When we told you about the merger between Warner Bros. and Discovery+ last February, we echoed the Wall Street Journal’s comments that the two streaming platforms (namely, HBO Max and Discovery+) would remain separate, even if the creation was planned of a third independent option, a superservice of streaming, if you will.
Well, it all turns out to be true, because a few minutes ago it was announced that Warner Bros. Discovery will replace on May 23 in the United States HBO Max for a new service, called Max to dry. This platform includes all the content from the previous one, and also adds that of other channels and services such as HGTV, Food Network, Discovery Channel, TLC, ID and more.
Max will land in Europe in 2024 (including its arrival in Spain), where it will give HBO Max subscribers the option to upgrade to the new service for the same price as their current subscription. For new subscribers, there will be three different packages (price to be confirmed in Europe):
- Max Ad Lite$9.99/month or $99.99/year: 2 simultaneous streams, 1080p resolution, no offline downloads, 5.1 surround sound quality.
- Max without advertising$15.99/month or $149.99/year: 2 simultaneous streams, 1080p resolution, 30 offline downloads, 5.1 surround sound quality
- Max ultimate ad-free$19.99/month or $199.99/year: 4 simultaneous streams, up to 4K UHD resolution, 100 offline downloads, Dolby Atmos sound quality.
Lots of new series announcements
The announcement of the new Max platform was accompanied by several major exclusive content announcements to come, including a Harry Potter Max Original series, a faithful adaptation of JK Rowling’s beloved original book series, which it will act as an executive producer; a spin-off of the Max Original comedy series from The Big Bang Theory; an HBO original prequel to “Game of Thrones” titled The Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Wandering Knight; a Max Original drama series based on the Warren Files films; Fixer Top: The Hotel by Magnolia Network; Survive the Discovery Channel Raft; Bono’s Max Original Peter & The Wolf series; Rick and Morty: The Anime from Adult Swim; Lost Women of Highway 20 by Investigation Discovery; Cartoon Network’s Tiny Toons Looniversity; and TLC’s Love & Translation. There were also glimpses of other well-known ones, such as The Penguin, starring Colin Farrell, True Detective: Night Country, starring Jodie Foster and Kali Reis, and the Max Original children’s series Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai.
Although details about Max in Spain have yet to be revealed, we’ll have to pay attention to the official site, where they promise to update the information in the coming months.