HBO Max is gone forever. In its place is a new, revamped streaming service that combines HBO Max and Discovery Plus into a single entity, titled simply ‘Max’. We also have a date. The new streaming service ‘Max’ will be launched on 23rd May, 2023. All existing HBO Max subscribers will be automatically migrated to Max on May 23rd, along with their HBO Max profiles, watch histories, and billing information.
The merger and the new revamped streaming service have been on the anvil since a long time — ever since AT&T sold off Warner Bros to Discovery last year. Even the name ‘Max’ has been common knowledge since a few months at least.
One very important thing is to be noted – though HBO Max merges completely in ‘Max’, Discovery Plus will continue to operate as a standalone streaming service like before. There will be no change in Discovery Plus, its content or its pricing, which will continue at $4.99 per month for the ad-supported version, and $6.99 per month for ad-free subscription.
With HBO Max, however, it’s a different story altogether. HBO Max will cease to exist completely. HBO Max content will be transported to Max, along with a lot of popular content from Discovery Plus, such as unscripted shows like Fixer Upper and Dr. Pimple Popper, and non-fiction content on cooking, fashion, home improvement, nature, etc, from HGTV, Food Network, Discovery Channel, TLC and ID.
HBO will continue to be offered as a standalone streaming offering, keeping its legacy as a prestigious, trailblazing content giant intact.
The pricing of the new streamer ‘Max’ changes from HBO Max’s two-tier one to a new three-tier pricing plan. While the costs of the old HBO Max ad-supported and ad-free plans remain the same at $9.99 and $15.99 respectively, a third higher tier has been added to the subscription plans, labelled ‘Max Ultimate Ad Free’. It will cost Max users $19.99 per month.
Here is the new three-tier subscription plan for Max –
1. Max Ad-Lite – $9.99/month or $99.99/year; two concurrent streams, 1080p HD resolution, no offline downloads, 5.1 surround sound quality
2. Max Ad Free – $15.99/month or $149.99/year; two concurrent streams, 1080p HD, up to 30 offline downloads, 5.1 surround sound quality
3. Max Ultimate Ad Free – $19.99/month or $199.99/year; four concurrent streams, up to 4K Ultra HD resolution, 100 offline downloads, Dolby Atmos sound quality.
Max will also try to eliminate all the bugginess that has plagued HBO Max throughout its 3-year existence. Max will have a new content navigation system, helping users find their preferred content faster, with the help of personalized recommendations and a shortcut to save content to watch later lists. Additionally, Max will offer a new default kids’ profile for new subscribers, along with accompanying parental controls.
Along with information on the new Max streaming service, yesterday’s Warner Bros. Discovery press conference also unveiled and announced several new ‘Max’ originals. On the anvil are
1. A Harry Potter series
2. A new ‘The Big Bang Theory’ spinoff, in association with original creator, Chuck Lorre
3. A new series from Chip and Joanna Gaines’ Magnolia Network
4. ‘The Penguin’, Batman spinoff show, starring Colin Farrell
5. ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight’, a Game Of Thrones spinoff series
6. The Sympathiser – series starring Hoa Xuande and Robert Downey Jr
7. The Regime – Series starring Kate Winslet
8. Night Country – A True Detective spinoff series, starring Jodie Foster and Kali Reis
9. Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai – animated series
10. Tiny Toons Looniversity – Loony Tunes spinoff series
11. Rick and Morty: The Anime
12. Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge – a reality show
13. Lost Women Of Highway 20 – true crime series
14. Survive The Raft – Survival reality series
15. Love And Translation – dating reality series
16. Shazam: Fury Of The Gods will stream on Max at launch on May 23rd
17. Smartless On The Road – Travel series, based on the popular podcast
18. Downey’s Dream Cars – environmental series on the environmental impact of cars, with Robert Downey Jr
19. Welcome To Derry – a spinoff series on the ‘It’ movies
20. Shaun White: The Last Run
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