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My name is Bradley Gammel, and I'm an avid gamer and lover of cinema. My academic background features an English degree from Oklahoma State, and I am attending Pittsburgh State University as an MBA student.
Since Discovery’s 2022 acquisition and merger of Warner Bros by Discovery, rumors about the two studios merging streaming services have spread around the internet. Now it seems that Warner Bros. Discovery is doing the same to HBO Max and Discovery+. The news broke during a press event held on earlier this Wednesday, April 12th, informing audiences and fans of HBO Max and Discovery+ what they can expect. This news comes with the announcements of several new films and series for Max.
Viewers still have time to enjoy their favorite movies and series before the streaming services merge, starting in the United States on May 23rd, 2023. “Max is the one to watch,” Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said during the conference that MAX will contain some entertainment for everyone in the family.
Max will feature three payment tiers.
- Max Ad-Lite ($9.99/month or $99.99/year): Two concurrent streams, 1080p HD resolution, no offline downloads, 5.1 surround sound quality
- Max Ad Free ($15.99/month or $149.99/year): Two concurrent streams, 1080p HD, up to 30 offline downloads, 5.1 surround sound quality
- Max Ultimate Ad Free ($19.99/month or $199.99/year): Four concurrent streams, up to 4K Ultra HD resolution, 100 offline downloads, Dolby Atmos sound quality.
Max Ad-Lite and Max Ad Free follow the current HBO Max subscription fees. The Max Ultimate Ad Free plan will feature 4k Ultra HD, and all upcoming projects will have this feature. As for dropping HBO from the title of the rebranding for the merger, JB Perrette, the president and the CEO of global streaming and games for Warner Bros. Discovery went into the details.
We all love HBO, and it’s a brand that has been built over five decades” to stand for “edgy, groundbreaking entertainment for adults. But it’s not exactly where parents would most eagerly drop off their kids. And yet Warner Bros. Discovery has some of the industry’s best-known kids’ characters, animation, and brands. Not surprisingly, the category has not met his true potential on HBO Max.
JB Perrette, via Warner Bros. Discover press conference, April 12th, 2023
What Will Be Featured on Max?
First, and arguably the most divisive announcement was that Harry Potter is receiving a new television series, covering all seven of the young adult books. It is being described as a “decade-long series produced with the same epic craft, love, and care this global franchise is known for.” The series will be live-action, featuring the controversial author J.K. Rowling as an executive producer. This comes with the success of the 2023 video game, Hogwarts Legacy. You can watch the teaser for the television streaming program here.
Later this year, fans of the Adult Swim series Rick & Morty will be treated to an anime series following the titular characters.
In 2024, Kate Winslet will star in The Regime, which received a teaser trailer showing the fight for power. The docuseries SmartLess: On the Road will accompany the famous stars and podcasters, Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, and Sean Hayes. Many other films and series were announced as well during the conference.
- Tze Chun’s Gremlins animated prequel series, Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, will release on the rebranding launch.
- True Detective is getting a fourth season, which will be set in Alaska. The series is titled, True Detective: Night Country.
- A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: the Hedge Knight is the latest Game of Thrones prequel spin-off series.
- Love & Translation is a new reality series starring three men living with twelve women who don’t speak English.
- Matt Reeves’ The Penguin, a spin-off series of his 2022 film The Batman, showed a teaser informing its in-production status.
- A teaser for the adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book, The Sympathizer, was shown off.
- A new The Big Bang Theory spin-off is also in the works by the creator Chuck Lorre.
- Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge is an HGTV reality series covering builders as they build Barbie-inspired dreamhouse hosted by Ashley Graham, as revealed via trailer.
- Then Fixer Upper: The Hotel showed off the premise of the reality crew fixing up and operating a hotel in Texas.
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My name is Bradley Gammel, and I'm an avid gamer and lover of cinema. My academic background features an English degree from Oklahoma State, and I am attending Pittsburgh State University as an MBA student.
This article was edited by John Tangalin.