Let's face it; there are almost too many streaming services these days. With many now boasting both original and acquired content, it can be almost daunting to try to pick and choose which ones are worth subscribing to and which ones are worth ditching. When HBO announced that it would be creating its own streaming platform, HBO Max, people were understandably skeptical.
Now that HBO Max has been out for some time, it's easily been able to become one of the more respectable and recognizable streaming services available. There are plenty of other great streaming services available to audiences, but there are some aspects where HBO Max outshines its competitors.
5 User Interface
Being able to easily browse and navigate through a streaming service can almost make or break a service itself, and even some of the most popular services seem to easily screw it up. However, HBO Max keeps it simple. Audiences can easily pick between browsing movies and television series, and in each selection can also easily browse within a number of genres.
There's no need to awkwardly browse hyper-specific subgenres or only browse a small selection, which services like Netflix tend to resort to. Everything is neat and organized. Audiences can also easily access the search option, and there are even options to browse anything that's new or about to leave the service. All-in-all, HBO Max makes it easy and accessible for audiences to browse for what they're looking for.
4 Non-Intrusive Ads
Unfortunately, one of the downsides to HBO Max is its price; costing $15 per month, it would be understandable to non-HBO subscribers if the cost seems a little high. However, HBO Max offers a lower $10 per month that only includes some ads. Ads are somewhat commonplace for most streaming services and can sometimes be quite annoying, especially when they seem to go on and on with no end in sight.
HBO Max with ads is far from annoying, however. Unlike most streaming services, HBO Max usually won't insert ads during the runtime of a film and instead put them simply at the forefront. Ads tend to run somewhat shorter than most streaming services, only running somewhere between 30 and 90 seconds, depending on the content. After watching HBO Max long enough, subscribers might even forget there are ads in the first place.
3 HBO Max Originals
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While streaming services usually offer a variety of acquired content, it's usually the original, exclusive content that will drive audiences towards one service over another. HBO Max may not have the flagship pop culture icons Netflix boasts, but there is still a ton of popular and acclaimed content that only HBO Max subscribers can enjoy.
DC fans with a subscription have already enjoyed the long-awaited "Snyder Cut" of Justice League, the unique director's cut of the 2017 film exclusively on HBO Max. There are also plenty of original series worth binge-watching as well; Hacks provides a hilarious vehicle for actress Jean Smart, with the show sweeping Emmy nominations for its first two seasons.
Other shows, such as The Flight Attendant and Peacemaker, have also proven to be quite successful. This, of course, isn't even to mention the massive catalog of HBO shows that have defined television throughout the years, ranging from The Sopranos and The Wire to shows like Succession and Game of Thrones.
2 Variety of Content
But aside from HBO, there are plenty of other content providers that make HBO Max worth subscribing to. Got kids or animation lovers? HBO Max has access to everything from both Cartoon Network and its adult-themed counterpart Adult Swim.
Into classic movies? HBO Max has plenty from both the Criterion Collection and Turner Classic Movies, supporting films from filmmakers such as Akira Kurosawa and Martin Scorsese. Love anime? HBO Max has an entire catalog of Studio Ghibli movies. Fan of fantasy? Both the Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings films (including the extended versions) are on the service.
What adds to this is the fact that much of this extra content is easily organized. Everything, from Cartoon Network to Studio Ghibli, is organized into its own sections, meaning that if audiences wanted quick access to browse something specific, HBO Max makes that possible. The phrase "there's something for everyone" has never rung more true.
1 New Releases
As if there wasn't already a ton to watch on HBO Max, there's also plenty for subscribers to look forward to in the future. As far as original content goes, subscribers will have immediate access to upcoming original movies including DC's Batgirl and John Green's Turtles All the Way Down.
Being partnered with Warner Bros., HBO Max also has relatively early access to many big blockbusters. The service may no longer be offering same-day streaming with theatrical releases, but subscribers can still have relatively quick access to new hits.
HBO Max acquires theatrically-released films much faster than most streaming services, usually streaming new movies only 45 days after their theatrical release. Therefore, if it might be too expensive to go see the newest blockbuster in theaters, HBO Max might just have its viewers covered. Ultimately, HBO Max subscribers will always have something new to look forward to.