When you buy through our links, Business Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more
Max , formerly known as HBO Max , combines access to everything on HBO, select content from Discovery Plus, and new original series into one app, one subscription plan, and one monthly fee. You can even sign up for a bundle that adds Disney Plus and Hulu for a discounted rate. The platform also includes CNN Max, a round-the-clock live news feed at no extra cost. Coupled with its already sizable selection of popular shows, movies, and reality series, Max is one of the best streaming services for people who want prestige TV and tons of unscripted content in one place. However, its top-tier plans don’t come cheap. Max’s standard plan without ads costs $17 a month and its Ultimate plan with 4K streaming costs $21 a month. That’s notably more expensive than similar offerings from competitors like Disney Plus , Paramount Plus , and Peacock .  To help you decide whether Max is worth signing up for, we broke down everything you need to know, including what each plan includes how to subscribe, and what you can watch right now.
Max with ads (Monthly Plan)
Max is a premium service for fans of prestige television, iconic films, and unscripted programs like Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, Succession, House of the Dragon, The Last of Us, and more. The ad-supported tier is $9.99 a month, but you can upgrade to ad-free for $16.99 or view your programming in 4K for $20.99.
Check price at Max
Disney Plus/Hulu/Max Bundle with Ads
This triple-value bundle gets you ad-supported access to Disney Plus, Hulu, and Max for just $17 a month. That’s $13 off the regular combined cost of all three services and provides you with a huge selection of shows and movies to enjoy.
Check price at Disney Plus
What is Max? Max is Warner Bros. Discovery’s premier streaming service, which serves as a rebranding, expansion, and replacement of the company’s previous HBO Max platform. Max offers a combination of HBO Max and Discovery Plus content, with movies, shows, and documentaries geared toward different tastes. As such, Max is the streaming home to series like ” The Last of Us ,” “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives,” “90 Day Fiance,” ” House of the Dragon ,” and many more titles that used to be exclusively available on either service. Leveraging all of Warner Bros. Discovery’s various properties, Max includes titles from HBO, Warner Bros. Studios, Discovery Channel, DC, Cartoon Network, Food Network, TCM, Magnolia Network, and more. As of September 2023, it is also the home of live news via CNN Max at no additional cost. Live sports are also offered via the B/R (Bleacher Report) Sports Add-on (free for a limited time).
How much does Max cost? Max is available at three different pricing tiers. All plans include access to the entire library of Max content, but certain tiers provide better streaming quality and other perks. Max with Ads : $10/month or $100/year for ad-supported streaming with up to two simultaneous streams, no offline downloads, and 5.1 surround sound quality. Max Ad-Free : $17/month or $170/year for ad-free streaming with up to two simultaneous streams, 1080p HD video playback, up to 30 offline downloads, and 5.1 surround sound quality. Max Ultimate Ad-Free : $21/month or $210/year with up to four simultaneous streams, up to 4K HD Ultra video playback with HDR, 100 offline downloads, and Dolby Atmos sound quality. Max’s Ultimate plan is notably more expensive than similar offerings from competitors like Disney Plus, Peacock, and Paramount Plus. However, it’s still slightly cheaper than a Netflix Premium plan ($23/month). Like Netflix, Max requires you to sign up for its most expensive plan to get 4K high-dynamic-range (HDR) video and Dolby Atmos audio support. Check out our guides to 4K resolution , HDR , and Dolby Atmos for details on the benefits of those features.
Is there a Max bundle with Disney Plus and Hulu? Max is now available as part of a discounted bundle with Disney Plus and Hulu . The bundle can save you as much as $19 a month and you can choose between two different packages. Disney Plus/Hulu/Max bundle with Ads : $17/month for access to Disney Plus Basic, Hulu (with ads), and Max (with ads). Disney Plus/Hulu/Max bundle without Ads : $30/month for access to Disney Plus Premium, Hulu (no ads), and ad-free Max. Subscribers to the bundle get access to all three apps. However, while the ad-free bundle features the highest tiers of Disney Plus and Hulu with 4K and Dolby Atmos streaming support, the ad-free Max tier included with the bundle is limited to HD and standard Dolby surround sound streaming.Â
How do I sign up for Max? You can sign up for Max right now through the Max website . The service is also available through partner platforms like Prime Video and Hulu . HBO Max subscribers were automatically transferred over to Max on May 23, 2023. How is Max different from HBO Max?
Max incorporates shows from the Discovery Plus streaming service.
Discovery Plus
Max offers everything HBO Max did, along with tons of popular Discovery Plus content, like shows from Food Network, HGTV, TLC, ID, and more. The revised platform also features a revamped interface and other quality-of-life improvements to make finding content easier across all of the service’s brands.
Is Max included with an HBO cable plan? As was the case with HBO Max, most viewers who already have HBO through their cable or satellite TV provider get access to ad-free Max with HD streaming for no additional cost. To see if you qualify, check out the list of eligible providers . What if I’m a Discovery Plus subscriber? Though Max includes a lot of the content that you can find on Discovery Plus, the two platforms remain available as separate services. If you’re a Discovery Plus member, you can keep your Discovery Plus membership with no additional fees. And viewers can still sign up for Discovery Plus on its own. Just remember that a stand-alone Discovery Plus plan does not include Max’s library of HBO programs, movies, and scripted shows.
What can I watch on Max?
“House of the Dragon” airs on HBO and streams exclusively on Max.
Theo Whitman/HBO
Max is home to content that used to require two subscriptions to view: HBO Max and Discovery Plus. The library includes a huge catalog pulled from all of Warner Bros. Discovery’s various brands, including HBO, Warner Bros. Studios, Discovery Channel, DC, Cartoon Network, Looney Tunes, and more. This includes hits like “House of the Dragon,” “The White Lotus,” “Succession,” “The Last of Us,” “The Property Brothers,” “House Hunters,” and “90 Day Fiance.” As of September 2023, the service also offers CNN coverage around the clock via CNN Max at no extra cost for subscribers. And for a limited time, members can stream sports for free with the B/R Sports add-on. New Warner Bros. movies also hit Max after they play in theaters. Right now, you can watch films like ” Dune: Part Two ,” ” The Iron Claw ,” ” Barbie ,” and ” Wonka ” on the service. In addition, Max will also be the streaming home to all upcoming HBO original series. Some notable HBO Originals in development include: “The Penguin” “Welcome to Derry” “The Conjuring” series “The Big Bang Theory” spinoff A new “Harry Potter” series
Can I stream live sports on Max? You can watch live sports on Max with the B/R (Bleacher Report) Sports Add-on. As of writing, it’s included for free with any Max subscription as part of a limited-time promotion but normally costs an extra $10 a month. Though the promo was supposed to expire on February 29, it has been extended, and Max no longer specifies an end date. If you’re unsure how to watch B/R Sports on Max, just select the “B/R Sports” option at the top of the screen. It’s here that you can access select live games from the NHL, NBA, MLB, NCAA Men’s March Madness, and US Soccer. You can also find upcoming games and recent event highlights on B/R Sports.
Sarah Saril
Editor, Deals and How to Watch
Sarah is a Deals Editor for Business Insider’s Reviews team. She also supports our how-to-watch and streaming coverage. She never pays full price if she can help it and is an expert at finding and vetting the best discounts. Experience Sarah joined the Business Insider Reviews team in 2020, starting as a deals reporter covering the best deals and steals daily. She later migrated to the tech team, where she researched, tested, and reviewed a variety of devices, from gaming mice to Kindle e-readers. Now, she’s returned to her origins, serving as the deals editor to curate only the best discounts and buying advice for readers. She began her career in service journalism in 2018 at Wirecutter as a deals writer, where she absorbed the history of the most frequently discounted products. This has informed her impeccably high standards for what makes a good deal. Ever since her Wirecutter days, Sarah has been an expert deals curator for tentpole sale days like Prime Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday. Following her weekly contributions to Business Insider’s Newsletter will illuminate new ways to get the best value on products you use every day. Why you can trust Sarah Sarah doesn’t recommend any deal she wouldn’t pay for herself. She is skeptical about the advertising language brands use to tout their sales and utilizes all the price-checking tools to ensure they deliver savings. Expertise Deal hunting and vetting E-readers Gaming accessories Smart home devices Concert tickets Travel bookings Streaming services Education Sarah graduated from the California State University of Fullerton with a degree in Marketing. She lives in Southern California and is the proud pet parent of two German Shepherds and one chihuahua. She loves traveling to try delicious food, is skilled in crocheting and sewing, and enjoys reading horror novels (as long as they don’t keep her awake). Say hi (or send a picture of your pet) to Sarah at ssaril@businessinsider.com , or reach her on Twitter at @sarahhahr. Learn more about how our team of experts tests and reviews products at Business Insider here .
Read more
Read less
