HBO Max’s days are just about over. The streaming service will become Max, starting May 23.
Warner Bros. Discovery announced the rebrand at a press event in April along with new offerings. The company promised an average of over 40 new titles and TV show seasons every month.
The rebuilt Max streaming service, available at max.com and via apps on supported devices, will be available in three tiers:
- Max Ad-Lite ($9.99/month or $99.99/year): Ad-supported, watch on 2 devices at a time, full HD, no offline downloads
- Max Ad Free ($15.99/month or $149.99/year): Ad free, watch on 2 devices at a time, full HD, up to 30 offline downloads
- Max Ultimate Ad Free ($19.99/month or $199.99/year): Ad-free, watch on 4 devices at a time, up to 4K Ultra HD, 100 offline downloads
The subscription costs for the Max Ad-Lite and Max Ad Free plans remain unchanged from HBO Max’s comparable plans. Current HBO Max subscribers’ accounts will transfer to Max when it arrives.
Unlike some competing streaming services, subscribers to Max’s ad-supported tier—Max Ad-Lite—will get “all the same content as ad-free subscribers,” said David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery. The ad-supported plan wil also feature only “three or four minutes of ads per hour,” Zaslav stated, so it will have one of the “lightest ad loads in streaming,” Warner Bros. Discovery claims.
Warner Bros. Discovery decided to drop HBO from its streaming service’s name to essentially better reflect the library of content available.
The HBO brand stands for “edgy, groundbreaking entertainment for adults,” said JB Perrette, President and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery Global Streaming and Games. “But it’s not exactly where parents would most eagerly drop off their kids. And yet Warner Bros. Discovery has some of the best-known kids’ characters, animation and brands in the industry. Not surprisingly, the category has not met his true potential on HBO Max.”
Though Max will have many of the same features as HBO Max, the rebuilt Max service will be slightly different. Max will include all of HBO Max’s content and a library of programming from Discovery favorites, including shows from HGTV, the Food Network, TLC, ID, Magnolia Discovery, and more. Additionally, Warner Bros. Discovery plans to add live sports and news programming to the platform in the future. Max will also be easier to use, featuring simplified navigation and more personalization features, Perrette mentioned. Moreover, it will include a new default kids’ profile with parental controls, a new video-playback experience that will provide smooth and cinematic video, and more.
Max’s debut will result in the need to download a new app on some devices, including Android, Apple, DIRECTV, Samsung TV, LG TV, PlayStation, and Xbox. You’ll be prompted to download the Max app when you open HBO Max. Amazon, Roku, Cox, VIZIO TV, and Xfinity devices will not be required to take action as the HBO Max app will automatically update to Max. Existing profiles, watch history, and settings on HBO Max will be available in Max.
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