Just three years after HBO Max debuted, the service is getting a rebrand. Now dubbed “Max,” the streamer combines most of the content of Discovery+ and the old HBO Max into a new, jumbo-sized offering.
Naturally, the changeover to Max brings with it plenty of questions. What new content is available on Max? Is there a new Max app, and if so, how do you get it? What’s happening to Discovery+? Most of all, does Max come with a price increase?
Read on for answers about your burning Max questions.
The new Max: Your questions answered
Why is HBO Max merging with Discovery+?
The decision to put content from HBO Max and Discovery+ under one roof came amid last year’s merger of HBO parent WarnerMedia with Discovery.
At the time, Discovery CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels said the companies “believe in a combined product” that would be “one, very, very strong combined direct-to-consumer product and platform” as opposed to a bundle of different services.
Why is HBO Max losing the “HBO” branding and becoming “Max”?
According to Warner Bros. Discovery execs, the idea behind the new “Max” name is to convey that the newly combined streamer offers a little of everything, including programming for kids, rather than being focused on HBO’s brand of premium “adult” shows.
“This new brand signals an important change from two narrower products, HBO Max and Discovery+, to our broader content offering,” said JB Perrette, Warner Bros. Discovery global streaming president, in a press release. “While each product offered something for some people, Max will have a broad array of quality choices for everybody.”
What’s on the new Max?
Rather than just a portal for streaming HBO movies and TV shows, Max now offers a much wider variety of content. From Discovery+, Max is getting shows from such home and lifestyle brands as HGTV, Food Network, Discovery Channel, TLC, and ID.
So besides such grown-up fare as Chernobyl, Euphoria, and True Detective, Max now serves up shows like House Hunters International, Property Brothers, Deadliest Catch, Mythbusters, Chopped, Beat Bobby Flay, Say Yes to the Dress, and Little People, Big World.
Max execs are also promising a variety of new titles, including a forthcoming Harry Potter series, a comedy “derived” from The Big Bang Theory, a Game of Thrones prequel, a show based on The Conjuring movies, and a new True Detective season with Jodie Foster.
Where is the new Max available, and when will it launch in other regions?
For now, the new Max is available only in the United States.
That said, Max will go live “later this year” in Latin America, and next year in other regions.
Can I still subscribe to Discovery+ on its own?
Short answer: yes.
Longer answer: The original plan was to consolidate HBO Max and Discovery+ into a single service and then eliminate the standalone services, but Warner Bros. Discovery subsequently backtracked on that idea.
Instead, Discovery+ will stick around following the arrival of Max, and it will still cost $6.99 a month, or $4.99/month with ads.
You can sign up for a free trial of Discovery+ right here (assuming you’re a new subscriber).
How much does a Max subscription cost?
With the new Max streaming service comes new subscription plans, and here they are:
- Max Ad-Lite: $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year, 2 streams, 1080p, no offline downloads, 5.1 audio
- Max Ad Free: $15.99 a month or $149.99 a year, 1080p, 30 offline downloads, 5.1 audio
- Max Ultimate Ad Free: $19.99 a month or $199.99 a year, up to 4K resolution, 100 offline downloads, Dolby Atmos audio
Former HBO Max ad-free subscribers will notice that if they stay at their existing price level, they’ll be losing 4K and Dolby Atmos support unless they pony up for the pricier Max Ultimate Ad Free tier.
That said, Warner Bros. Discovery promises that HBO Max subscribers moving over to the new Max will keep their “current plan features” for a “minimum” of six months following the changeover.
Max also says that the Ultimate Ad Free tier will offer more than eight times as much 4K content as HBO Max did.
Here’s the complete list of 4K titles that Max will have available at launch.
Will I need a new app for Max?
When you fire up the HBO Max app on launch day, one of two things will happen, depending on which platform you’re on: Either the app will automatically update itself to Max, or you’ll be prompted to download the new Max app.
In either case, HBO Max subscribers won’t need to do anything special to prepare for Max’s arrival.
What’s new about the Max app?
The most striking thing about the new Max app is that it ditches the purple color scheme of HBO Max, going to a blue theme instead.
Besides the new color, you’ll also see a revamped navigation menu at the top of the screen, along with “streamlined” categories, genre hubs, and AI-powered content recommendations, according to TechCrunch,
The new Max app is also debuting more granular options for kids profiles, including the ability to create profiles that cater to five different age groups, from younger tots to teens.
Perhaps best of all, the new Max app is getting a much-needed, “under the hood” tune-up that should deliver “faster, more reliable, and more efficient performance,” TechCrunch reports. Let’s hope so.
What will happen to my HBO Max profile, watch history, and downloads?
Those won’t be going anywhere, with your profiles, watch list, and settings slated to move over to the new Max service automatically.
If you’ve downloaded any HBO Max shows for offline viewing, however, you’ll need to re-download them on the updated Max app.
Author: Ben Patterson, Senior Writer
Ben has been writing about technology and consumer electronics for more than 20 years. A PCWorld contributor since 2014, Ben joined TechHive in 2019, where he covers smart speakers, soundbars, and other smart and home-theater devices. You can follow Ben on Twitter.