Max to Be Available on YouTube Primetime Channels as WBD Looks to Make Its Content Ubiquitous
Almost exactly one year after HBO Max returned to Prime Video, Max is now also available on YouTube’s streaming hub as well.
There was a time when the erstwhile streaming service known as HBO Max was pulled from non-company-owned platforms in an effort by WarnerMedia to keep all of the streaming revenue (and data) generated from the service to itself. After 5 million people reportedly signed up for the service via Prime Video Channels following its May 2020 launch, HBO Max left Prime Video in August 2021. However, after WarnerMedia was acquired by Discovery in spring 2022, the service returned to the streaming hub almost exactly one year ago.
On Tuesday, it was announced that HBO Max’s successor Max has now found itself on another streaming aggregator, YouTube’s Primetime Channels. The Warner Bros. Discovery streamer will be available for a la carte subscriptions beginning on Friday, Dec. 15. Primetime Channels allows consumers to sign up for streaming services and channels directly through the YouTube app without any additional subscription required.
- YouTube’s Primetime Channels joins Amazon’s Prime Video as another streaming hub that allows customers to sign up for Max.
- By becoming available via the streaming aggregator, customers are now able to combine their Max bill with other channels via YouTube’s platform.
- Max will be available via Primetime Channels on Friday, the same day that “Barbie” arrives on the service.
In addition to occasional discounts, the main benefit to opting for this type of subscription method is that YouTube, or Amazon in the case of Prime Video, becomes the one-stop destination for billing, profile management, add-ons, and cancelations, rather than having to maintain individual accounts with each service. Primetime Channels has over 45 subscription options that users can access to watch their favorite shows, movies, sports, and more.
Max has multiple subscription levels starting at $9.99 per month for the ad-supported version of the service. For $15.99, you can sign up for the premium, ad-free tier. Then, for $19.99 monthly, you can get the Ultimate Ad-Free plan, which includes higher-quality video and more than three times the allowed number of downloaded titles.
What Content Can You Watch on Max via YouTube Primetime Channels?
In addition to all of the HBO originals available on Max, the platform also is the streaming home for Discovery, HGTV, Cartoon Network, TLC, Food Network, Magnolia Network, and all of WarnerBros.’s films, including the hit superhero film “Blue Bettle,” and “Barbie,” which will hit the service on the same day that the streamer is available via Primetime Channels. In addition to the standard theatrical release, Max will also stream an ASL-interpreted version of “Barbie” beginning on Dec. 15 as well.
In recent months, Max has also added live content from across the WBD landscape, starting first with the live CNN Max hub that brings original live news programming to the platform from “the most trusted name in news.” This new programming hub launched in September, and then just a few weeks later, Max launched the Bleacher Report Sports Add-On that serves as a home for all of the sports content that airs on WBD’s broadcast and cable networks. The tier is currently available for free to all Max subscribers, but will run $9.99 per month beginning in March, timed perfectly for the NCAA Men’s Basketball games that air annually on TBS, TNT, and truTV during March Madness.
As cord-cutters prepare for a 2024 that will likely have significantly less original content than in years past because of the dual-Hollywood strikes that occurred in 2023, Max will be an important resource. The service will welcome back “Curb Your Enthusiasm” in February and “House of the Dragon” in the summer, along with hits “Hacks,” “Tokyo Vice,” “The Sex Lives of College Girls,” “My Brilliant Friend,” “Industry,” and more.
Why Is Warner Bros. Discovery Making Max and Its Content Available All Over the Place?
Just about an hour before WBD and YouTube announced this partnership, it was reported thatWarner Bros. Discovery would be licensing some of its most popular DC superhero titles to the Fox-owned ad-supported streaming service Tubi. These moves appear to be a continuation of CEO David Zaslav’s efforts to open up avenues of revenue generation that the previous WarnerBros. regime had been opposed to exploring.
In addition to returning HBO Max (and subsequently Max) to Prime Video, Zaslav has been open to licensing deals with other streaming services large and small, especially for titles that have underperformed on Max. Initially, WBD allowed content that had been removed from its streamer to be available on free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) platforms like Tubi and The Roku Channel, then the company allowed shows that were still on Max to also live on Netflix.
In addition to the additional licensing revenue, these deals also provide a new boost of exposure. The first HBO title to make the move to Netflix was Issa Rae’s comedy “Insecure,” which saw a 370% increase in viewership following the move. This strategy works for shows and movies as well as for the platform itself. The more opportunities that audiences have to come into contact with a title or the service, the more likely they are to either watch or subscribe. Therefore, as the world of streaming continues to evolve, it appears that Zaslav’s WBD is banking on ubiquity as the way to cut through the increasing clutter across the landscape.
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.