HBO Max Will Combine With Discovery+ At The End Of May To Become Known As Max

TV & Film

Apr 15

Warner Bros. Discovery revealed more information regarding its rebuilt streaming platform of Max, formerly HBO Max, at a press event last Wednesday. The idea of dropping HBO from the name comes from an aim of showcasing the breadth of content the service offers. Not just from HBO, but also Discovery brands such as HGTV, TLC, and ID.

The other reason is to make a platform that was more kid-friendly. As president and CEO of global streaming and games, JB Perrette, said during the press event, “We all love HBO, and it’s a brand that has been built over five decades to stand for ‘edgy, groundbreaking entertainment for adults’. 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.”

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While the kids’ category hasn’t done well on HBO Max, the hope is that with the service being rebuilt to be more user-friendly, offering up more personalisation features, it will appeal more to kids. It will be a place where parents can safely introduce their kids to content, with parental controls and kid-specific profiles.

The service will arrive in the US first, on May 23, with three tiers of pricing. Max Ad-Lite will allow two concurrent streams at 1080p HD resolution, no offline downloads, and 5.1 surround sound quality for $9.99 a month or $99.99 for a year. Max Ad Free allows up to 30 offline downloads and no adverts during content for $15.99 a month or $149.99 a year.

Max Ultimate Ad Free increases everything to allow four concurrent streams, up to 4K Ultra HD resolution, 100 offline downloads, and Dolby Atmos sound quality for $19.99 a month or $199.99 a year. This premium tier will also feature an expanded catalogue of content from franchises such as The Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones available in 4K UHD, plus all future Warner Bros. movies following their theatrical release.

Despite Discovery content making its way to Max, the Discovery+ streaming platform will continue to run so that current subscribers aren’t faced with a large price increase from being forced onto the combined service. Those prices are $4.99 a month for the ad-supported tier or $6.99 a month for the ad-free tier.

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