HBO Max to Be Renamed 'Max' With Addition of Discovery+ Content and New Pricing

[Auggie]

Variety

Warner Bros. Discovery officially announced Max as the new name of its flagship streamer, lopping off the HBO part of the name as it mixes in a big bucket of new content from Discovery+ and other new original series.

The company announced the name change at a press event Wednesday, where it also revealed a slate of upcoming projects. The rebuilt Max (on the web at max.com) is set to launch first in the U.S. on May 23, featuring what the company promises will be an average of more than 40 new titles and TV show seasons every month.

According to the service’s website, Max will be available in three different versions. The first two plans align with the existing HBO Max pricing, and WBD said current HBO Max customers will not see their pricing change (for now) when the new service debuts. The third tier, “Max Ultimate,” expands to up to four streams and includes 4K content. The trio of options are:

Max Ad-Lite ($9.99/month or $99.99/year): Two concurrent streams, 1080p HD resolution, no offline downloads, 5.1 surround sound quality

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

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

MORE (INCLUDING WHY THE NAME CHANGE): https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/hbo-max-renamed-max-pricing-launch-date-1235532179/

According to the link, " The Max Ultimate tier will have an expanded catalog of content available in 4K UHD including from franchises such as “Game of Thrones,” “The Last of Us,” “Harry Potter,” “The Lord of the Rings,” “The Dark Knight Trilogy” and more. In addition, all Warner Bros. movies released this year and in the future will also be available in 4K UHD when they arrive on Max following their theatrical windows, the company announced.

Discovery will contribute reality programming from HGTV, Food Network, Discovery Channel, TLC and ID.

[TheRealNorth]

1. Figures

They are going to up the price and give me shit from Discovery that I would never watch anyways.

[Auggie]

2. Exactly

However, if in one month I can catch a couple of new films for $19.99 and binge-watch a series or two, I'll come out ahead.

[nuxvomica]

3. If, like me, you are getting HBOMax because of your cable service...

These are the current services where that will still apply, according to max.com:

Max will be available through the providers below. Check back soon for the full list.
AT&T
Cox
Cricket
DIRECTV
Dish
Hulu
Optimum
Prime Video Channels
Spectrum
Verizon
Xfinity