters, making it a truly unprecedented offering.” These include all the HBO content, the DC Universe, and Harry Potter, plus hit movies, original series, and genres like true crime, reality, food, and comedy, all in one place.
There will also be new titles, including:
- Max Original Harry Potter series;
- Comedy series derived from The Big Bang Theory;
- A “Game of Thrones” prequel called A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight;
- A drama series based on The Conjuring films;
- Magnolia Network’s Fixer Upper: The Hotel;
- Discovery Channel’s Survive the Raft;
- Max Original Peter & the Wolf from Bono;
- Adult Swim’s Rick and Morty: The Anime;
- Investigation Discovery’s Lost Women of Highway 20;
- Cartoon Network’s Tiny Toons Looniversity; and
- TLC’s Love & Translation.
Max also provided first looks at upcoming titles such as The Penguin starring Colin Farrell; The Sympathizer, an espionage thriller and cross-culture satire based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name; True Detective: Night Country starring Jodie Foster and Kali Reis; The Regime starring Academy Award-winner Kate Winslet; docuseries SmartLess: On The Road, following Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Sean Hayes as they take viewers on an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the sold-out live tour of their podcast; and Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai. In addition to Max original programming, a first look at HGTV’s four-part Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge hosted by Ashley Graham, which will also be available to stream on Max, was shown during the presentation.
Old-new features
Finally, Warner Bros. Discovery had something to say about the app’s features, promising better, personalized recommendations and an improved (seamless) user experience.
Highlights include:
- Premium video playback with smooth and cinematic video to users, wherever and however they prefer to watch.
- Personalization, which will go beyond just the home page, offering a differentiated and high-performing experience for every user across the whole service. They say that we should thank their increased investment in machine learning as well as their editors for this.
- Better kids experience – there will be a default kids profile for new subscribers along with accompanying parental controls.
- Simplified navigation with things like streamlined categories, improved content details pages, shortcuts, dedicated brand hubs and thematic content rails.
- 4K UHD – which is available only with the Ultimate Ad-Free plan. Those subscribers will get all Warner Bros. movies released this year and going forward in 4K UHD.
On the record
“From the biggest superheroes to real life champions; from culture-shaping dramas to taste-shaping entertainment; from fantastical realms to the realest of worlds, Max will offer an unrivaled range of choice,” said JB Perrette, President & CEO, Global Streaming & Games, Warner Bros. Discovery. “This new brand signals an important change from two narrower products, HBO Max and discovery+, to our broader content offering and consumer proposition. While each product offers something for some people, Max will have a broad array of quality choices for everybody.”
“The Max service is a wide-ranging mosaic of content that will be unmatched in the breadth, reach, and excellence of its offerings,” said Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO, HBO and Max Content. “We are unique because we have the best-in-all-categories across the board by any measure – be they ratings, awards, fandom. We know we can satisfy any craving because we have the brands that people love. At Max, they will find what they want, when they want it.”
Pricing and availability
Max will be available in three different plans:
- Max Ad-Lite | $9.99/month or $99.99/year – offering two concurrent streams, 1080p resolution, and 5.1 surround sound quality. Offline downloads are not supported with this tier.
- Max Ad Free | $15.99/month or $149.99/year – the same as the above with no ads and 30 offline downloads.
- Max Ultimate Ad Free | $19.99/month or $199.99/year – 4 concurrent streams, up to 4K UHD resolution, 100 offline downloads, and Dolby Atmos sound quality.
As for the existing HBO Max subscribers, they will have access to Max at the same price as their HBO Max subscription. Also, they still have access to their current plan features for at least six months following the launch. HBO Max subscribers’ profiles, settings, watch history, “Continue Watching,” and “My List” items will also migrate to Max so they can pick up streaming right where they left off.
Discovery Plus will continue to be offered as a standalone service for $4.99/month for the ad-supported plan and $6.99/month for the ad-free version.
The new Max service will début in the US on May 23, after which it’s going to Latin America this fall. Europe, Asia, and other regions will get the updated service in 2024.
The prices mentioned above are for the US market, and chances are there will be some price differences across different markets.
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And in case you want to be among the first ones to try out Max, you can get a good VPN and connect to a US-based server. You will still need a valid Max subscription, though. To get the best VPN for Max, check out our still-valid list of Best VPNs for HBO Max and take it from there.