It’s not TV, it’s … Max.
Warner Bros. Discovery is putting the HBO back into its streaming service (formerly known as HBO Max), adding live streaming of HBO’s cable channels to the Max platform. The rollout began Wednesday for a “small subset” of subscribers to the streamer’s ad-free tiers.
The integration of HBO feeds (the new feature is called Channels, appropriately enough) to Max follows on the heels of Disney adding an ESPN+ tile to Disney+ (along with more programming from Hulu) and Paramount folding Showtime into Paramount+. The move also further collapses any barriers between HBO’s cable operation and Max; the former’s series stream on Max, and now some users will be able to channel-surf the HBO multiplex channels in the Max app.
The Channels feature will let Max users watch live feeds of the main HBO channel along with HBO 2, HBO Signature, HBO Comedy and HBO Zone. Subscribers who have Channels will also be able to restart, rewind and fast-forward those feeds and, on some devices, move between channels from within their Max app.
The new feature could also help alleviate the “what’s on” issue endemic to streaming, allowing people to click through an HBO-specific version of a program guide to see what’s live at the moment rather than scrolling through a host of menu screens. The programming on HBO’s linear channels is already available on Max, but the channels will offer another way for users to find it.