Newly Combined HBO Max/Discovery+ Streaming Service to Be Called Max — Get Details on Pricing, Launch Date
It’s official: Warner Bros. Discovery announced Wednesday that its newly merged streaming service, combining assets from HBO Max and Discovery+, will be called… Max. Just Max.
Max will launch on Tuesday, May 23. Here’s how the pricing will shake out:
Max Ad-Lite | $9.99/month or $99.99/year
Two concurrent streams, 1080p resolution, no offline downloads, 5.1 surround sound quality
Max Ad Free | $15.99/month or $149.99/year
Two concurrent streams, 1080 resolution, 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 UHD resolution, 100 offline downloads, Dolby Atmos sound quality
Per Warner, existing HBO Max subscribers will have access to Max at the same price as their HBO Max subscription. Additionally, HBO Max subscribers will still have access to their current plan features for a minimum of six months following launch.
What’s more, HBO Max subscribers’ profiles, settings, watch history, “Continue Watching” and “My List” items will all migrate to Max so you can pick up streaming right where you left off.
“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.”
All told, the combined streamer will be a one-stop destination for titles from Warner’s sizable portfolio. But for current Discovery+ subscribers who aren’t interested in Max, not to worry: Warner previously announced that Discovery+ will continue to be offered as a standalone service.
Additional Warner announcements on Wednesday included confirmation of a new Big Bang Theory spinoff, a second Game of Thrones spinoff, first looks at Max’s Batman offshoot The Penguin (starring Colin Farrell) and HBO’s The Sympathizer (featuring Robert Downey, Jr.), and new TV shows expanding upon the Conjuring and Harry Potter film franchises, with the latter receiving a 10-year (!) commitment up front.
Will you subscribe (or keep subscribing) to Max, upon HBO Max’s relaunch? Drop a comment and let us know what you think of the imminent changes to Warner’s streaming platform.
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