HBO Max, WarnerMedia’s new online video service, launched in the United States on May 27, 2020. It’s a new, ambitious effort from WarnerMedia to take on Netflix, Hulu, Disney+ and other big streaming services in the so-called streaming wars.

In a way, HBO Max can be seen as a successor to HBO NOW, even though HBO NOW still exists on some platforms like Roku and Amazon Fire TV.

How it’s different from HBO NOW
HBO Max takes many of the biggest brands currently owned by WarnerMedia and unites it into one big package.

The service has doubled the catalog from what was available on HBO NOW, adding content like Friends, The Big Bang Theory, Rick & Morty, Sesame Street and Looney Tunes cartoons to name a few options. Other popular series like The West Wing and South Park are also coming to HBO Max later this year. Also, HBO Max has all eight Harry Potter films on its service.

What other movies and shows are available?
HBO Max is also the home of shows like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Pretty Little Liars. It will also be the home of all original HBO shows and movies, and content from other networks like Warner Bros and New Line, along with content from DC Entertainment, CNN, TNT, TBS, truTV, The CW, Turner Classic Movies, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Crunchyroll, Rooster Teeth, and Looney Tunes.

HBO Max originals

HBO Max will have so-called “Max Originals”, including series, films and other specials.

Looney Tunes Cartoons

HBO Max is bringing Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duff, Sylvester, Tweety, Elmer Fudd, Marvin the Martian and Porky Pig back to life in a series of animated shorts, which WarnerMedia hopes will capture the attention of young viewers.

Craftopia

Craftopia is a kids crafting competition show hosted by YouTube celebrity Lauren Riihimaki aka LaurDIY.

On the Record

This documentary centers on sexual abuse allegations against Russell Simmons, and on misogyny in the music industry.

Love Life

A romantic comedy show about a 20 something-year-old girl looking for love in New York City (not exactly the most original plot outline in the world). HBO Max is hoping that the star power of Anna Kendrick will get you to watch the show.

Reboots
HBO Max will also use their vast collection of intellectual property to reboot some older shows and movies:

  • Gremlins – The Animated Series
  • Gossip Girl: Reboot of this classic NY teen-drama.
  • The Boondocks
  • Grease – Rydell High
  • Adventure Time
  • Overlook
  • Search Party

Pricing and payment

HBO Max costs $14.99/month, with a free 7-day trial. That is the same price as HBO NOW, and most HBO NOW and HBO Go subscribers also get access to HBO Max. We at playmoTV are happy to announce that we support HBO Max on all devices.

How to pay for HBO MAX
If you wanna sign up for HBO MAX directly on hbomax.com then you need to have a US-issued credit card (using a foreign credit card with a secondary billing address in the US won’t work).

Fortunately, for those that wish to enjoy the service on iPhone, iPad and Apple TV, then you can sign up for the service via the HBO MAX. Then you can fund your US Apple account using gift cards.

Supported devices for HBO Max

This is probably the biggest issue with HBO Max at the moment. The service is available on Apple TV, iOS/iPadOS, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and of course Windows/Mac.

That leaves out two big platforms, Fire TV and Roku, which are missing because HBO is still in negotiations with these providers.

Here’s the full list of supported devices:

  • iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch with iOS 12.2 or newer
  • Android phones and tablets with Android 5 or newer
  • PC running Windows 7 or newer/
  • Mac with macOS 10.10 (Yosemite) or newer
  • Google Chromebooks
  • Android TV
  • Apple TV (4th generation or newer)
  • PlayStation 4
  • Select Samsung Smart TVs
  • Xbox One
  • Chromecast
  • AirPlay

Other features

HBO Max supports five user profiles, which are classified as for either an adult or kid, so each member of the family household can have their own lineup of shows and movies. Parents can control what content each kid profile can watch based (G to NC-17 for movies and TV-Y to TV-MA for shows).

Also coming soon are curated recommendations of shows and movies from famous actors, directors and more.