And their eyes were drawn to it. And they screamed in horror.
Well, tomorrow might be a quintessential make-the-internet-angry kind of day. According to a report by The New York Times (via The Verge), Max, the long-awaited combo streaming service from Warner Bros. Discovery, might be unveiled. According to the report, the company is really about to combine HBO Max and Discovery Plus into one streaming service called Max.
The company will reportedly host a press event tomorrow to announce the new service. As far as availability and price, the expectation is currently that the combined service will launch within the next few months. It is expected to cost around $15.99 per month for the ad-free plan and also offer an ad-supported tier for around $9.99 per month.
If we’re just looking at pricing, that’s actually not bad! HBO Max costs $15.99 per month for the ad-free plan right now, so any existing subscribers are able to get access to the entire Discovery Plus catalog for no additional cost.
However, once you turn your eyes away from the price, things get a little weird. HBO is an iconic brand, and it appears that Warner Bros. Discovery is really about to throw it into the proverbial garbage. Sure, it’ll still exist inside the Max app, but what brand recognition to waste by just stuffing the service inside of it?
It’s also going to be weird to see The Last Of Us advertised next to 90 Day Fiancé. Good luck to that marketing team; you have a hell of a job.
This road to Max has been a year in the making, and while a lot of the internet is really dreading the combination of HBO and Discovery into one app, there is one company that already did that pretty successfully — Disney. The Disney Plus app is a great example where you can access National Geographic inside of it and, honestly, it’s worked out. I definitely watch more Nat Geo than I did before, and Disney was the gateway streaming service that got me into it.
That said, I don’t think Game of Thrones is going to get me to watch Ready to Love anytime soon. But who knows, maybe Max will change our minds.
BGR’s Chris Smith said it best: HBO Max doesn’t need a new name.
