Four Key Improvements Warner Bros. Discovery Made for the Max Streaming Service User Experience
Throughout Wednesday’s event unveiling Warner Bros. Discovery’s newly unified streaming service now known as Max, company executives discussed some of the technical deficiencies of both the existing HBO Max and discovery+ platforms. Of course, the new service, which will officially launch on May 23, looks to address these pain points in order to make the user experience better for all viewers.
“As we started this journey 12 months ago,” WBD’s CEO and president of global streaming JB Perrette said, “we did a thorough assessment of our two streaming businesses as well as the technology and products of each; and we realized that while both were solid, they also each had important shortcomings. In summary, we needed to do the basics much better.”
Perrette pointed out that discovery+ currently does a much better job driving people to new titles once they finish with what they are currently watching, while HBO Max relies far more heavily on people discovering programming from the home screen. He also noted that a far smaller amount of content generates engagement on HBO Max than it does on its lifestyle streaming sibling.
“[On HBO Max] three-quarters of the viewership comes from the home screen,” he said. “By comparison on discovery+, the majority of usage comes from other screens deeper in the app. Furthermore, four times as much content drives the majority of viewership on discovery+ than on HBO Max. Simply put, people find and enjoy a ton more content on discovery+.”
So, the WBD team says that it will take the lessons learned from the failings of the other platforms and use them as a way to improve and innovate with Max. After all, despite some of the less-than-desirable elements of HBO Max and discovery+, the two services have still amassed more than 94 million global subscribers.
“If we got this far with some suboptimal features and experiences imagine what we will do when we get more of it right,” Perrette said.
What Are the Major User Experience Improvements for the Max Streaming Service?
Premium Video Playback
Max’s forthcoming video playback experience has been redesigned to deliver a cinematic video feed, no matter where or how they choose to watch. This playback experience is set to be just as smooth if you are watching a hidden gem from deep in the Max library, streaming the latest episode of the buzziest Sunday night prestige series, or if you have downloaded a title and are watching on a phone or tablet on your daily commute.
Improved Personalization
One of the areas that both HBO Max and discovery+ came up short in, albeit in different ways, was individual personalization. Knowing that content discovery is one of the most important ways to keep customers engaged and satisfied with a service, Max is going to expand its personalization options beyond the home page, in order to help users find the best content available based on the things that they already enjoy.
By offering a differentiated and highly personal experience for every user across all corners of the platform, Max is aiming to highlight all of the content available to customers beyond the high-profile programs that bring them to the service. In order to do that, WBD has invested heavily in machine learning and will balance that technological improvement with the company’s distinctive editorial voice to blend the best of the unique human and machine approaches to content discovery.
More Prominent Kids Experience
In the presentation on Wednesday, Casey Bloys — who is the head of HBO and Max content — announced that the unified service will further take advantage of the incredible Warner Bros. archives of beloved children's and family content.
Part and parcel with that, Max is set to introduce a default kids profile for new subscribers along with accompanying parental controls. Parents will be able to choose customized settings and to select what types of content their children will be able to watch.
Parents will be able to limit available titles on their kids’ profile by ratings:
- Little kids (tv-y)
- Big kids (tv-y7, tvy7-fv)
- Big kids plus (tv-g, g)
- Preteens (tv-pg/pg)
- Teens (tv-14, pg-13)
And just in case any kids get curious about what other types of shows and movies are available on Max, parents will have the ability to set PINs for each individual adult profile in order to make sure no children are able to switch over and see content their parents don’t want them to.
Simplified Navigation
While HBO Max’s home screen has done a tremendous job of driving a large amount of viewership, Max is looking to improve on that experience and to extend it across the rest of the site. The design of the platform will include dedicated brand hubs, improved content details pages, streamlined categories, shortcuts, and thematic content rails in order to work your way through the app easier and to discover new shows and movies a simpler and more intuitive process.
The updated design, coupled with a the machine learning and editorial support mentioned previously, will aid subscribers in quickly finding and discovering the best of what the service has to offer.
Max
Max is a subscription video streaming service that gives access to the full HBO library, along with 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. Thanks to the B/R Sports add-on, users can watch NBA, MLB, NHL, March Madness, and NASCAR events.
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