HBO Max undergoes overhaul and will be called just “Max”

Since August 2022, we comment here on showmetech that a merger between the streaming from Warner, HBO Max, and Discovery+ was about to happen. Now, three reliable sources have confirmed that this merger will result in the Max, a fairly complete version of both services.

Rumors also indicate that exclusive productions should be announced on April 12, 2023, the day the group Warner Bros. has an event scheduled with investors. See what is already known and when this new service should land here.

Max arrives before the start of the second half of 2023

Sources consulted by IGN claim that the name of the new streaming of the Warner Bros Group. it will be Max and its premiere should take place, at least in the US and Europe, between May and June 2023. The three experts on the subject also confirmed that the monthly fee in these regions will be US$ 16,00 (about R$ 80,00 in direct conversion).

The merger, which cost $43 billion, is fraught with controversy. For everything to work out, David Zaslav, CEO and president of the Warner Bros. Group, canceled many series, films and animations as a form of restructuring, eliminating productions from names like Scooby-Doo, Batman and more.

To achieve a wider range of productions, many films and series that were previously only available on HBO Max were also distributed to the Amazon Prime Video. The justification was to cut costs; with that, feature films like Wonder Woman e Judas and the Black Messiah arrived at streaming that belongs to Jeff Bezzos.

It is not yet known whether the single value of US$ 16,00 will be valid for Brazil. Here, there are three contracting modes: monthly (R$ 27,90), quarterly (R$ 74,90) and annual (R$ 239,90).

Will Discovery+ end?

The most certain thing is to say that it will be unified with the HBO Max catalog and, after that, the Max, new service streaming, will be made available in countries around the world. This would allow programs like Fixer Upper, Dr. Pimple Popper and Property Brothers are now accessed directly from the purple service. It is not yet known whether all the signatures of the Discovery +, which has a small share in Brazil, will be transferred to the new video service.

Other information that has not been confirmed by the group Warner Bros. it's about the original productions of the subscription channel. It is well known that the DC cinematic universe is about to undergo a major change with the release of Blue Beetle e T, but there is no data on the original productions of Discovery.

Company may have legal problems

A merger was also initiated in August 2022 with the justification that there is no reason for a person to have two subscriptions to services that are from the same company.

However, with the cancellation of many productions, some of which were already in the final stages of production, four Democratic legislators wrote a letter to the Department of Justice on April 8, 2023 with the justification that this Warner merger represents “potentially anti-competitive practices that reduce consumer choice and harm the job market“. Productions like Batgirl, Gordita Chronicles, Demimonde and The Time Traveller's Wife were mentioned in the document.

Despite the possible problem, the company should even continue with the launch of Max and the Warner Bros group. must make the service official on April 12, 2023. Some special announcements may also appear, but it is worth remembering that they are hearsay. They are:

• Series reboot of 'Harry Potter';
• 'Sherlock' series (Robert Downey Jr.);
• Special from 'Lady Gaga: 'The Chromatica Ball Tour'.

The forecast for the debut of this new service in Brazil and other Latin American countries is for the end of 2023, but until then, not even a day for the debut in the USA has been confirmed. O showmetech keep an eye on the subject and will bring you all the news as soon as they are released.

Would you continue to be an HBO Max customer with this merger? Tell us us comments!

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With information: CBR

Text proofread by: Pedro Bomfim (11 / 04 / 23)