Streaming fans rejoice. The joint Discovery Plus and HBO Max service is gearing up for a May 23 launch. The unsurprisingly named “Max” was officially announced by Warner Bros. Discovery at an event on April 12.
If you’re wondering how he’s going to make his mark in an arena already saturated with competitors, he brings out the heavy hitters. With a tagline, “the one to watch,” it will take over from HBO Max, which it replaces, as the home of major TV series such as Game of Thrones and Succession.
But new must-have content has also been announced, including The Penguinan eight-part series based on Matt Reeves’ film The Batman, in which Colin Farrell will reprise his villainous role. It will also host the highly anticipated real detective season 4, Night Country, with Jodie Foster.
CC/Max
Its horror line-up will be led by a series based on Conspiracy movies and in terms of comedy, there’s a new The Big Bang Theory spinoff in preparation, developed by Chuck Lorre.
Maximum prices for streaming services
But what will you pay for all that TV goodness? There are three levels. For $9.99 a month, you’ll be able to watch the cheapest “Ad lite” service, which includes ads, limits shows to HD quality, and allows two simultaneous streams.
Then the mid-priced ad-free tier costs $15.99 per month. It is also in HD, allows two simultaneous streams and 30 downloads.
The top tier is priced at $19.99 per month, plays in 4K HDR with Dolby Atmos, allows four simultaneous streams and 100 downloads.
The change means the end of the current HBO Max app, which will automatically update to the new service on May 23. If you haven’t subscribed to the service yet and you’re in the US, you can sign up for HBO Max.
As we understand, Max will pull content from Discovery+, but that streaming service will continue as a standalone offering separate from Max.
Is Max available outside the US?
No, but there is a workaround. If you’re trying to sign up for HBO Max and you’re not in the US, you’ll just get a message telling you that it’s not yet available in your area.
This is why you will need to download a VPN first. A VPN, or virtual private network, will allow you to change your IP address so that it appears to be in another part of the world.
Investing in a VPN is, in any case, a great idea for your online security. If you need help deciding which to choose, check out our roundup of the best VPNs available, plus the pros and cons of each service, so you can find out everything you need to know before signing up. Our top pick, however, is NordVPN.
Once you’ve chosen a VPN, or if you already have one, check out our step-by-step guide on how to use your VPN to sign up for Max.
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