How many ads do you see while watching HBO’s streamer Max?
How many ads do you see while watching HBO’s streamer Max?
Max bills itself as a premium streaming service, but does its ad experience live up to that promise?
Max’s reputation is one of quality, which should come as no surprise considering how closely the streamer is associated with HBO. Its library is stocked with titles that are loved by critics and viewers alike, and its movie catalog has plenty of Oscar winners in its content rows.
But does the ad experience on Max match that premium reputation? I explored the Max library to find out, and you can read about my experience below!
Everything you need to know about the ad experience on Max
How many ads does Max show on licensed TV shows?
I’ve done quite a few of these articles for various streaming services so far, and I follow the same procedure each time. I test a 30-minute show and a 60-minute show to see what the ad experience on each is like; for licensed titles on Max, I chose “The Big Bang Theory” and “Pushing Daisies” in those respective categories.
During this experiment, I saw noticeably fewer ads than I have on many other streamers. All titles I tested on Max had a 30-second pre-roll ad, but following that, I only saw two ad breaks per episode of “The Big Bang Theory,” with breaks lasting 60 to 75 seconds each. Breaks were the same length during “Pushing Daisies” episodes, though those usually had three breaks per episode. Still, on average, I only saw 3 to 4 minutes of ads per episode for both shows.
How many ads does Max show on original TV shows?
As a caveat, I should mention that I included HBO original shows in the Max original shows category here. I saw something I didn’t expect to see when testing this category: original titles had more ads than licensed shows.
I started by testing “Game of Thrones” as my 60-minute show, but I also turned on a few episodes of “The Sopranos” because I was so surprised by the result. However, it was the same across both shows: ad breaks were the same length, but there was one more break per episode than I saw during licensed titles on the streamer.
That pattern carried over to a 30-minute Max original as well, specifically episodes of “Harley Quinn.” I consistently saw one more ad break per episode here than I did watching “The Big Bang Theory.” Still, average ads per episode were only 4 to 6 minutes each on Max and HBO original series. Breaks were the same 60 to 75 seconds in length on average that I saw on licensed series.
How many ads does Max show during movies?
Max movies upped the ad time yet again, though it never reached the levels of some other streamers I’ve tested. As my Max original movie test subject, I turned on “Caddo Lake,” and for my licensed movie selection I picked “The Martian.”
There was no discernable difference in the ad experience here. I saw six ad breaks during each movie, each 30 to 75 seconds long. This added up to between five and eight minutes of commercials per movie. Though I didn’t see an option to watch ads all at once and then stream the movie with no other breaks during playback, the shortness of the breaks themselves made this fairly easy to stomach.
Does Max show ads during kids content?
I didn’t see a single commercial during playback while testing “Sesame Street,” and even titles for older kids like “Teen Titans Go!” didn’t have ads. However, “The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie” did come with commercial breaks, though at the very least they were ads appropriate for kids.
Does Max have pause ads?
While I didn’t see any pause ads with my specific watching experience on my laptop, Max does include pause ads when you’re watching on different devices.
Final thoughts
I thought the ad experience on Max was far better than I feared it might be. I never saw more than 10 minutes of ads during any piece of content, even while watching movies. The variety of commercials available is pretty much my only quibble; I saw the same ad for an athletic shoe twice during the same ad break once, and I remember the same Little Caesar’s commercial coming across my screen more than once.
If that’s my biggest complaint, however, it means that by and large the ad experience on Max lives up to the streamer’s reputation for premium quality. If you’re looking for a streaming subscription to switch to ad-supported and save money, Max is definitely a good candidate.
HBO Max
HBO Max is a subscription video streaming service that gives access to the full HBO library and exclusive Max Originals. There are hubs for content from TLC, HGTV, Food Network, Discovery, TCM, Cartoon Network, Travel Channel, ID, and more. Watch hit series like “The Last of Us,” “House of the Dragon,” “Succession,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and more. Within HBO Max, B/R Sports allows users to watch live NBA, MLB, NHL, March Madness, and NASCAR events.