Ad-free tier and live sports: how Max from Warner Bros. Discovery is fighting for streaming time

With an ad-free plan, bundled live sports and a deep Warner Bros. and HBO library, Max is Warner Bros. Discovery's central streaming product in the US. We look at pricing, content mix and where the service sits in the crowded subscription market.

Edited by ad hoc news Software & Services Desk. Reviewed before publication on 06/16/2026 at 8:29 AM ET. Details in the imprint.

Max is Warner Bros. Discovery's flagship streaming service in the US, combining HBO originals, Warner Bros. movies and Discovery unscripted content under one app and subscription.

What Max offers: plans, prices and core features

In the US, Max currently sells three main monthly plans: an ad-supported tier at $9.99, an ad-free tier at $15.99 and an Ultimate Ad-Free option at $19.99, each with different video quality and download limits. The official Max plan picker lists the current US pricing and feature breakdown.

The ad-supported plan streams up to Full HD (1080p) with stereo sound, allows two concurrent streams and does not include offline downloads, while the standard ad-free plan adds downloads on up to two devices and removes commercial breaks from on-demand content.

At the top end, the Ultimate Ad-Free plan supports up to 4K Ultra HD on select titles, Dolby Atmos audio where available, up to four simultaneous streams and downloads on up to 100 titles across four devices, aimed at larger households and home-cinema setups.

Across all plans, Max aggregates programming from HBO, Warner Bros. Pictures, DC, Discovery, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, CNN Originals and more, covering scripted series, documentaries, reality formats and kids content in a single catalog.

The service is available on a wide range of devices, including smart TVs, streaming sticks, game consoles, mobile devices and web browsers, with user profiles, content recommendations and watchlists designed to keep households inside the app rather than switching between competing platforms.

Live sports and brand positioning in a crowded market

To differentiate itself from rival services, Warner Bros. Discovery has been adding live sports into Max in the US, including NBA, NHL and MLB coverage through the B/R Sports add-on, which has been periodically offered at no additional charge during promotional windows. A Warner Bros. Discovery press announcement outlined the initial launch and scope of the B/R Sports tier on Max.

The combination of prestige series such as "House of the Dragon" and "The Last of Us", library franchises like "Harry Potter", DC superhero films and unscripted Discovery shows is designed to broaden Max beyond HBO's traditional premium-drama audience and appeal to families seeking an all-in-one subscription.

Max also leans on day-and-date or relatively fast streaming windows for certain Warner Bros. theatrical releases after their cinema run, although the company has moved away from the experimental same-day streaming strategy it briefly used during the pandemic era.

Internationally, Warner Bros. Discovery is rolling out Max markets in stages, in some cases replacing the legacy HBO Max brand and in others introducing Max for the first time, with local content and rights deals determining the exact catalog and pricing.

In the US, the service competes directly with Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Peacock and Paramount+, and Warner Bros. Discovery has repeatedly flagged subscription growth, churn management and ARPU as key performance indicators for Max on recent earnings calls. In its investor relations materials, Warner Bros. Discovery breaks out direct-to-consumer subscriber numbers and revenue trends for Max and its related streaming operations.

For Warner Bros. Discovery, Max sits at the center of its direct-to-consumer strategy, working both as a subscription revenue driver and as a distribution outlet for its studios and cable networks as linear TV audiences decline.

Shares of Warner Bros. Discovery (US9344231041) traded on NASDAQ at $8.72 on 06/13/2026.

Max streaming service in brief

• Product: Max (streaming service)
• Manufacturer: Warner Bros. Discovery Inc.
• Category: Software/Service/Subscription
• Launch date: Rebranded from HBO Max in May 2023 in the US
• MSRP / Price: $9.99 (with ads), $15.99 (ad-free), $19.99 (Ultimate Ad-Free) per month in the US
• Availability: Streaming in the US and selected international markets via app and web
• Target audience: US households seeking a mix of premium scripted series, movies, documentaries, reality shows and live sports
• Key differentiator / USP: Combines HBO originals, Warner Bros. movies, Discovery unscripted programming and select live sports in one subscription

This article was a.i.-assisted and editorially reviewed. Product information without warranty; prices and availability may change at short notice. Not investment advice and not a buy or sell recommendation. Trading involves risk up to and including the total loss of invested capital.