Max demystified: What to know about the new streaming service

Just a few days shy of its third birthday, HBO Max will soon be no more, to be replaced on May 23 by "Max." But is this renamed streamer bigger and better, or just an old-wine-in-new-bottle ploy to boost subscribers? To the questions!

Why?

That's what a lot of people wondered when Warner Bros. Discovery announced last month that a new omnibus streamer would strip those three iconic letters from the title. "HBO" is indeed the most prestigious brand in television, while the new name is just a name, signifying nothing. In fact, WBD decided that HBO in the title was self-limiting because potential subscribers might assume it featured HBO fare only. At the very least, "Max" implies the opposite: A lot of everything.

Is Max a merger of HBO Max and Discovery+?

Let's clear this misconception up right away: No. A lot of reports got this wrong when first announced, saying this was a "merger" of both services, when in fact Discovery + — a streamer comprising just over 2,100 titles from the unscripted libraries of Discovery, Travel Channel, Food Network, Animal Planet and several others — is going nowhere. Instead, the new Max will "port" over about 1,000 of its most popular titles, which include series, docs and specials. (Those will presumably also remain on Discovery+ too.) So in a very real sense, the new Max is a lot like the old HBO Max, with more unscripteds tossed in the pot.

This all seems a bit confusing. Is it?

Stripping those three magic letters — H, B and O — is like Disney+ renaming itself Joe or Fred. Nothing against Joe or Fred, but you get the idea. Nevertheless, the huge challenge before Discovery since buying Warner Bros. from AT&T last year has been the stark misalignment of TV brands and cultures. The Discovery networks are an endless factory line of unscripted shows, while HBO has long been about "prestige appointment" shows. HBO also skews male, according to Discovery, while Discovery's many networks skew female. The new name papers over the differences, and — ideally anyway — broadens the appeal.

Any new programs added to the Max mix? 

 Eventually, yes, but the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike complicates the "when." Warner Bros. Discovery has promised a "Max Original" Harry Potter series, a spinoff of "The Big Bang Theory," an 8-parter from the DC Universe with Colin Farrell called "The Penguin as well as another HBO "Game of Thrones" prequel, "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight." "True Detective" will be back (with Jodie Foster), and the second season of "Sex and the City" spinoff "Just like That" arrives June 22. Otherwise, expect lots (and lots) of "product" unaffected by the strike, like "SmartLess: On the Road," a six-part docuseries based on the entertaining podcast of the same name with Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes. That drops Tuesday.

Costs? Apps? Anything else? 

Easiest question saved till last because not all that much changes. If you have HBO Max on any device, those will automatically change to Max. There will be three pricing tiers — Max ad-lite ("$9.99 per month); Max Ad Free ($15.99 per month) and Max Ultimate Ad Free ($19.99) per month. Among other perks, this last tier allows viewers to watch some shows and movies in what's called 4 K Ultra HD resolution (four times the resolution of High-def.) In addition, if you already have HBO Max as part of your cable or satellite package, that will remain the same with Max, according to WBD, which says that your profiles, settings and watch history will "migrate" over as well. And this: WBD says it will "boost" its kids programming, and allow parents to limit content by a variety of ratings.