During a special live presentation this morning, WBD finally revealed the details (pricing and launch date) for their coming streaming service: Max.
Yes, the rumors were true. The name of the new Discovery/HBO Max combined streaming service is called “Max.” Just Max. I kinda hate it, and considering the HBO moniker is easily the most identifiable, it seems odd to have dropped that entirely. Oh well.
Regardless, today finally brought us some concrete details on the new service which will officially launch on May 23rd.
Max is the destination for HBO Originals, Warner Bros. films, Max Originals, the DC universe, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, an expansive offering of kids content, and best-in-class programming across food, home, reality, lifestyle and documentaries from leading brands like HGTV, Food Network, Discovery Channel, TLC, ID and more. Max will stand out amongst streamers by uniquely combining unrivaled breadth and superior quality with iconic franchises and strong product experience, all for great value.
“From the biggest superheroes to real life champions; from culture-shaping dramas to taste-shaping entertainment; from fantastical realms to the realest of worlds, Max will offer an unrivaled range of choice,” said JB Perrette, President & CEO, Global Streaming & Games, Warner Bros. Discovery. “This new brand signals an important change 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 broad array of quality choices for everybody.”
When the new service launches next month, subscribers will have three different pricing tiers to choose from:
Max Ad-Lite | $9.99/month or $99.99/year
2 concurrent streams, 1080p resolution, no offline downloads, 5.1 surround sound quality
Max Ad Free | $15.99/month or $149.99/year
2 concurrent streams, 1080 resolution, 30 offline downloads, 5.1 surround sound quality
Max Ultimate Ad Free | $19.99/month or $199.99/year
4 concurrent streams, up to 4K UHD resolution, 100 offline downloads, Dolby Atmos sound quality
You read that right, “ULTIMATE” Ad Free. So yeah, it’s a bit of a jump from the current HBO Max pricing and I’m pretty peeved at the idea of having to pay extra to get 4K resolution (when it already exists). That said, they are taking some of that into account with current subscribers:
Existing HBO Max subscribers will have access to Max at the same price as their HBO Max subscription and can visit http://help.hbomax.com/introducingMax to find out more. Additionally, HBO Max subscribers will still have access to their current plan features for a minimum of six months following launch. HBO Max subscribers’ profiles, settings, watch history, “Continue Watching,” and “My List” items will also migrate to Max so they can pick up streaming right where they left off.
That certainly eases the blow, but doesn’t change the fact things are getting pricey in the streaming business. Will you be subscribing to Max next month?
