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HBO Max

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Not to be confused with MAXstream, the Indonesian streaming service from Telkomsel.

HBO Max
Type of site
OTT streaming platform
Available inEnglish
FoundedApril 12, 2023; 19 months ago (2023-04-12)
Predecessor(s)
HeadquartersNew York City
Country of originUnited States
Area servedUnited States
OwnerWarner Bros. Discovery
Key people
IndustryMass media
URLmax.com
RegistrationRequired
LaunchedMay 23, 2023; 17 months ago (2023-05-23)
Current statusUnreleased

Max is an upcoming American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned and operated by Warner Bros. Discovery. It serves as the successor to HBO Max, integrating elements of that service and Discovery+, which will continue as a lower-cost standalone service. It was announced on April 12, 2023, and will be made available on May 23, 2023.

History

Background and launch

Further information: HBO Max § History, and Discovery+ § History

In May 2021 Discovery Inc. announced its intention to acquire WarnerMedia from AT&T, forming a new media conglomerate named Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD).[1] JB Perrette, the president and CEO of Discovery Streaming and International, stated that WBD intended to merge WarnerMedia's HBO Max streaming service with Discovery's Discovery+, initially as a product bundle before eventually consolidating the two;[2] Discovery chief financial officer Gunnar Wiedenfels later echoed these comments.[3] The acquisition was completed in April 2022,[4] with former Discovery CEO David Zaslav appointed president and CEO of the combined company.[5] Perrette, now the president and CEO of WBD's Global Streaming and Games division, told investors during an August quarterly earnings investor call that the company hoped to launch the combined service in mid-2023, beginning in the United States.[6][7] By November, the expected launch date had shifted to early 2023.[8] CNBC reported the following month that the combined service was being internally referred to as "BEAM", with company executives considering a multitude of names for the platform. "Max" was reported to be the leading contender, while the interface was said to bear resemblance to that of the Walt Disney Company's Disney+ streaming service.[9][10]

In February 2023 The Wall Street Journal reported that WBD executives has abandoned plans to shut down Discovery+ as part of the HBO Max–Discovery+ merger, instead opting to continue offer it as a standalone service in conjunction with the combined service.[11] Zaslav revealed during that month's earnings call that WBD would officially announce the service on April 12.[12] One day before the scheduled announcement, The New York Times confirmed that the service would be called "Max", and that it would retain HBO Max's existing pricing and be available in multiple price tiers.[13] WBD unveiled Max in a press event the next day, as scheduled, with the service set to launch first in the U.S. on May 23. WBD had acquired the max.com domain name earlier that year from Max International, a nutritional supplement company.[14]

Perrette explained that the HBO branding had been dropped from the service's name so that it could be associated with its original programming as a content brand on Max, rather than having to be associated with the entirety of its library (which includes children's and family programming that was at odds with HBO having traditionally been associated with adult-oriented programming).[15] WBD's stock fell by nearly 6 percent after Max's announcement.[16]

Pricing and features tiers

Plan Monthly Price (USD) Features Ref.
Concurrent streams Offline downloads HD 4K HDR Dolby Atmos
Ad-lite $9.99 2 Not supported Yes No No No [17]
[18]
Ad-free $15.99 2 30 Yes No No No
Ultimate $19.99 4 100 Yes Yes Yes Yes

Launch

Release dates
Date Country
May 23, 2023  United States

See also

References

  1. ^ Hammond, Ed; Turner, Nick (May 17, 2021). "AT&T's WarnerMedia, Discovery to Merge in Blockbuster Deal". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  2. ^ Provenzano, Brianna (November 3, 2023). "Get Ready for HBO Max and Discovery+ to Become One Mega-Service". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on November 3, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  3. ^ Maas, Jennifer (March 14, 2022). "HBO Max and Discovery Plus Will Be Combined Into One Platform". Variety. Archived from the original on March 17, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  4. ^ Maas, Jennifer (April 8, 2022). "Discovery Closes Acquisition of AT&T's WarnerMedia". Variety. Archived from the original on April 8, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  5. ^ Flint, Joe (May 18, 2022). "There's a New Media Mogul Tearing Up Hollywood: "Zas Is Not Particularly Patient"". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on May 18, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  6. ^ Spangler, Todd (August 4, 2022). "HBO Max, Discovery+ to Merge Into Single Streaming Platform Starting in Summer 2023". Variety. Archived from the original on August 5, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  7. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (August 5, 2022). "WBD Brass Stress Commitment To HBO Brand As They Mull Name For Combined Streaming Service". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 5, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  8. ^ Forristal, Lauren (November 4, 2022). "Combined HBO Max/Discovery+ service gets an earlier launch date, price hike is to be expected". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on November 24, 2022. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  9. ^ Sherman, Alex; Rizzo, Lillian (December 5, 2022). "Warner Bros. Discovery closes in on 'Max' as the name of its combined HBO Max-Discovery+ streaming service". CNBC. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  10. ^ Spangler, Todd (December 5, 2022). "'Max' Could Be the Name of Merged HBO Max/Discovery+ Service". Variety. Archived from the original on December 17, 2022. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
  11. ^ Toonkel, Jessica; Flint, Joe (February 8, 2023). "Warner Bros. Discovery to Keep Discovery+, in Strategy Shift". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on February 8, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  12. ^ Hayes, Dade (February 23, 2023). "Discovery+ Economics Justify Continuing It As A Stand-Alone Streamer After Launch Of Merged HBO Max Offering, WBD CEO David Zaslav Says: "Why Would We Shut That Off?"". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  13. ^ Koblin, John (April 11, 2023). "'Succession' and 'Dr. Pimple Popper' Together in New Warner Streaming App". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 11, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  14. ^ Spangler, Todd (April 12, 2023). "HBO Max to Be Renamed 'Max' With Addition of Discovery+ Content". Variety. Archived from the original on April 12, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  15. ^ Peters, Jay (April 12, 2023). "Warner Bros. Discovery explains why it's dropping the HBO Max name". The Verge. Archived from the original on April 12, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  16. ^ Vlessing, Etan (April 12, 2023). "Warner Bros. Discovery Stock Slides After Max Streaming Rebrand". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 12, 2023. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  17. ^ Cranz, Alex (April 12, 2023). "Max is charging more money for 4K, and that means it can't suck this time". The Verge. Archived from the original on April 12, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  18. ^ Goldersmith, Jill; Hayes, Dade (April 12, 2023). "Warner Bros Discovery Unveils 3 Price Tiers For New Max Streaming Service". Deadline. Archived from the original on April 12, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
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