With HBO Max, Warner Media has positioned its flagship platform to compete directly not only with streaming services like Netflix and Disney+, but also Amazon's HBO Go channel too. The new online service, which does not require a cable subscription, provides audiences with access to the entire HBO catalog plus an array of exclusive content. HBO Max features new original programs called Max Originals - like Love Life - as well as classic content curated by Turner Classic Movies among other exclusive offerings.
Prior to the launch of HBO Max the company had three options for accessing its content. HBO Go and HBO Now, both of which are still available, provide online access to the HBO catalog. The former allows existing HBO cable subscribers to access the network's content online at no additional cost while the latter provides the same access for a monthly fee in the absence of a cable subscription, but neither offer the original and legacy content exclusive to HBO Max.
HBO's catalog can also be accessed on Amazon Prime through the company's Prime Video Channels service. Amazon subscribers can opt for the HBO channel as an add-on to their existing plan and gain access to the same content as HBO Go and HBO Now, which is to say none of the exciting offerings available on HBO Max. Given that it costs the same amount of money to add HBO to Amazon Prime as it would to subscribe to HBO Max - that's $14.99 per month - the new platform certainly provides the best value for your money of all the HBO streaming options.
HBO Max isn't just a better deal than the other HBO platforms - it's among the best values of all the new streaming options available. As the so-called streaming wars rage in full force, deciding where to access your content is increasingly complicated. The service offers a broad array of new and legacy content that will appeal to audiences of all interests and ages, which gives HBO Max an advantage over competitors like Disney+, which offers a more limited library of titles for a marginally lower cost.
In addition to hosting the whole HBO catalog and a variety of Warner Media-owned legacy content, the platform also offers an impressive array of films from outside Warner Bros. collection. HBO's pre-existing streaming deals allow the company to host movies not owned by its parent company, which means more movies for your monthly fee than any of the other three HBO streaming options. Additionally, subscribing to Amazon's HBO channel rather than HBO Max would mean missing out on Max Originals - like the sleeper-hit revival Looney Tunes Cartoons or the new season of Search Party - and old animated favorites like selections from Studio Ghibli, every season of South Park, and more. HBO Max offers an extensive line-up of exclusive content that makes it the obvious choice for those shopping for a streaming service.