Max (streaming service) facts for kids

{{Infobox website | name = Max | logo = Max logo.svg | logo_caption = Logo used since May 23, 2023 | screenshot = Max Website.png | caption = Max website on June 4, 2023 | collapsible = yes | type = OTT streaming platform

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| dissolved = | predecessor = {{collapsible list | HBO Go | HBO Now | Cinemax Go | DC Universe | [[FilmS Max is a popular streaming service where you can watch movies and TV shows. It used to be called HBO Max. It's owned by a big company called Warner Bros. Discovery.

Max offers a huge library of content from many famous brands. These include Warner Bros., Discovery Channel, HBO, CNN, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, and Animal Planet. You can also find new shows and movies made just for Max, called "Max Originals."

The service first launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, as HBO Max. It took over from older HBO streaming services like HBO Now and HBO Go. If you had HBO Now or were an HBO cable subscriber, you often got HBO Max for free. It also took over from the streaming part of the DC Universe service.

In April 2022, WarnerMedia and Discovery, Inc. joined together to form Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD). They decided to combine HBO Max with Discovery+, another streaming service. On May 23, 2023, HBO Max officially changed its name to Max in the U.S. It got a new look and added even more shows from Discovery.

How Max Started and Grew

The Beginning as HBO Max

HBO Max logo used from October 29, 2019, to May 22, 2023, in the United States. It's still used outside the U.S. for now.

In October 2018, WarnerMedia announced they would launch a new streaming service. It would feature content from all their entertainment brands. They planned for it to launch in late 2019 or early 2020.

On July 9, 2019, WarnerMedia officially announced the service would be called HBO Max. They said it would launch in spring 2020. Famous people like Reese Witherspoon and Greg Berlanti signed deals to create shows for it. The name "Max" was chosen to show it had more than just HBO shows.

HBO Max officially launched on May 27, 2020. They even created a special film label called Warner Max to make movies just for the streaming service.

Changes Under Warner Bros. Discovery

After WarnerMedia and Discovery, Inc. merged in April 2022, the new company, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), made some big changes. They started removing some original shows and movies from HBO Max. This was part of a plan to save money.

For example, some Max Original films like Batgirl were canceled even though they were almost finished. Many animated and unscripted shows were also removed. This made many fans and creators upset. Some shows that were removed later found new homes on other free streaming services like The Roku Channel and Tubi.

WBD also decided to focus more on movies released in theaters. They wanted to make fewer movies just for streaming.

Becoming Max

In March 2022, it was announced that HBO Max and Discovery+ would eventually merge into one service. This new combined service would launch in the summer of 2023.

In February 2023, WBD announced that the new service would be revealed on April 12. They also said that Discovery+ would continue to exist on its own, alongside the new combined service.

On April 12, WBD officially announced the new service would be called Max. It launched in the U.S. on May 23, 2023. The new Max service kept similar prices to HBO Max. However, features like 4K resolution video and Dolby Atmos sound became only available on the most expensive plan, called the "Ultimate" tier.

The "HBO" name was removed from the service's title. This was done so that HBO could be seen as a special brand for high-quality shows within Max. The new Max logo combines parts of the HBO and Warner Bros. logos. The service also changed its main color from purple to blue, like Warner Bros.' classic blue logos.

Max Plans and Features

Max offers different plans, each with different features:

If you were an HBO Max subscriber when Max launched, you kept your old plan features for at least six months.

What You Can Watch on Max

Max has a lot of shows and movies from HBO and other Warner Bros. studios. It also includes films from other companies that HBO has deals with.

Unlike some other HBO streaming platforms, Max does not include live TV channels. It focuses on on-demand content.

Content from Many Providers

Max gets its content from many different companies and brands. Here are some of them:

• An asterisk (*) means it's a third-party content provider.

Max Original Shows and Movies

Max creates its own special shows, movies, and specials called Max Originals. These shows are usually released weekly, not all at once. This helps them stay popular for longer.

Max also has podcasts about its films and TV series. It even makes original podcasts just for the service, like Batman: The Audio Adventures.

TV Shows from The CW

New TV series from The CW network, like Batwoman and Nancy Drew, are added to Max about a month after their season ends on TV.

Max also bought the rights to popular shows like Friends and The Big Bang Theory. This means you can watch all seasons of these shows on Max.

Other Acquired Content

Max also has content from other companies. It has a partnership with BBC Studios, bringing shows like Doctor Who, Luther, and Top Gear.

Max also works closely with Sesame Workshop, the creators of Sesame Street. You can find many episodes of Sesame Street on Max, along with new spin-off shows like The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo.

Max has also gotten the rights to several Comedy Central shows, including South Park.

Animated Shows and Movies

Max has many animated shows and movies. These come from Warner Bros. Animation (like Looney Tunes and Scooby-Doo) and Cartoon Network. You can also find shows from Adult Swim.

New animated series made just for Max include Adventure Time: Distant Lands and Looney Tunes Cartoons.

What's Been Added Since Launch

• All eight Harry Potter movies were available on Max when it launched.
• Gone with the Wind was temporarily removed and then returned with an introduction explaining its historical context.
• DC Universe original shows like Harley Quinn, Titans, and Young Justice moved to Max.
• New animated shows like Tiny Toons Looniversity and Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai were announced.
• Selected shows from Magnolia Network also became available on Max.

Movies Released on Max and in Theaters

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, Warner Bros. decided to release all their new movies in theaters and on HBO Max at the same time. This was called "Project Popcorn." Movies like Wonder Woman 1984 and Godzilla vs. Kong were available to stream for one month.

This decision caused some debate among filmmakers and movie theater owners. However, Warner Bros. stopped this practice in 2022. Now, most movies are shown only in theaters for about 45 days before coming to Max.

Sports on Max

Max might add live sports events in the future.

• Max has a deal to show home matches for the U.S. men's and women's national soccer teams. At least half of these matches will be exclusive to Max.
• Max also has the option to stream National Hockey League (NHL) games that are shown on TNT.

How Max Works and Accessibility

At first, HBO Max did not support 4K video or Dolby Atmos sound. But these features were added later, starting with Wonder Woman 1984. Max plans to add more content in these high-quality formats.

The service also has closed captioning for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. It has also added audio description (AD) for people with visual impairments. This helps make the service more accessible for everyone.

Where You Can Get Max

In the United States

Most people who already had HBO through their TV provider or HBO Now could get HBO Max for free. This depended on whether their provider had an agreement with WarnerMedia.

Max is available on many devices and platforms. These include Apple TV, YouTube TV, Hulu, Xbox, PlayStation, Samsung TVs, Amazon Fire TV, and Roku devices.

In June 2021, HBO Max also launched a cheaper plan that includes ads. This plan does not show ads during HBO original programming. It also does not include access to movies released on the same day as theaters.

Around the World

Max is expanding to other countries.

• It launched in Latin America and the Caribbean on June 29, 2021.
• It came to Nordic countries (like Norway and Sweden) and Spain on October 26, 2021.
• It also launched in Central and Eastern Europe and Portugal on March 8, 2022.

In some countries, HBO and Max shows are licensed to other TV networks or streaming services. This means Max might not launch directly in those places for a while. For example, in the United Kingdom, HBO shows are mostly on Sky Atlantic.