Discovery of Warner Bros. To unveiled Max, its big consolidated streamer which will replace the three-year-old HBO Max service and extract the content from Discovery+. So what does this mean for current HBO Max clients?
One big change: After the launch of Max, all 4K Ultra HD content will be available only to subscribers of the new service’s most expensive tier, Max Ultimate Ad Free ($19.99/month). Currently, HBO Max’s ad-free plan includes select 4K programming.
Otherwise, HBO Max customers will mostly see a boatload of new content and enhanced features in Max, which adds programming from Discovery brands like HGTV, Discovery Channel, and Food Network. Warner Bros. Discovery said existing HBO Max subscribers will get access to Max for the same price as their HBO Max subscription ($15.99/month ad-free; $9.99/month ad-free). However, the regular Max ad-free tier will offer two simultaneous streams, while HBO Max offered up to three. The Max Ultimate Ad Free plan will offer up to four simultaneous streams.
Warner Bros. Discovery said it expects Max to be available on the same devices as HBO Max.
Additionally, HBO Max subscribers will still have access to features on their current plan for at least six months after Max launches. HBO Max subscribers’ profiles, settings, viewing history, “Keep Watching” and “My List” items will also migrate to Max so they can resume streaming where they left off.
If you get HBO with your cable or satellite TV package, you can get access to Max at no additional cost, according to Warner Bros. Discovery. The company lists pay-TV providers that will support Max at this link; at this time, the site does not indicate which level will be available for cable and satellite customers. Channel partners currently lined up to offer Max are: AT&T, Cox, Cricket, DirecTV, Dish, Hulu, Altice USA’s Optimum, Amazon’s Prime Video Channels, Charter’s Spectrum, Verizon, and Comcast’s Xfinity.
Warner Bros. Discovery said Max Ultimate will have an expanded catalog of content available in 4K UHD, including franchises such as “Game of Thrones”, “The Last of Us”, “Harry Potter”, “The Lord of the Rings”, “The Dark Knight Trilogy” and more. Additionally, all Warner Bros. films released this year and in the future will also be available in 4K UHD when they arrive on Max after their theater windows, the company has announced.
The company wanted to keep Max’s pricing in line with HBO Max “because we think it’s incredible value for everything you get at that price,” said JB Perrette, president and CEO of streaming. streaming and global games, to journalists at the launch event.
“No streaming service in the world has more premium consumers than HBO Max,” he said. “And so our view was, let’s not try to take more money out of the wallets of people who maybe can afford it less. But give them a taste instead at a bargain price. And if there are people who want better quality [4K video]who want all the bells and whistles and can afford it, we have a price for you and it’s $4 more than the $15.99 [per month].”
Announcing the Max service, Perrette said, “This new brand signals a significant shift from two narrower products, HBO Max and Discovery+, to our broader content offering and consumer proposition. While each product offered something for some people, Max will have a wide range of quality choices for everyone.
Current HBO Max subscribers can visit this link for more information. The company said Discovery+, currently priced at $4.99/month with ads and $6.99/month without ads in the US, will continue as a standalone service.
Warner Bros. Discovery said it ended 2022 with 96.1 million streaming customers worldwide, including HBO Max, Discovery+ and other services. The company does not separately detail the number of HBO or HBO Max subscribers.
Michael Schneider contributed to this report.