There is no shortage ofstreaming services available, and yet still, Warner Bros Discovery offers its own: HBO Max. The media conglomerate is also developing a merged HBO Max-Discovery+ platform, set to launch in the US this spring. But the company hasn’t announced details - including pricing, plans, or even a name yet.
Although, it could still be called HBO Max.
When HBO Max launched in 2020, it combined all of HBO’s offerings with Warner Bros movies and Turner TV shows. It also included originals and programming from Warner Media’s other brands. Unlike HBO’s previous service (HBO Go), HBO Max never required a cable login, and it was originally priced the same as another old HBO streaming service (HBO Now). Both of those services are no longer available. Here, then, is what you need to know about HBO Max - as it exists today - including how much it costs after the new price hike.
Where is HBO Max available?
HBO Max launched in the US in May 2020. Latin America and Europe also started to get HBO Max in 2021, with HBO expanding its reach to an additional 39 countries and territories.
Those areas include:
“Anguilla, Antigua, Argentina, Aruba, BVI., Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Montserrat, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos, Uruguay, and Venezuela.”
How much does HBO Max cost?
This price hike comes as Warner Bros Discovery, formed by Discovery’s 2022 acquisition of WarnerMedia, has made many content cutbacks, such as culling 200 older Sesame Street episodes, canceling some HBO Max original series (like Minx), and removing 256 classic Looney Tunes shorts and three seasons of The Flintstones. It also plans to expunge Westworld, Raised by Wolves, The Time Traveler’s Wife, and other big titles in order to license them to third-party free, ad-supported streaming TV partners.
What can you watch on HBO Max?
HBO catalogue
Anything you may watch on HBO is available on HBO Max. That’s because it has HBO’s entire existing catalogue, which includes hit TV series such as Game of Thrones, Sopranos, Big Little Lies, and of course, movies and documentaries. You can see alisting of every title in the HBO catalogue here.
Max Originals
HBO Max also has original content called Max Originals. These include movies and TV shows, such as Mare of Eastown, Genera+ion, In treatment, Friends: The Reunion, Oslo, That Damn Michael Che, The Nevers, Hacks, and Generation Hustle. you’re able to see alisting of every Max Original title here.
Warner Media content
You can access programming from Warner Media’s other brands, too, such as Warner Bros, New Line, DC Entertainment, CNN, TNT, TBS, truTV, The CW, Turner Classic Movies, and Cartoon Network. Check out the promotional image above to see the types of brands on offer through Warner Media.
There are also shows and movies from the DC Universe. Plus, all 236 episodes of Friends are available, as are hit series like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Riverdale spin-off Katy Keene. In fact, HBO Max is the exclusive streaming home for The CW. Even Adult Swim and Looney Tunes are available.
Same-day releases
In December 2020, Warner Brosannouncedplans to home-release some of its biggest films that were due to come out in 2021, which meant you could stream them from the comfort of your couch without a cable subscription and without having to risk your health by visiting a cinema. Specifically, the studio announced 18 blockbusters in 2021.
All the same-day release films still get theatrical releases, which is good news for cinemas as well as movie buffs outside of there HBO Max is available. Warner Bros also made clear the films won’t stay on HBO Max forever; they will be removed 30 days after debuting on the service.
Which devices support HBO Max?
HBO Max is available on a “very wide array of devices,” including phones, tablets, the web, smart TVs, and game consoles.See the full support list here.
