Streaming TV gets a big new player Wednesday, as HBO Max debuts. Here’s what to know.
Stuck at home during the quarantine and already run through all the movies and TV shows you want to watch on Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Amazon Prime, Apple TV+, Acorn, BritBox and all the other streaming services?
Well, first of all, we’re impressed.
But we also have some good news: HBO Max, the new streaming service from HBO, premieres Wednesday, May 27, and it should keep you busy for quite some time.
Here’s what you need to know about the cost, the movies and shows featured, and how it’s different from HBO Now and HBO Go.
What’s the difference between HBO Now, HBO Go and HBO Max?
HBO Go is the streaming version of HBO that comes with your HBO subscription through cable or satellite. It’ll get you the entire library of HBO shows, from “The Sopranos” to “Insecure,” and you can watch on your iPad (or other mobile device) or stream to your TV via Roku, etc. It’s included with the cost of your HBO subscription.
HBO Now is the a la carte streaming version of HBO that you can buy if you don’t have a cable subscription, but you want HBO. Customers are charged monthly for access.
HBO Max is like HBO Now, but with much, much more content. You’ll get all of the TV series, movies and documentaries in the HBO vault, a bunch of Max Originals (new programming developed specially for the service), plus hundreds of movies and television shows in the WarnerMedia catalog, from “Friends” to “The Wizard of Oz.” You stream it over a mobile device or to your TV via Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Apple TV. Right now, it’s not available on Roku or Amazon Fire. There’s a monthly fee for access.
How much does HBO Max cost?
The HBO Max service costs $14.99 per month, which is on par with the other HBO services (HBO, which gets you the HBO Go access, usually costs around $16.99 per month on your cable or satellite bill; HBO Now usually costs around $14.99 per month).
That’s a little steep for a standalone streaming service, considering Disney TV+ costs $6.99 per month, Hulu starts at $5.99 per month and Netflix starts at $12.99 per month. But, you do get a lot of content for that price.
If you’re interested, sign up at HBOMax.com.
What if I already pay for HBO or HBO Now?
If you are already an HBO subscriber (through AT&T TV, DIRECTV, AT&T U-Verse, Hulu, Spectrum, Altice, Suddenlink, Optimum, Cox Contour, Verizon Fios TV), you’ll get Max access free. Google Fiber TV isn’t on the list. More details.
And if you’re already an HBO Now subscriber, you’ll also get free access — depending on how you are billed. If you’re billed directly through HBO or through Apple, Google Play, Samsung or a number of other services, you will have free access to Max on May 27. There’s more info here on how that works.
So you shouldn’t have to cancel any existing HBO accounts to take advantage.
Which movies and TV shows will HBO Max carry?
First of all, you get every series from HBO. Never watched “The Wire” or “Deadwood” or (God forbid) “The Sopranos”? Watch it now. Been wondering about all the buzz surrounding “Succession,” “Insecure,” “Barry” and “Chernobyl”? You can see for yourself.
Love documentaries? “The Jinx,” “Leaving Neverland,” “Going Clear” and “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” are just a few of the gems here.
You also get tons of non-HBO material, like “Big Bang Theory,” “Friends” (including a “Friends” reunion to come later) and every “Lord of the Rings,” “Matrix,” “Die Hard,” “Alien,” “Nightmare on Elm Street” movie ever made.
You also get serious classics (including many from the Criterion Collection), like “Citizen Kane,” “Casablanca,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “Bonnie & Clyde,” “Cool Hand Luke,” “North by Northwest” and many more.
The movie list alone is massive.
There will also be lots of original content, dubbed Max Originals, such as “Love Life,” an anthology series starring Anna Kendrick, and “On the Record,” a documentary that explores the accusations of sexual harassment surrounding music mogul Russell Simmons. (This is the one Oprah pulled out of earlier this year.)
A personal favorite is the new “Looney Tunes Cartoons” collection: 80 11-minute episodes featuring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Sylvester the Cat and all your Looney Tunes favorites, in the same look and style as the original cartoons. These are fantastic.
There’s also a “Game of Thrones” prequel called “House of Dragon” planned, and so much DC Comics content, including a “Green Lantern” live action series, “Justice League Dark” from JJ Abrams and “DMZ,” about a modern-day civil war, adapted from DC Comics by Ava DuVernay.
This story was originally published May 26, 2020 at 3:32 PM.
