Tag: hbo
The 13 Best Shows on HBO Max Right Now
Watch: HBO Unleash New Trailer for ‘The Idol’ Starring The Weeknd
Mark June 4 on those calendars, because the masses are finally set to meet ‘The Idol’ on said date.
Music phenom The Weeknd steps into the spotlight like never before along Lily-Rose Depp on the new HBO series.
The superstar plays a self-help guru and leader of a modern-day cult who begins a complicated relationship with an up-and-coming Pop idol (Depp).
» Read more about: Watch: HBO Unleash New Trailer for ‘The Idol’ Starring The Weeknd »
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HBO Max Is Rebranding. Here’s What That Means for You – CNET
HBO Max Gets a New Name on May 23rd
Shortly after its massive merger, Warner Bros Discovery suggested that it would combine its HBO Max and Discovery+ streaming services. These platforms won’t merge; Discovery+ will continue doing its own thing. But HBO Max is getting an overhaul, and it will go by the name “Max” starting May 23rd.
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Warner Bros. Discovery is dropping the HBO name from “Max” streaming service
Everything you need to know about HBO Max becoming Max
After a merger that led to the shelving of several projects — including Batgirl — Warner Bros. Discovery announced its next big move: combining HBO Max and Discovery+ into one streaming service. That new streaming service’s name? Max.
Warner Bros. Discovery announced several major developments about Max on Wednesday, Apr. 12, including what content to expect from Max and how much it will cost. It also announced the new projects we can expect down the line, like a Game of Thrones spin-off and a Harry Potter TV series. Here’s what you need to know.
What is Max?
Max is the new streaming service that combines content from HBO Max, including HBO’s original films and shows, and Discovery+, which houses programs from channels like HGTV and TLC.
When does Max launch, and will I have to re-subscribe if I’m already subscribed to HBO Max?
Max launches May 23, but if you’re already subscribed to HBO Max, you don’t have to worry about dropping that and adding a new streaming service. Max is still just HBO Max, just minus the HBO (and plus shows like Dr. Pimple Popper). If you’re a Discovery+ subscriber, you will have to sign up for Max if you want to access its content. However, the lower-priced Discovery+ will remain its own app, in addition to its content being available on Max.
How much will Max cost?
Like with HBO Max, Max will offer several subscription tiers. They are:
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Max Ad Lite, for $9.99/month or $99.99/year. This option will include two concurrent streams, 1080p resolution, and 5.1 surround sound quality. It will not allow for offline downloads. This is the only tier with ads.
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Max Ad Free, for $15.99/month or $149.99/year. This option will include two concurrent streams, 1080p resolution, 5.1 surround sound quality, and 30 offline downloads.
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Max Ultimate Ad Free, for $19.99/month or $199.99/year. This option will include four concurrent streams, up to 4K UHD resolution, Dolby Atmos sound quality, and 100 offline downloads.
A new Harry Potter series is confirmed at Max.
It’s barely been a decade since the final Harry Potter film was released, and author J.K. Rowling has tarnished the books’ legacy with her transphobic comments. However, none of that has stopped Warner Bros. Discovery from ordering a Harry Potter television series. The show will be a “faithful adaptation” of the original books. I guess that means we’re getting Peeves the Poltergeist?
We’re getting another Game of Thrones spin-off.
After the success of Game of Thrones and prequel House of the Dragon, it’s no surprise HBO wants to keep exploring Westeros. Warner Bros. Discovery announced that they’ve ordered a new prequel series titled A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight. Based on George R.R. Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg, the series will follow Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire Egg. Duncan and Egg’s adventures take place about 90 years before the events of Game of Thrones, placing them after the events of House of the Dragon in the Westerosi timeline.
The Penguin is coming in 2024.
Colin Farrell‘s take on the Penguin from 2022’s The Batman is getting his own spin-off series, which is officially in production. The teaser above shows off a few clips from the upcoming show, which will be a gritty crime drama in keeping with the tone of The Batman.
A Big Bang Theory project is also in the works.
At this point, we may never be free of bazinga. Max and Chuck Lorre are developing a new comedy series derived from The Big Bang Theory. The plot is under wraps at this point — perhaps we’re getting Middle-Aged Sheldon?
We’re also getting a Conjuring TV series.
Another spin-off in development is a drama series based in the universe of The Conjuring, which includes The Conjuring, Annabelle, and The Nun. No plot details have been announced yet, but the series will be executive produced by James Wan and Peter Safran.
The new season of True Detective is almost here.
Warner Bros. Discovery also teased a quick look at True Detective: Night Country, starring Jodie Foster, Kali Reis, and Fiona Shaw. This season brings us to Alaska, where detectives investigate the disappearance of eight men from an Arctic research station, all while confronting the darkness within themselves.
More HBO and Discovery content is in the works.
Aside from these major sequels and spin-offs, expect more narrative TV from HBO’s side of things, and more reality TV from Discovery’s. Upcoming HBO projects include The Regime, starring Kate Winslet, and The Sympathizer, from Park Chan-wook and Don McKellar. Cartoon Network will bring us Gremlins prequel series Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai and an animated version of Peter & The Wolf. Meanwhile, HGTV and TLC have planned new offerings like Barbie Dreamhouse Challenges and Love and Translation.
What the End of HBO Max—and the Rise of ‘Max’—Means for Streaming
Sure, ‘Max’ sounds dumb, but HBO Max needed a reboot
There are many things I think of when I hear the name “Max.” There’s Max Headroom, the ’80s AI icon that’s been on my mind a lot lately. Mad Max! Max Payne! Every friend I’ve ever had named Max (whose names I’ve always been jealous of). Even Homer Simpson’s alternate persona, Max Power. But there’s no universe where I associate “Max” with HBO, even though we’ve been living with “HBO Max” for years. “HBO” was always the dominant part of that name, whereas “Max” felt like a vestigial remnant from its sister network Cinemax.
So I’m sure that many viewers will be surprised to learn that HBO Max will be rebranded as “Max” on May 23rd. Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav, who spearheaded the $43 billion merger between WB and his previous company Discovery, announced the new service during a media event this morning. It’s been a year since Zaslav finalized that merger and announced his intentions to combine each network’s content. And, given the increasingly volatile world of streaming media, he likely had to move quickly. But the rebranding seems like a missed opportunity to align the new service with something people already know and love.
Now, to be clear, Zaslav’s desire to build something new makes sense. HBO Max’s May 2020 launch was notoriously rocky, so much so that it led to a round of executive firings. HBO Max was a blatant attempt to catch up with Disney+, which hit 10 million subscribers just a day after its debut. But it couldn’t compete with Disney’s seemingly limitless library of content. A month after HBO Max arrived, AT&T (TimeWarner’s owner at the time) said the service only had 4.1 million active users. The company tried to make it seem more popular by saying it had 23.6 million “wholesale” subscribers, but those were mostly existing HBO customers who had never touched the HBO Max app.
As a relatively new Warner Bros. leader, Zaslav likely wanted to make a mark with a service of his very own. (Media executives just can’t help themselves, remember Jeffrey Katzenberg’s Quibi?) So long HBO Max, hello something that combines HBO’s prestigious content with Discovery’s vast library of unscripted reality shows. During today’s media event, Warner Bros. executives stressed that the company wanted to highlight HBO’s world-renowned branding — “HBO is not TV, HBO is HBO!” someone proclaimed boldly. But they also hinted that the company didn’t want to stuff too much into “HBO” as a concept.
I also bet that Zaslav and crew talked to plenty of advisors and focus groups who made it clear that HBO would never be considered as family-friendly as Disney. A cautious parent may not want to subscribe to an HBO service, even if it was the only way to watch a new Discovery series for kids. As one WB executive pointed out, the company used to see double-digit shares of kids programming across their many networks, but that’s “virtually disappeared” in the streaming era.
With the Max refresh, Warner Bros. is trying to fix many of HBO Max’s underlying problems. The company says it’s aiming to increase engagement (having a ton of new content helps!), enhance retention, strengthen performance and optimize monetization. A carousel of personalized recommendations should help to surface content users may ignore, and WB says Max will also be able to alert people if their subscription payments fail. These are basic features for any modern subscription service, so it’s shocking to learn that HBO Max couldn’t manage them on its own.
Of course, WB is also trying to “optimize monetization” by raising the subscription cost for 4K viewers. If you want to see Game of Thrones or the upcoming Flash movie in 4K, you’ll need to spend $4 more for Max’s “Ultimate tier.” That’s similar to Netflix’s 4K strategy, so it’s not entirely surprising, but it’s still annoying.
Let me be truly cynical: It doesn’t really matter what Max is called. We’re awash in terribly-named streaming services, like Peacock and Paramount+. It would have been nice to see WB highlight one of its most prominent properties, but lopping off the first half of HBO Max probably makes more sense than trying to hype up another ridiculous media name (Hulu somehow made it work, but Quibi will forever sound dumb).
No matter what it’s called, we’ll still rush to Max to catch the latest episode of Succession or The Last of Us. In this era of streaming networks dumping mountains of content on us, it’s somewhat refreshing to have premium shows airing weekly. That gives us time to truly absorb major events (like the most recent Succession shocker), and space to anticipate what comes next. Ultimately, that’s HBO’s superpower, and Zaslav knows it. When combined with the onslaught of cheap and addictive content from Discovery, he might be able to turn Max into a true Disney+ competitor.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/max-hbo-max-rebrand-analysis-194800553.html?src=rss
Warner Bros. to Replace HBO Max With New ‘Max’ Streaming Service
HBO has undergone several different rebranding efforts over the years, as there were previously HBO GO and HBO Now streaming services that were merged into HBO Max in 2020. The “Max” rebrand that drops the HBO name comes after a 2022 merger between Discovery and WarnerMedia. At the time of the merger, the newly formed Warner Bros. Discovery company made it clear that HBO Max would eventually be combined with Discovery+, and rumors in December hinted at the “Max” naming.
Abandoning the HBO branding is a curious decision as the HBO Max streaming service is known for some very popular shows, such as Succession, Game of Thrones, Euphoria, The White Lotus, and The Last of Us. The Max streaming service will have three different price points available:
- Max Ad-Lite: $9.99/month or $99.99/year. Includes 2 concurrent streams, 1080p resolution, no offline downloads, and 5.1 surround sound quality. Supported by ads.
- Max Ad Free: $15.99/month or $149.99/year. Includes 2 concurrent streams, 1080p resolution, 30 offline downloads, and 5.1 surround sound quality.
- Max Ultimate Ad Free: $19.99/month or $199.99/year. Includes 4 concurrent streams, up to 4K UHD resolution, 100 offline downloads, and Dolby Atmos sound quality.
Warner Bros. says that existing HBO Max subscribers that subscribe through HBO will have access to Max at the same price as their HBO Max subscription, with more information available on the HBO Max website. Those who subscribe through a TV, mobile, or wireless provider will be informed of any price or plan changes.
“Max” is set to launch on May 23, and it will include HBO Max content and Discovery TV content such as HGTV, the Food Network, ID, TLC, and more. Alongside the launch of the service, Warner Bros. also announced a new Harry Potter television series as well as another Game of Thrones prequel show.
On some platforms, the HBO Max app will automatically be updated to the Max app, and on others, users will be prompted to download the Max app when attempting to open the HBO Max app. Discovery+ customers can sign up as new Max customers, as those subscriptions will not transition. Discovery+ will continue to be available as a standalone service.
This article, “Warner Bros. to Replace HBO Max With New ‘Max’ Streaming Service” first appeared on MacRumors.com
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