Let’s be honest; there are almost too many streaming services these days. With many now offering both original and acquired content, it can be almost daunting trying to pick which ones are worth subscribing to and which ones are worth dumping. When HBO announced it would create its own streaming platform, HBO Maxpeople were understandably skeptical.
Now that HBO Max has been out for a while, it has easily become one of the more respectable and recognizable streaming services available. There are plenty of other great streaming services available to the public, but there are some aspects where HBO Max outshines its competitors.
5 User environment
Being able to easily browse and navigate a streaming service can almost make or break a service itself, and even some of the most popular services seem to mess it up easily. HBO Max keeps it simple, though. Audiences can easily choose between browsing movies and TV shows, as well as easily browse a number of genres in each selection.
There’s no need to clumsily browse hyper-specific subgenres or just browse a small selection, which services like Netflix often use. Everything is neat and organized. The public can also easily access the search option, and there are even options to browse anything new or about to leave the service. All in all, HBO Max makes it easy and accessible for audiences to find what they’re looking for.
4 Non-intrusive ads
Unfortunately, one of the drawbacks of HBO Max is its price; costing $15 per month, it would be understandable to non-HBO subscribers if the cost seems a bit high. However, HBO Max offers a lower $10 per month that only includes some ads. Ads are a bit mundane for most streaming services and can be quite annoying at times, especially if they seem to go on and on with no end in sight.
However, HBO Max with ads is far from annoying. Unlike most streaming services, HBO Max usually won’t insert ads during a movie’s runtime, just put them front and center. Ads tend to run a little shorter than most streaming services, only anywhere from 30 to 90 seconds depending on the content. After watching HBO Max long enough, subscribers may even forget that there are ads.
3 HBO Max Originals
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While streaming services usually offer a variety of purchased content, it is usually the original, exclusive content that will drive audiences to one service over another. HBO Max may not have the flagship pop culture icons that Netflix boasts, but there’s still a ton of popular and acclaimed content that only HBO Max subscribers can enjoy.
Subscription DC fans have already enjoyed the highly anticipated “Snyder Cut” from Justice League, the unique director’s cut of the 2017 film, exclusively on HBO Max. There are also plenty of original series worth checking out; Hacking provides a hilarious vehicle for actress Jean Smart, with the show earning Emmy nominations for its first two seasons.
Other shows like The stewardess and peacekeeper, have also proved quite successful. Of course, this isn’t even to mention the huge catalog of HBO shows that have defined television over 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. Do you have children or animation lovers? HBO Max has access to everything from both Cartoon Network and its adult counterpart, Adult Swim.
In classic movies? HBO Max has a lot from both the Criterion Collection and Turner Classic Movies, supporting films from filmmakers such as Akira Kurosawa and Martin Scorsese. Do you like anime? HBO Max has a full catalog of Studio Ghibli movies. Fan of fantasy? Both Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings movies (including the extended versions) are on the service.
Adding to this is the fact that a lot of this extra content can be easily organized. Everything from Cartoon Network to Studio Ghibli is organized into its own sections, meaning if the public wants quick access to something specific, HBO Max makes it possible. The expression “there is something for everyone” has never been more true.
1 New Releases
As if there wasn’t much to see on HBO Max before, there’s plenty for subscribers to look forward to in the future as well. In terms of original content, subscribers will have immediate access to upcoming original movies, including DCs batgirl and John Green’s Turtles all the way down.
As a partner of Warner Bros. HBO Max also has relatively early access to many major blockbusters. The service may no longer offer same-day streaming with theatrical releases, but subscribers can still access new hits relatively quickly.
HBO Max acquires theatrically released movies much faster than most streaming services, and usually doesn’t stream new movies until 45 days after their theatrical release. Therefore, if it might be too expensive to see the latest blockbuster in theaters, HBO Max might just have its viewers covered. Ultimately, HBO Max subscribers always have something new to look forward to.
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