Things to Know About the HBO Max to Max Transition
Will Max be a better service than HBO Max, or just bigger?
Technical entry problems aside, the new Max offers a look similar to the old HBO Max format with important changes. At launch, HBO is the only brand among all the platforms included within Max that's highlighted at the top of the homepage, and my home screen is mostly filled with links to shows from the HBO Max library. That's likely an important transition, given that Max is completely replacing HBO Max, while Discovery+ will remain as a separate platform.
It's also no surprise that Max is debuting days before two of HBO's most buzzworthy shows are ending their series run on Sunday: Succession and Barry. Fans of both shows have lots of incentive to roll over to the new service, making it more likely the company will retain subscribers and maybe even pick up new ones. But I had to scroll halfway down my home screen to find links to Discovery+ brands like TLC, HGTV and the Food Network, minimizing their impact.
The company is promising over 35,000 hours of programming, along with an average of 40 new projects or seasons of TV every month. According to a spokesperson, subscribers get access to all the programming from HBO Max and "a majority of Discovery+ hours, representing 80% of engagement," whatever that means.
How much will Max cost?
To start with, Max has three subscription tiers: with ads at $9.99/month or $99.99/year; without ads at $15.99/month or $149.99/year; and an "ultimate" ad-free subscription with more features at $19.99/month or $199.99/year. HBO Max subscribers get access to Max at the same price as their original subscription, so Warner Bros. Discovery is likely hoping most of those subscribers will roll over to the new service.
Subscribers who already had HBO Max are supposed to see their app automatically update to Max, but if not, you will need to download the new app separately (which is what happened to me). Discovery+ subscribers can choose to stay on the old platform or move over.
What will happen to the HBO brand?
For decades, HBO has stood as the media platform at the cutting edge of the best TV programs in the industry, from The Larry Sanders Show, The Sopranos and The Wire, to Succession, Game of Thrones and Barry. As Max debuts, HBO will remain as a series of cable channels and a platform featured inside the larger online service, but its brand will not be at the forefront of the company's largest streaming platform anymore.
Over time, that could create a seismic shift in the TV business. Warner Bros. Discovery seems to be positioning Max as a broader and more family-friendly platform than HBO, announcing new shows that include a first-ever Harry Potter TV series and a version of Peter and the Wolf from U2 front man Bono.
Expanded Profile Avatars Icons
Max will have more than 350 profile icons for users to choose among, after adding about 100 new avatars for characters like Harry, Hermione, Ron, Dobby, Voldemort, Professor McGonagall, and Hagrid from Harry Potter; Joel, Ellie and a Clicker from “The Last of Us”; Tanya, Portia and Valentina from “The White Lotus”; and Peacemaker, Emilia Harcourt and Adrian Chase from “Peacemaker.”
Also available are avatar icons from Discovery shows like Chip & Joanna Gaines from “Fixer Upper,” Guy Fieri from “Diners, Drive-ins & Dives,” Bobby Flay from “Beat Bobby Flay,” Jonathan and Drew Scott from “Property Brothers,” Dr. Sandra Lee from “Dr. Pimple Popper,” Trixie Mattel from “Trixie Motel,” Annie Suwan and Kenny Niedermeier from the “90 Day Fiancé” franchise, and a variety of sharks such as a Tiger, Whale, Hammerhead, Bull and Mako from Discovery’s Shark Week. Those are in addition to characters that have been available in HBO Max from classics like “Game of Thrones,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “The Sopranos,” “Friends,” “The House of the Dragon,” “Insecure,” “Succession,” “Hacks” and “The West Wing.”
New Ad Formats
The ad experience on the Max With Ads plan will continue to offer among the industry’s lightest ad loads (3-4 minutes per hour), the company says. Max will combine ad formats from HBO Max and Discovery+. Those will include traditional pre-roll ads (15 seconds), mid-roll ads (15 or 30 seconds), takeovers (which allow an advertiser to be the first ad all users see on the platform for one day, with ownership of the pre-roll and first mid-roll ad in each consumer’s first stream); Brand Block, which lets one brand exclusively own every ad moment within a piece of content; InFront, which lets brands sponsor an exclusive ad-free experience for viewers by eliminating all mid-roll advertising in exchange for pre-roll ads; interactive ads; and pause ads that display on screen when a customer initiates a pause.
Accessibility Features
At launch, Max will feature 6,500 hours of audio descriptive content. That now includes shows lifestyle brands like Magnolia, TLC, and HGTV as well as the HBO and Max originals. In addition, at launch, Max will support screen reader technology on the web, Roku, Vizio, LG, Samsung, Xbox, PlayStation 5, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Android Mobile, Android TV, Google TV, Amazon Fire TV, DirecTV, Comcast and Cox.