In this article we are going to discuss about the HBO Max Streaming Services. HBO has always been the go-to TV channel for most of our childhood for English movies and shows. Since it’s inception it has been the forerunner in casting brand new and old classic movies which were and are always fun to watch. HBO took it’s first step towards digital 5 years ago with HBO now, which later paved the way for HBO Max. HBO has been the king of exclusive subscriptions for movies and shows for nearly 50 years. It combines the library of shows and movies exclusive to HBO with their media partner Warner media expanding the ever lasting library, furthermore they are coming up with an expansion strategy by the name of Discovery Plus in 2023. To name the few of the hits which were broadcasted on their digital service are Game of Thrones, The Matrix Trilogy, The Lord Of The Rings.
How HBO Max is different from HBO
WarnerMedia which is a new conglomerate which combines AT&T and Time Warner wanted to get into streaming and, WarnerMedia already owns HBO through Time Warner wanted to cash in on the library and the nostalgic brand name of HBO which is why they came up with HBO Max.
How to sign up for HBO Max?
It is fairly simple to sign up for HBO Max which you can do directly at hbomax.com. Designated application on Android and IOS devices are also available which allows in app purchase. Nowadays every other device has already built in application for HBO and Apple TVs and Samsung TVs and devices also come with the application. HBO Max also allows user to download the movies and shows from the application or website for offline viewing, subscribers also have the option of co viewing for people at home to watch the same content, the homepage also have themed selections to choose from if you are fed up with other streaming services’ algorithms.
Pricing Structure of HBO Max
The price plan for HBO Max starts from $9.99/month, and their highly subscribed plans include: $16/month without ads or $10/month with ads.
List of shows and movies you can expect on HBO Max
HBO Max includes all the shows and movies on HBO and much more which are licensed content exclusive to HBO such as Friends, The Big Bang Theory, Rick and Morty and much more. HBO Max keeps updating the content according to whatever is new on HBO and also includes a catalog of old shows and movies loved by many. The service has been pouring a lot of money for original content of their own and also get the licenses of new shows and movies which are upcoming or hyped. HBO Max also has a service of podcast built in, which are related to old hit movies and shows and also which are trending.
How many accounts does HBO Max allow per profile?
HBO Max allows 3 different devices to watch your favorite shows and movies simultaneously. Disney Plus allows 4 and Netflix allows between 1 to 4 depending on the package a person has subscribed to. To keep the recommendations and history separate a person can have 5 profiles within an account and there is also a kid’s profile which can be easily accessed and monitored by parents including a pin code which can only be accessed by the guardian or the parent.
Why HBO Max is a bit expensive than other streaming services?
We agree that HBO Max charges premium for their services, but it has a huge catalog and a library to back it up. Another thing HBO Max has which lacks in other streaming services is their original content called Max Originals stacked with hit TV shows and movies which cannot be streamed at other streaming services. HBO Max however lacks one thing which is streaming in 4K quality, and device support, but it becomes cheaper or absolutely free if you have already subscribed to the original HBO or HBO now, and is also compatible with the services cable operators provide in your home.
HBO Max is available in different countries
It was initially launched in USA, since it’s inception it has grown the audience and regions it caters. To name the few:
- Andorra
- Anguilla
- Antigua
- Argentina
- Aruba
- BVI
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belize
- Bolivia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Brazil
- Bulgaria
- Cayman Islands
- Chile
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- Curacao
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- Finland
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Hungary
- Jamaica
- Mexico
- Moldova
- Monserrat
- Montenegro
- Nicaragua
- North Macedonia
- Norway
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Serbia
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- St. Kitts and Nevis
- St. Lucia
- St. Vincent
- Spain
- Suriname
- Sweden
- Trinidad & Tobago
- Turks and Caicos
- Uruguay
- Venezuela
Decluttering the content
Industry within the streaming services have come across a problem utilization of content, people with many options often tend to view and watch the movies or shows shown in their first few lists, choosing the best option from them. This has been a major problem with Netflix, due to which Disney Plus has always kept HULU, Disney Plus and ESPN Plus separate. This has also been the problem with traditional TV due to which cost of Cable TV increased. To tackle the problem HBO Max has been charging a premium price for their services, eliminating the problem of content utilization and also justify the increased prices by introducing Discovery Plus content.
What is available on HBO Max Streaming Services?
HBO Max features variety of top tier shows and movies such as The Sopranos, House of the Dragon, The Last of Us to name the few. Furthermore Warner Bros also feature all of their latest theatricals on HBO Max after 45 days of them screening on the big screen. Beyond original content the catalog offers a wide range of TV series from DC, Cartoon Network. HBO Max is also famous for removing the content without prior notice which means the content is not readily available on HBO Max forever.
The future of HBO Max HBO Max Streaming Services
HBO Max made headlines when it started to pull of the content from their streaming app left and right, and also cancelled the upcoming movie “Batgirl”, also 20 original series and 200 episodes of sesame street and other content was also pulled off. Despite this move HBO Max featured and renewed many more originals of their own. This could be signal that HBO Max is working towards a bright future for original content which has rarely been flop in the industry and have been enjoyed by many, furthermore, restructuring initiatives are expected to be completed by the end of 2024.
