Max (sometimes referred to as HBO Max) is home to a huge collection of movies, shows and platform exclusives. You’ll find everything from classic HBO series and specials to modern hits like The White Lotus and the game of Thrones spin off House of the Dragon. Not to mention the mountain of Discovery content that’s available too. Plus, we’re hearing rumors that Paramount+ might merge with Max at some point, which would of course lead to even more programming!
Ultimately, Max is one of the most comprehensive streaming platforms in town. The app can be accessed from just about any smart TV, streaming device, or web browser. But how much does a Max subscription cost? And is Max available outside the US? This Max explainer has the answers to both of those questions, plus plenty of other Max information.
Max Price
Starting August 7, 2024, Max will offer three subscription levels to choose from:
- Max with ads: Costs $10 per month or $100 per year. You get the same content with some ads, but all in 1080p resolution. Expect up to 4 minutes of ads per hour. You can also have two device streams running simultaneously.
- Max without advertising: Costs $17 per month or $170 per year. There are no ads and you can download content (limited to 30 downloads) to watch offline on mobile devices. The resolution is still 1080p (that’s a change from the old HBO Max) and you can stream on up to two devices at once.
- Max Ultimate ad-free: Costs $21 per month or $210 per year. If you want something in 4K resolution or with Dolby Atmos for audio, this is it. You can also stream on up to four devices at once.
Please note: If your subscription is managed through another service (for example, if you are on a free plan because of AT&T’s internet service), you may not yet have the option to upgrade to the Ultimate option.
Not yet global
Max had some issues on its first day, mostly related to the fact that some platforms required the download of a new app while others simply updated the old HBO Max app.
And to make matters worse, Max was initially only available in the US. This led many to believe that Max wasn’t working, when in reality it wasn’t available yet. The reason for this is almost certainly that with the addition of Discovery content, distribution rights had to be revised, and that takes time.
At launch, Max was available in the United States, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
In addition, as promised, Max has expanded its operations internationally in some limited areas, including a few European countries and territories, and Latin America and the Caribbean. The full list can be found on the Max website.
Watch Max with a VPN
If you live outside of the supported countries, you may still be able to watch Max using the tried-and-true method of using a VPN. That’s short for virtual private network, and it’s a technology that essentially routes all of your internet traffic through a specific set of servers in a specific location — say, the US.
Using a VPN to bypass geofencing is a grey area (depending on who you ask), so keep in mind that this could be a bit of a game of cat and mouse. It’s entirely possible that Max (as well as other streaming services) will block the use of a VPN.
The good news? There are many good VPN companies to choose from.
What’s up, Max?
Once you’ve gotten past all the excitement about price, availability, bugs, and whatever, it’s time to get to the important part: what’s on Max?
You can break down the taxonomy like this: Max is everything HBO offers, plus Max Originals (these are shows and movies that aren’t on the old HBO channel, but were/are on HBO Max. OK, it’s still confusing). Things like game of Thrones, Consequence, Sex and the City — what makes HBO, HBO. And you get new movies, too, although that’s certainly not as important as it was in the years before streaming.
Plus, you get all the other networks that make up HBO Max, like the DC Universe and all the Turner networks. That means TBS, TNT, CNN, HLN, Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Turner Classic Movies, TruTV, and Adult Swim. You’ll also find other networks like Studio Ghibli, Rooster Teeth, and Pogo.
And then there are all the Discovery content and sub-brands – Naked and afraid, Deadliest catch, Dr. Pickel Popper – You understand what this is about.
That’s a lot of stuff in one place.
Where can you watch HBO Max?
This last part is the easiest. You can watch Max on virtually any device that has an internet connection. That means streaming devices like Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Apple TV, Google TV, and Android TV. The same goes for smart TV platforms from all major manufacturers.
And you can always watch Max in a web browser when you’re on the go or just prefer to do it that way. The point is, there’s nothing special or difficult about watching Max.
