The world of French video streaming will welcome a new kid: Max! Resulting from the merger between HBO and Warner Discovery, this service will offer a quality catalog. And we finally know the prices of the formulas and the official release date!
We finally know the release date and the price of Max subscriptions! Yes, the video on demand (SVOD) services sector is welcoming more and more players. Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, OCS, Apple TV+, Paramount+, and soon Universal+, not to mention the French platforms Canal+, TF1+ and M6+… Gone are the days when Netflix reigned supreme over subscription streaming! It’s HBO’s turn to launch in France, through its Max streaming platform. Offered in the United States since 2020 under the name HBO Max, it changed its name and form following the merger of its two streaming services, HBO Max and Discovery +, to form one, including the name is simply Max.
Jean-Briac Perrette, head of the American giant’s streaming and video games divisions, announced the launch of Max in Europe from May 21, as reported Release. The SVOD will then be available in the Nordic countries, Spain, Portugal and Central Europe. In France, just as in Belgium, the Netherlands and Poland, you will have to wait a little longer, because the platform will finally debut on June 11. Right in time to be able to broadcast the Olympic Games, which begin on July 26, via Eurosport and for the launch of season 2 of House of the Dragonthe prequel to Game Of Thrones, June 17! Enough to attract a plethora of users for sure!
Max: a quality catalog with French productions
The new platform, even if it must fit into an already busy sector, has some major advantages. She can count on the entire quality HBO catalog (Game of Thrones, The Last of Us, House of the Dragon – of which season 2 will begin on June 17 exclusively on the platform –Sopranos, His Dark Materials, Succession, Winning Time, The Wire, Chernobyl, Handmaid’s Tale, Euphoria…), the firm having even offered itself the future remake ofHarry Potter, in the form of a series. It can also count on the numerous Warner Bros. channels. Discovery (including Warner TV, Eurosport, Discovery Channel, Cartoon Network and CNN), as well as great classics like Gravity, Interstellar, Superman, Mad Max 2or even the animated series Harley Quinn, Rick & Morty And Scooby-Doo.
To mark the occasion, Warner Bros. Discovery also announces the broadcast of an original production intended for the French market, called A devoted friend – freely adapted from the free The mythomaniac of the Bataclan. With Laure Calamy in the lead role, this mini-series will tell the true story of a woman who posed as a victim of the Paris attacks in November 2015. We will find Laure Calamy (Ten percent), Arieh Worthalter (The Goldman trial), Annabelle Lengronne (A little brother), Alexis Manenti (Wretched), Ava Baya and Anne Benoît (I will always see your faces).
The series was also mentioned Malditoscomposed of seven episodes and created by Jean Charles Hue (Eat your dead) and Olivier Prieur (The Crimson Rivers). Taking place in the Camargue, it is a “criminal thriller with a modern western feel”. Here is the synopsis: “In the South of France, the head of a gypsy community and her two sons fight to save their clan threatened with expulsion by rising waters. To survive, they will have to cross the limits of legality and fight within of a dark and dangerous universe… while hiding the shameful secret that has haunted their family for seven years.” Finally, the Warner Bros. team. Discovery has discussed a comedy-drama project based on the book by Rabbi Delphine Horvilleur Living with our deadwhich tells the story of Léa, 28 years old and one of the rare rabbis in France.
The platform will also broadcast sporting events, such as major cycling competitions as well as the Tennis Grand Slams – in addition to the Paris Olympic Games. Also included in certain subscriptions are the following television channels: Boomerang, Cartoon Network, Cartoonito, CNN International, Discovery Channel, ID, TCM Cinéma, TLC, Warner TV and Warner TV Next.
MAX: an imminent launch with three subscriptions
The question of broadcasting rights arises, because most of the programs are currently distributed by Amazon within the Warner Pass, for an additional 9.99 euros per month in addition to the Prime subscription (see our article). A temporary way for the e-commerce giant to attract new customers, in particular by becoming the official French broadcaster of the series The Last of Us at the time of its release last January. According to Varietythe Warner Pass will be offered until the end of 2024. Then, subscribers will be invited to subscribe to one of the Max offers to continue watching the content.
The platform will offer three offers:
- Max Basic with advertisements at 5.99 euros per month: with two simultaneous devices and full HD, but the inability to access TV channels, enjoy Dolby Atmos sound and watch offline content;
- Max Standard at 9.99 euros per month: with two simultaneous devices, full HD, no ads, 30 content to watch offline, access to 10 TV channels and no Dolby Atmos sound;
- Max Premium at 13.99 euros per month: with four simultaneous devices, full HD and 4K, no ads, 100 content to watch offline, access to 10 TV channels and Dolby Atmos sound.
A Sports option will also be available and will allow you to benefit from coverage of sporting events in addition to the packages, such as the Grand Slam tournaments, the 24 hours of Le Mans, the great cycling tours, the Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2 live channels. , etc., for an additional 5 euros per month. Afterwards, other possibilities of access to Max are planned. “Max will be available […] thanks to numerous distribution partnerships with the largest French players in pay TV, mobile telephony and broadband“, indicates the service, citing Canal+, Amazon Prime Video, Orange, Free and SFR. Thus, French subscribers to Prime Video and to offers from Canal+ Ciné-Séries, Friends & Family, Intégrale and Rat+ will benefit from Max from June 11 , but it is not yet known whether they will have to pay extra or not.