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Warner Bros. Discovery relaunched HBO Max as Max in the United States on May 23, 2023, expanding the service beyond HBO and Warner Bros. programming to include Discovery brands and a wider mix of entertainment. Existing subscribers were promised a same-price transition and at least six months of their existing plan features. The name later changed again: in May 2025, the company announced plans to restore HBO Max branding, so check the app and plan names shown in your country today.
Why HBO Max became Max
Warner Bros. Discovery presented Max as the successor to HBO Max and a broader streaming service, not simply a new label for the same HBO-centered proposition. The company unveiled the service on April 12, 2023, and launched it in the United States on May 23, 2023. Its goal was to bring HBO and Warner Bros. programming together with content from Discovery brands.
The programming mix retained HBO Originals and Warner Bros. films while adding or foregrounding shows from brands including HGTV, Food Network, TLC, and ID. The broader catalog also included DC, Harry Potter, kids’ programming, food, home, reality, lifestyle, and documentaries. Warner Bros. Discovery described that expanded scope in its launch announcement and April 2023 unveiling.
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The transition was designed as a migration of the service and account experience rather than a requirement to buy a new product. Warner Bros. Discovery said existing HBO Max subscribers would have access to Max at the same price as their HBO Max subscription and would retain their current plan features for at least six months. The company’s 2023 Max one-sheet said many subscribers’ apps would update automatically beginning May 23, 2023.
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Those were launch-transition assurances, not a promise that the same plan terms would remain unchanged indefinitely. If you are checking an account now, use the plan details and billing terms shown by the service in your market.
How Max’s launch plans and 4K positioning worked
At launch, Max offered three pricing options. Warner Bros. Discovery positioned its Ultimate Ad-Free tier as the option with an expanded 4K programming roster in a separate May 22, 2023 announcement. That announcement described the tier’s 4K catalog expansion; it did not establish a universal, current plan or price table.
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Plan names, prices, advertising, simultaneous streams, downloads, and sports access can differ by country and change over time. The 2023 launch materials establish the three-option structure and the Ultimate tier’s 4K positioning at that time, not what every subscriber can buy today. Check your local service listing for current availability and terms.
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After the U.S. launch in May 2023, Max expanded through Latin America and the Caribbean and then began a European rollout on May 21, 2024. Warner Bros. Discovery said that European stage covered 25 countries and brought the service to 65 countries and territories worldwide. Those rollout figures describe the company’s 2024 announcement, not a current availability guarantee. See its European rollout release for the markets included at that time.
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Is it still called Max?
Not necessarily. The Associated Press reported on May 14, 2025, that Warner Bros. Discovery planned to change the name from Max back to HBO Max. The announcement means “Max” is important historical context for the 2023 relaunch, but it should not be treated as the service’s current name in every market or at every date. Check the app-store listing and the streaming service’s local site for the name, catalog, and plans currently offered where you live.
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