A year after its debut, HBO Max now offers an ad-supported subscription for $10 per month. That’s $5 less than the ad-free plan. HBO Max also offers annual subscription options, priced at $100 for a year with classified ads or $150 to stream without ads. Paying upfront for a year saves you 16% compared to paying for 12 months with a consistent monthly plan.
Viewers who already have a wide diet of streaming services may appreciate the chance to save a few dollars with the ad-supported plan, and the move brings HBO Max’s pricing options more in line with competitors like Hulu, Peacock, and Paramount Plus.
That said, the cheaper plan is missing a few of HBO Max’s best features, making it hard to recommend over other ad-supported streaming services.
The ad-supported edition of HBO Max ($10/month) differs from the ad-free plan ($15/month) in a few key areas.
These limitations are similar to the ad-supported plans offered by Hulu, Paramount Plus, and Peacock, but HBO Max still costs more.
HBO Max says it will limit advertisements to a maximum of four minutes per hour, making it the least intrusive among ad-supported streaming platforms. HBO original shows won’t feature commercials on the ad-supported plan either.
HBO Max has one of the most productive streaming catalogs, but it’s hard to pay a little less for a deliberately limited service, especially when you still pay more for the ad-supported HBO Max package than for ad-free services like Disney. . Plus and Prime Video.
The ads on HBO Max, however, are largely non-intrusive and last between 10 and forty-five seconds. Most videos and views begin with a short pre-video announcement, and other ad breaks are marked on the broadcast timeline.
So far, the longest commercial break I experienced lasted one minute. Watching a 90-minute movie like “The Wedding Singer” yielded a total of five commercial breaks, which matches HBO’s promise of four minutes of ads per hour of streaming.
Meanwhile, subscribers who only plan to watch HBO original series don’t have to worry about classified ads at all. The ad-supported edition of HBO Max doesn’t have classified ads on HBO screens like “Mare of Easttown,” “Game of Thrones,” or “The Wire,” so you can save a little with the less expensive plan if you want. sacrificing features like offline downloading of classified ads and videos in theaters.
Here’s a full look at how HBO Max’s pricing compares to the competition:
$9. 99
$9. 99
$6.99
$13. 99 (Standard Plan)
$8. 99 (comes with Amazon Prime)
$7. 99
$4. 99
Unlike competing streaming services, HBO Max with ads risks diluting the brand HBO has built over decades as a premium subscription channel. In the realm of cable TV, HBO defined itself with ad-free viewing and an exclusive catalog of movies and original shows. HBO Max’s lower pricing tier dilutes the viewing experience and limits key movies in an effort to be more like other streaming services.
HBO has always justified its higher price with exclusive content, but the new additions to HBO Max haven’t helped set it apart from other streaming options. So, after spending decades branding itself as the alternative to traditional TV, HBO Max is adopting the same strategies used by TV companies to compete in the streaming business.
HBO Max’s new pricing came days after AT
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