The past few years have been a confusing time for HBO Max, and more importantly, anyone who wants to subscribe to it. From being called HBO Max back in 2020 to going with Max a few years later and back to its original name in Summer 2025, Warner Bros. Discovery’s robust platform has gone through it all. One thing that hasn’t changed is the fact that HBO Max is one of the best streaming services around, and it continues to host a diverse library of movies, shows, and other content.
If you’ve been thinking about subscribing to HBO Max (either for the first time or on a return visit), we have all the information you need to know in order to make your next watch as easy and stress-free as possible. From its tiers to movies to shows, and so much more, here’s everything you need to know so you can start watching all those new TV shows and latest releases on the 2025 movie schedule.
How To Get HBO Max
If you have HBO through a cable/satellite/internet TV provider, there’s a good chance you already have HBO Max and don’t have to pay any additional charges each month. All you need to do is download the HBO Max app on a supported device (more on those later), and simply sign in through your provider. In the event you have a smaller cable/satellite provider that’s not one of the more well-known companies and want to make sure you have access, the Max website has a full list of providers.
If you're not an HBO Max subscriber, don’t worry, as you can sign up here.
How Much Does HBO Max Cost?
HBO Max has three tiers, including “Basic with Ads,” “Standard,” and “Premium,” with the most expensive of those giving you all the bells and whistles. Here’s a breakdown of how much you can expect to pay each month (or each year, if you go with the annual plan):
Plan |
Price |
Video Quality |
# of Streams |
|---|---|---|---|
Basic with Ads |
$9.99 a month ($99.99 a year) |
HD |
2 |
Standard |
$16.99 a month ($169.99 a year) |
HD |
2 |
Premium |
$20.99 a month ($209.99 a year) |
4K HDR with Dolby Atmos |
4 |
There are also a few bundle options for those who subscribe to a variety of different streaming services. Here’s a quick rundown of the different options and how much each will cost you per month:
Bundle |
Price |
|---|---|
Disney Plus + Hulu + Max (with ads) |
$16.99 a month |
Disney Plus + Hulu + Max (ad free) |
$29.99 a month |
It's also worth noting that you can now pay to add an extra member to your Max subscription. For $7.99 a month (in addition to the cost of your chosen package), this allows you to invite a friend or family member outside of your household to access Max through their own profile. This was added alongside 'Profile Transfer', giving you the ability to transfer a profile from one account to another.
HBO Max Gives You Access To Discovery+ Offerings
One of the best things about HBO Max is its vast library of content, even outside the realm of those HBO originals (we’ll touch on that next). With a collection of the best Studio Ghibli movies, a curated list of Turner Classic Movies titles, and hubs for channels like CNN, Cartoon Network (and Adult Swim), Sesame Street, DC Comics, and the Harry Potter movies, there was a lot to love about the platform. Well, a lot of the content not previously removed from the service by WarnerDiscovery is still there, waiting to be streamed.
HBO Max also grants you access to everything offered by Discovery+, meaning all those incredible true crime documentaries, HGTV home renovation shows, and iconic TLC reality shows are available alongside thousands upon thousands of hours of content at your fingertips. Hub pages for channels like Food Network, Discovery, Magnolia Network, Travel, and ID have also been added.
HBO Max Still Gives You Access To All Those HBO Originals
Though the name has changed a few times over the years (even more so for those who used to have HBO Go or HBO Now), the platform still gives you access to those HBO original shows, movies, and documentaries that have long called the premium cable channel (and its various streaming platforms) home over the years. Whether you want to watch classics like The Wire or The Sopranos or newer shows like The Last of Us and The White Lotus, HBO Max has you covered.
HBO Max Also Includes Live HBO Channels
With the HBO Max Standard and Premium options, you can watch live HBO channels just like you would with cable or satellite. Those who miss the days of wasting entire summers watching whatever was on HBO or HBO 2 don’t have to any longer, as both of those channels, and several others, have live feeds going constantly.
You can find these channels by going to the “HBO” brand spotlight page on the HBO Max app or website. Before you know it, you’ll be catching random five-minute behind-the-scenes videos and hype packages for upcoming feature presentations like it’s 1993 all over again.
HBO Max Offers Live News And Sports
This is something that was added a few years ago, but HBO Max also offers live news from CNN and live sports from channels like TNT and TBS. Here’s some information on both offerings.
If you click on the CNN Max logo at the top of the app, you’ll be brought to a live feed of news content that includes some CNN primetime shows, breaking news events, and around-the-clock coverage of everything going on in the world. There are also a ton of original documentaries and other news specials if you feel so inclined.
Similarly, clicking on the “Sports” tab at the top of the HBO Max app grants you access to a massive collection of live sporting events from the NBA, MLB, NASCAR, and other leagues, as well as live sports coverage before and after major events. You can also find replays, documentaries, and other specials from the past on the app.
HBO Max Boasts A Great Number Of Accessibility Features
Accessibility features have become a major component of streaming services over the years, and have made it easier for users to watch their favorite shows, movies, and other programs, as well as navigate the sometimes complicated user interfaces. Luckily for everyone with an HBO Max subscription, the streaming platform boasts a great number of accessibility tools to make the streaming experience all the more pleasant.
For starters, HBO Max has customary features like closed captions and audio description tools, with more than 7,000+ hours of the latter being available. You can either look in the “details” page for the title you want to watch, type “Audio Description” in the search bar, or look out for the “Audio Description” genre while browsing for all available movies and shows. An updated list of movies, shows, documentaries, and comedy specials can be found here.
There’s also a screen-reading tool that is compatible with most major streaming devices, mobile devices, TVs, and video game consoles. This feature reads the various options on the screen and comes in handy for the visually impaired.
Also, subscribers using the platform on an Amazon Fire TV or Alexa-enabled device can use voice commands to select titles to watch, which makes the streaming experience even easier.
The HBO Max accessibility features page has a ton of other information on the various services included with the platform.
You Can Download Movies And Shows For Offline Viewing
If you want to download movies, shows, and other content so you can watch them offline, HBO Max is going to do the trick, as long as you want to watch on a mobile device. If you have the Standard or Premium plans, you can have 30 or 100 downloads, respectively, at any given time. However, those with the Basic with Ads plan are not allowed to download any titles for offline viewing. The HBO Max download support page has a full rundown of the perk.
HBO Max Supported Devices
Before you get a service like HBO Max, it is probably best to check the list of supported devices to make sure the streaming box, gaming console, or smart TV you use to take in all your digital content can handle all the movies, shows, and other programming included in the platform’s offerings. Remember when HBO Max wasn’t supported by Roku for more than six months after the service first went live and was only added just before Wonder Woman 1984 launched in December 2020?
Here is a sampling of supported devices: Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, PlayStation consoles, Roku, Samsung TV, Xbox consoles, and select cable boxes. For a full, detailed list of supported devices and the specifics about each one, here's HBO Max's device support page.
Hopefully, this helps you make sense of your HBO Max subscription, no matter if you’re new to the service or a long-time subscriber.
