Goodbye, HBO Max: Meet "Max" - The streaming service you already know and love (or love to hate)

Warner Bros. Discovery has announced that HBO Max will be renamed "Max" as it merges with Discovery+ and incorporates new original series. The revamped platform will launch in the US on May 23, featuring over 40 new titles and TV show seasons every month. The decision to drop "HBO" from the name was made to include more children's content, which has not met its potential on HBO Max. However, HBO will be preserved as a brand within the Max fold.

Max will be available in three different versions: Max Ad-Lite, Max Ad-Free, and Max Ultimate Ad-Free. The pricing for the first two plans aligns with the existing HBO Max pricing, with current customers not seeing their pricing change when the new service debuts. The Max Ad-Lite plan starts at $9.99 per month, the Max Ad-Free plan costs $15.99 per month, and the Max Ultimate Ad-Free plan is $19.99 per month. The Max Ultimate Ad-Free plan will offer up to four streams and 4K content, including franchises like "Game of Thrones," "Harry Potter," and "The Lord of the Rings." Additionally, this plan includes 100 offline downloads, Dolby Atmos sound quality, and is the only plan that includes 4K Ultra HD resolution.

Max will feature more personalization features than HBO Max, with simplified navigation and a more prominent experience for kids, including a new default kids’ profile and parental controls. Although HBO Max and Discovery Plus will not fully merge into a single streaming service, the new Max will include a selection of Discovery favorites. Therefore, subscribers to both services will need to continue paying for both to see all the content they offer. For HBO Max subscribers, their profiles, watch history, and settings will automatically move over to Max, but they will need to re-download their TV shows and movies.

Our take: The rebranding of HBO Max to Max definitely aims to make the brand more family-friendly, but only time will tell if removing the name "HBO," which was already known for its pedigree in terms of production quality, will have an impact or not.