Mustafa Moumouni April 13th, 2023 - 10:50 AM
As a result of the Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) merger, it has now been released that the new name for the streaming service is Max, according to The Hollywood Reporter. In addition, Deadline reports that there will be a three-tier price on the subscription. The new streaming service is set to launch on May 23, 2023.
The unveiling took place at an event at the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The event began at 10 a.m. and was led by a panel consisting of WBD CEO David Zaslav, president and CEO of global streaming and games JB Perrette, HBO and Max CEO and chairman Casey Bloys (who also has oversight of Chip and Joanna Gaines’ Magnolia Network), and U.S. networks group chairman and chief content officer Kathleen Finch, according to Variety.
“Max is the one to watch, because it’s home to shows that have a supersized effect on people and culture,” said Zaslav during the presentation, according to CNBC. “It’s streaming’s version of must-see TV.”
The plans are as follows:
Max Ad Light offers two concurrent streams with commercials for $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year.
Max Ad Free offers two concurrent streams without ads for $15.99 a month or $149.99 a year.
Max Ultimate Ad Free offers four concurrent streams with up to 4K resolution and 100 offline downloads for $19.99 a month or $199.99 a year.
Existing HBO Max subscribers will have access to HBO Max at the same price, and their current plan features will still be available for at least six months after the launch of HBO Max. Additionally, HBO Max subscriber profiles, settings, watch history, “continue watching,” and “my list” functions will be migrated, allowing viewers to seamlessly continue their streaming experience where they left off, according to Deadline.
WBD hopes to appeal to a wider audience with the removal of HBO from Max’s branding, according to The Hollywood Reporter. This move is expected to attract viewers who may have previously turned away from the streaming service due to HBO’s high-brow reputation and higher price point. Perrette believes that removing HBO from the branding is a way of “preserving and protecting the most iconic trailblazing brand in entertainment.”
“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,” proclaimed Perette, via Deadline.
On the launch date of the new service, HBO Max will be updated and become the Max app for the majority of users. However, some users on certain platforms will need to make the switch when they enter the app, according to CNBC. The Discovery+ app will remain unaffected, as the company does not want to leave any of its profitable subscribers behind.
