History Creator / Max

Announced in the wake of previous owner AT&T's buyout of Time Warner, HBO Max was the defunct [=WarnerMedia=]'s official answer to Creator/{{Netflix}}, Creator/PrimeVideo, Creator/ParamountPlus, Creator/DisneyPlus, Creator/{{Hulu}}, Creator/AppleTVPlus and Creator/{{Peacock}}. Some previously existing streaming services owned by the Warner conglomerate, such as [=FilmStruck=] and Drama Fever, were shut down, with their content absorbed into HBO Max. Others, such as Website/{{Crunchyroll}} and Creator/DCUniverse, initially continued to operate independently, though some of their more popular programming was made available on the service[[note]]Crunchyroll would later be sold to Creator/SonyPictures, the owners of Creator/{{Funimation}}, while DC Universe was converted into the comics-only platform DC Universe Infinite, both within a year of HBO Max's launch[[/note]]. Additionally, some series that are owned by the Warner conglomerate but had been on other streaming services prior to HBO Max's launch, most notably ''Series/{{Friends}}'', were migrated over.

For select pay-TV providers, subscribers to the linear HBO channel automatically gain access to Max content at no additional cost. Third-party providers who provide Max alongside their HBO add-ons for new and existing subscribers include Apple TV, Google Play, Sony, and Microsoft video game consoles, Hulu, Amazon, and [[Website/{{YouTube}} YouTube TV]]. Some services who hadn't signed on to provide HBO Max, namely Roku and Amazon Fire, continued to carry HBO only, until agreements were eventually reached with them to provide Max content in December 2020. While the service was initially priced identically to previous HBO streaming feeds, a lower-priced, ad-supported tier launched in June 2021 (though HBO Originals remain ad-free on all tiers).

** Website/{{Crunchyroll}} (series originally licensed while Crunchyroll was a [=WarnerMedia=] unit)

** Don't bother trying to look for any short that is a part of the ''WesternAnimation/CensoredEleven'' as those are completely omitted from the ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' section. Same with some of the more blatant WWII propaganda shorts (like ''WesternAnimation/TokioJokio'' and ''WesternAnimation/BugsBunnyNipsTheNips''). On a similar note, shorts featuring [[WesternAnimation/BoskoTheTalkInkKid Bosko]], WesternAnimation/PepeLePew[[note]]though "Odor of the Day", "Two Scents Worth", and "Really Scent" as well as a cameo at the end of the WesternAnimation/SylvesterTheCatAndTweetyBird cartoon "Dog Pounded" are available for streaming. While "Odor of the Day" and "Really Scent" are considered the safer Pepe cartoons -- "Odor..." because it has him as a relentless pest without the unfortunately rapey undertones, and "Really Scent" is considered the only one where the cat's love for Pepe is consensual (though it does border on nonconsensual sometimes) -- there's no explanation as to why "Two Scents Worth" is also there...unless WB is testing the waters to see if including at least one of the less safe Pepé cartoons will lead to all of them being released in the near future[[/note]], and WesternAnimation/SpeedyGonzales are conspicuously missing[[note]]"Nuts and Volts" was available on the service but was later removed as of February 2021[[/note]], though there are large gaps where the Speedy cartoons should be, implying they would be added soon. Cartoons with SuicideAsComedy also are not shown. The most way you can watch most of the shorts (for now) is through the Boomerang app, as the entire selection of 1951-2014 shorts were removed after Warner Bros. Discovery took over.

*** The final season of ''WesternAnimation/SummerCampIsland'', intended to air as a Max Original, will instead air on Cartoon Network, the series' original home.

On April 12, 2023, WBD announced that it would rebrand HBO Max as simply '''Max''' and add select content from the channels that were owned by Discovery before the merger to the HBO Max content that they chose to keep (the service's status as the OTT home of HBO was retained, leading to advertising that ran "Max--The one to watch for HBO"). Instead they launched Max as an entirely new app in the US on May 23 of that same year, [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks to much consumer annoyance]]. On August 24 of that year, Max and CNN would announce the launch CNN Max, a dedicated content hub featuring programs from CNN and CNN International alongside exclusive content which launched in the US on September 27 of that year. The service debuted in Latin America on February 27, 2024 while a wider European launch (France, Nordic countries, Benelux countries, ex-Yugoslav countries, Spain, Portugal & Andorra and Central European countries) is scheduled to be rolled out during that same year. The Dutch and Belgian version of the service will be branded under its former name due to that name being used by Dutch broadcaster Omroep MAX.

** 20th Television: ''The Prince''

* Creator/TheCriterionCollection (films and series from various worldwide rights-holders whose U.S. streaming rights are licensed to Creator/JanusFilms)

* Creator/TheCriterionCollection

On April 12, 2023, WBD announced that it would rebrand HBO Max as simply '''Max''' and add select content from the channels that were owned by Discovery before the merger to the HBO Max content that they chose to keep (the service's status as the OTT home of HBO was retained, leading to advertising that ran "Max--The one to watch for HBO"). Instead they launched Max as an entirely new app in the US on May 23 of that same year, [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks to much consumer annoyance]]. On August 24 of that year, Max and CNN would announce the launch CNN Max, a dedicated content hub featuring programs from CNN and CNN International alongside exclusive content which launched in the US on September 27 of that year. A wider European launch (France, Nordic countries, Benelux countries, ex-Yugoslav countries, Spain, Portugal & Andorra and Central European countries) is scheduled to be rolled out during 2024. The Dutch and Belgian version of the service will be branded under its former name due to that name being used by Dutch broadcaster Omroep Max.

On April 12, 2023, WBD announced that it would rebrand HBO Max as simply '''Max''' and add select content from the channels that were owned by Discovery before the merger to the HBO Max content that they chose to keep (the service's status as the OTT home of HBO was retained, leading to advertising that ran "Max--The one to watch for HBO"). Instead they launched Max as an entirely new app in the US on May 23 of that same year, [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks to much consumer annoyance]]. On August 24 of that year, Max and CNN would announce the launch CNN Max, a dedicated content hub featuring programs from CNN and CNN International alongside exclusive content which launched in the US on September 27 of that year.

*** Alongside the cancellations, some planned HBO Max original movies were rerouted to theatrical premieres, including the 2022 ''[[Film/HouseParty2022 House Party]]'' remake, ''Film/EvilDeadRise'' and ''Film/MagicMikesLastDance''.

Upon the creation of Creator/WarnerBrosDiscovery, Magnolia Network (previously DIY Network), a channel that was owned by Discovery and Chip & Joanna Gaines, was folded into HBO itself. Magnolia Network originals were added into HBO Max's lineup in August of that year. As a result, HBO Max removed hours of content from its servers worldwide (especially in the US), this included films (including HBO Max originals and exclusives), series (including some acquisitions) and local originals that were available in markets where HBO Max is available. In mid-2022, Warner Bros. Discovery embarked on a series of major cost-cutting moves regarding the platform, including shuttering and shelving several intended Max Originals/WB Streaming Exclusives (including a ''ComicBook/{{Batgirl}}'' film and a sequel to ''WesternAnimation/{{Scoob}}'') that were already in mid- or post-production. The production of series (original or otherwise) and streaming/made-for-TV films (under strict budget limitations) is now intended to be fully handled by HBO.

* Otter Media
** Creator/RoosterTeeth
** Fullscreen

** Trvl Channel

** [=WarnerMedia=] had considered branding the service under the Warner Bros. name, but internal brand testing results found that while the iconic shield logo is well-known, the actual ''name'' had little-to-no consumer draw or value, or to quote then-CCO Kevin Reilly, "[[https://variety.com/2020/tv/features/hbo-max-launch-streaming-friends-warnermedia-1234604475/ You don't go to 'Warners Land' for vacation.]]"[[note]]Ironically, several "Warner Bros. Movie World" theme parks operate in Australia, Germany, Spain or the UAE; the remark and naming decision also ignored that [=WarnerMedia=] used the Warner Bros. name for the Warner TV services in Latin America, France and Southeast Asia, and the defunct [[Creator/TheWB WB Television Network]] in the U.S.[[/note]] As HBO has retained a constant image as a prestige and quality brand thanks to its television dramas, this would make it easier to market to the general public. Later on, Warner Bros. Discovery would remove the HBO part of the branding (simply called it "Max") due to believing it was not appropriate for their soft relaunch of the service, which would now include content from the legacy Discovery Inc. channels; HBO's heavy association with prestige adult dramas was also cited as being a perception issue for family audiences, though the HBO network has also included family-friendly programming for most of its existence.

*** Alongside the cancellations, some planned HBO Max original movies were rerouted to theatrical premieres, including the 2022 ''[[Film/HouseParty1990 House Party]]'' remake, ''Franchise/EvilDead Rise'' and ''Film/MagicMike's Last Dance''.

** Creator/{{MTV}} Entertainment Studios: The ''WesternAnimation/CloneHigh'' revival

* CreditsPushback: With the rebranding to Max in 2023, this trope was added to all programming -- as soon as the end credits (or in the case of many older movies, ending title cards) appear on a film or show, this happens to encourage the viewer to check out related programs. Unfortunately, this includes films with CreativeClosingCredits or TheStinger, making it easy to miss them. In the case of ''Anime/OnlyYesterday'', for instance, it means potentially missing '''the film's actual ending'''.

On April 12, 2023, WBD announced that it would rebrand HBO Max as simply '''Max''' and add select content from the channels that were owned by Discovery before the merger to the HBO Max content that they chose to keep (the service's status as the OTT home of HBO was retained, leading to advertising that ran "Max--The one to watch for HBO"). The relaunched service debuted in the US on May 23 of that same year. On August 24 of that year, Max and CNN would announce the launch CNN Max, a dedicated content hub featuring programs from CNN and CNN International alongside exclusive content which launched in the US on September 27 of that year.

** ''Series/Reno911'' from Creator/ComedyCentral is even worse, suffering from de-interlacing ''and'' an upscale to 16:9 widescreen from its original fullscreen ratio, resulting in an unbalanced, blurry presentation that's only barely watachable (though, considering the show is a parody of ''COPS'', the blurry, unbalanced presentation adds more to it).

* Creator/{{Topcraft}} (''Manga/NausicaaOfTheValleyOfTheWind'', owned by Studio Ghibli and made availble through GKIDS)

* Creator/{{WildBrain}}: ''Series/DegrassiTheNextGeneration'' (US only), including an revival of the ''Franchise/{{Degrassi}}'' series set for 2023 [[note]]except for ''Degrassi: Next Class'', whose rights are held permanently by Netflix[[/note]]