What you need to know
- HBO Max and Discovery+ are merging into a single streaming service called "Max."
- The service will launch on May 23 in the United States, followed by Latin America later in the year and other regions in 2024.
- Pricing will remain the same and a new premium tier will be added for $20 per month.
It's been a long time coming, but the combined HBO Max/Discover+ streaming service is finally on its way. Warner Bros. Discovery announced on Wednesday that it's launching the new Max service in the United States on May 23.
On May 23, HBO Max is becoming Max — The One To Watch for all of HBO, hit series, movies, reality, and more. #StreamOnMax pic.twitter.com/GYJ4yJtkhGApril 12, 2023
The new service comes roughly a year after Warner Media and Discovery, Inc. merged and more than a year after talks began for a combined streaming service. It will bring content from both platforms into one streaming service, as well as a host of new shows and movies.
Max has already teased a host of upcoming original shows, including the "Harry Potter" series, "The Penguin" starring Colin Ferrell, and a series based on "The Conjuring" films. The service will also feature shows such as "Fixer Upper: The Hotel," "Rick & Morty: The Anime," a new "Game of Thrones" prequel, and more.
"We are unique because we have the best-in-all-categories across the board by any measure – be they ratings, awards, fandom," says chairman and CEO of HBO and Max Content, Casey Bloys, in a statement. "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."
With the new service, Max is retaining the current HBO Max prices, meaning subscribers on the ad-supported and ad-free tiers can keep their plans, which sounds like a big plus considering all the extra content they'll have access to. That said, it appears the Ad-Free tier is losing access to 4K resolution in favor of a new, more expensive tier.
The $20 "Max Ultimate Ad-Free" plan will provide users with up to four concurrent streams (up from two now on the standard Ad-Free plan), 100 offline downloads (up from 30), 4K UHD resolution (up from 1080p), and Dolby Atmos.
Warner Bros. Discovery states that most HBO Max users won't have to download a new app. An update will bring the new Max experience while retaining all their profiles, watch history, "My List" content, and more. Discovery+ subscribers will have to sign up as new Max customers, although the company notes that there will likely be plenty of offers available to try out the service.
Max will be available first in the United States, followed by a launch later this year in Latin America. Europe and Asia will have access to Max in 2024.
