Skip to main content

HBO Max wades into the streaming wars on May 27

You’ll be able to binge-watch another streaming service when HBO Max finally joins the streaming world on May 27. 

The streaming service will reportedly have 10,000 hours of content at its launch. Expect to find cult favorites like Friends, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The Big Bang Theory, South Park, Doctor Who, Adventure Time, The OC, and more.

Veep, Game of Thrones, Chernobyl, and Barry will also be available to stream via HBO Max. 

As far as movies go, all 21 of Studio Ghibli’s animated features will stream exclusively on HBO Max. You can also expect 2001: A Space Odyssey, Casablanca, The Dark Knight, The Matrix Trilogy, and The Wizard of Oz, as well as all DC films from the past decade. 

HBO Max
Image used with permission by copyright holder

HBO Max will cost $15 a month, which makes it more expensive than the other streaming services. However, given the amount of extra content HBO Max has, and the fact that HBO currently costs about $15 through cable providers or HBO Now, the higher price makes sense.

If you already have HBO Now, you’ll get access to HBO Max at no extra cost. AT&T customers who are already subscribed to HBO will also get HBO Max for free. 

Like other streaming services, HBO Max will also have its own original content, including the scripted comedy Love Life starring Anna Kendrick, and an underground ballroom dance competition series called Legendary. Among other original series confirmed for HBO Max are the revival series Grease: Rydell High, the Cristin Milioti-led comedy series Made for Love, and the limited series Station Eleven, starring Mackenzie Davis. 

An exclusive Friends reunion featuring all six original cast members was set to debut on HBO Max in May, but that project has since been pushed back due to the coronavirus outbreak.

HBO Max joins the very crowded streaming space, which includes players like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+ and Disney+, as well as NBC Universal’s Peacock.

Netflix, which is the most popular streaming service, currently has more than 60 million paid subscribers in the U.S., according to its 2019 third-quarter report. Disney+ hit the 50 million paid subscriber mark just five months after joining the streaming world. Disney-owned Hulu has claimed more than 28 million subscribers. 

Editors' Recommendations

Allison Matyus
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Allison Matyus is a general news reporter at Digital Trends. She covers any and all tech news, including issues around social…
The 10 most popular shows on Max right now
Conan O'Brien in Conan O'Brien Must Go.

If there's a shocker this month on HBO and Max, it's that the highly touted original series The Sympathizer is only in the ninth slot on the list of the most popular shows on Max. Considering that series has Robert Downey Jr. in multiple roles, we expected it to do a lot better. Instead, the new No. 1 title on this list is Conan O'Brien Must Go, a comedy travel series featuring one of the quirkiest late-night talk show hosts from the last 25 years.

HBO's comedy and political talk shows, Real Time with Bill Maher and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, both returned to the list this month. And unsurprisingly, The Jinx is once again a true crime hit nine years after its previous season premiered on HBO. Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV and the anime series Ninja Kamui also had strong showings this month. But with only one episode left in the first season of Ninja Kamui, there may be a new show in its place on this list next month.

Read more
HBO and Max spotlight a stellar true crime lineup this spring
Robert Durst in a promo image for The Jinx – Part Two.

Convicted murderer Robert Durst has been dead for over two years, but as HBO said in its promotional campaign for The Jinx: Part Two, "He's back." The six-episode continuation of The Jinx premiered earlier this month, and it's near the top of the list of the most popular shows on Max. Despite Durst's death behind bars in 2022, there's still a lot of interest in this case and in this show because The Jinx helped put Durst away when it premiered in 2015.

The Jinx is only one of the shows fueling the rise of true crime content on HBO and Max. The genre was already popular, but now Max is reporting that it's the top category out of all of the unscripted shows from HBO, Investigation Discovery, and more.

Read more
7 great free action movies you should stream right now
Guns are pointed at John Wick

There's nothing wrong with a gripping and compelling Oscar-winning drama that's full of complex characters ... but sometimes you just wanna watch stuff get blown up. You wanna see high-speed car chases. You wanna practically feel the shrapnel fly past your face. Artful films like Oppenheimer and The Iron Claw certainly have their place, but that place isn't here. Instead, we're diving into some of the best action movies you can stream right now for free.

Thanks to ad-supported streaming services like Amazon Freevee, Tubi, Pluto TV, and more, there's a huge selection of great free action movies streaming right now. Whether you want to watch a guns-blazing revenge movie, giant animals attacking unsuspecting victims, or even a kinetic video game adaptation, we've got you covered. So, what are the best action movies streaming right now completely for free? Read on to find out.

Read more