The storied ‘HBO’ brand will be dropped from the streaming service in the United States next month.
On Thursday, April 13 (Manila time), Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav announced the changes to its prime streaming service ‘HBO Max’. Beginning May 23, 2023, the streamer will simply go by the name ‘Max’. This, as it adds content from the Discovery network, including TLC, HGTV, Food Network, etc.
As for the change in the name, it is said that the rebranding exercise reflects the service’s expansion of their catalog since its launch in 2020. The decision to drop ‘HBO’ from the name also stems to the fact that the TV channel is much more popular in showcasing ‘edgy’ programs like GOT. That is far from being the descriptor in terms of the selection of content on HBO Max, which also has programs catering to children. However, HBO won’t completely go away and will remain as a content hub on the platform.
The new ‘Max’, with the tagline ‘The One To Watch’, will also be home to a bunch of new originals. Some titles will be built upon the vast IP that the Warner Bros. Discovery company has access to. These IPs include a 10-year-long ‘Harry Potter’ series, ‘The Conjuring’, ‘Game of Thrones’, and ‘The Penguin’ — which is from DC’s Batman. among others. Discovery will also be throwing into the mix their popular shows like TLC’s ’90 Day Fiancé’.
Despite the (re)launching of ‘Max’, Discovery+ will be kept as a standalone service, with a much smaller fee of $4.99/mo for the ad-supported tier, and $6.99/mo for the ad-free tier.
Speaking of fees, the ‘Max’ service, upon its launch on May 23, will have three pricing tiers. Max subscribers can avail of either the $9.99/mo ad-lite plan, $15.99/mo ad-free plan, and the $19.99/mo ultimate ad-free plan — which allows users to watch in 4K quality.
As far as current HBO Max subscribers are concerned, the company says they will be able to still enjoy the service, by which an update of their apps will only happen during the course of the rebranding in May. Perks in the plans of current subscribers, such as 4K viewing, will also remain accessible for about 6 months or at least until November 2023.
The new ‘Max’ will progressively rollout around the world from May 2023 onwards. The United States goes first, with Latin America having the service available to them before the year ends. Those residing in Europe and Asia, meanwhile, will have to wait until 2024.
In the Philippines, meanwhile, it remains to be ssen whether the ‘Max’ service will it be rolled out in the country.
In related news, recently, WBD also announced the discontinuation of Discovery+ locally on April 27, 2023. The company said that it will be shifting its focus on the HBO Go service instead.