Kayla Dube · May 30, 2024 (Updated) · 4 min read During spring of 2023, HBO Max and Discovery announced that they would be merging together to form one streaming service called Max. This merge combines the content available on both platforms, while keeping generally similar prices for those using the service. There are many changes occurring because of this merge. If you subscribe to either one of these services you’re probably wondering how this will affect you.
There will be quite a lot of changes, and each service has already started preparing for the merge by changing what content they provide. Here’s what you need to know going into the HBO Max Discovery+ merger.
How Much Will It Cost?
An important factor of this ordeal is the cost and how much it will change compared to each service’s original price. For Max, there will be three tiers that can be subscribed to. The first is the ad-supported lite plan, at $9.99 a month, which provides HD quality and 2 concurrent streams with ads.
Next is the $15.99 a month ad-free plan, which includes HD quality, 2 concurrent streams, and 30 downloads. Finally there’s the $19.99 a month ultimate plan, which gets you 4K/HDR quality with Dolby Atmos, 4 concurrent streams, and 100 downloads.
These prices aren’t different from what HBO Max customers currently pay for the service. However, Discovery+ had much cheaper prices at $4.99 a month with ads and $6.99 a month ad-free. Warner Bros. Discovery (the new name of the parent company) decided to provide Discovery+ as a standalone service with the same prices for users who don’t want to use Max.
However, HBO Max is going away entirely and users will automatically be migrated to Max.
When Will the Merge Happen?
Max is slated to release in the U.S. on May 23rd. Latin America can expect Max later on in 2023, and all other areas will be able to access Max in 2024.
At that time, HBO Max will no longer exist, and will go on to operate only as Max. There will also likely be apps released for the streaming service, either at the time of release or soon after, depending on the device.
What Content Will Be Available?
Currently, a lot of shows and HBO Max original movies are being removed from the service, a decision which has seen some backlash from subscribers. Some planned movies, such as Batgirl, have also been canceled completely as a result of the merger.
However, there has also been new content announced such as a spinoff of The Big Bang Theory, Batman spin-off show The Penguin, The Conjuring-based TV show, and more. HBO Max also plans to stop producing new original reality and documentary content, as Discovery+ will provide a huge library of this content to the Max service.
Why Is the Merger Taking Place?
Subscriber counts are lowering for these streaming services due to a variety of reasons, such as the huge market of streaming services already available, lack of interest in certain content, and price point. The idea to merge both HBO Max and Discovery+ will allow the new streaming service to appeal to a larger customer base, drawing in more subscribers.
What Do I Need To Do?
The process for moving onto the new Max service will differ depending on what streaming service you’re currently subscribed to. For HBO Max subscribers, nothing needs to be done, as all user data will automatically be migrated to the new Max service once it goes live in your area.
If you’re a Discovery+ subscriber, you won’t be moved automatically, but you’ll still stay subscribed to Discovery+ once the merge rolls around. If you wish to subscribe to Max instead, you can sign up to subscribe to one of the Max tiers once the service goes live. If not, your subscription price will not change and you can continue watching Discovery+ content as normal.
If you’ve never been subscribed to either service, you can either subscribe to HBO Max now to get access to Max once it becomes available, or you can wait until that time to sign up for Max on the website or released apps.
HBO Max and Discovery Plus In One Service
The main draw to the combination of both HBO Max and Discovery+ is the huge library of shows and movies that will now be available to subscribers. Whether you enjoy movies, documentaries, reality, or TV shows, there will be a lot more to choose from once Max begins operating.
What do you think about the HBO Max Discovery+ merger? Let us know in the comments.
