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Here’s why you should subscribe to Max instead of Discovery+.
Discovery+ Is Now Part of Max
I found this out when I recently considered subscribing to Discovery+ so that my son could watch Battlebots. Battlebots is also available on Max, along with nearly everything else Discovery+ has to offer.
This is the result of a 2022 deal whereAT&T spun off its WarnerMedia division and sold it to Discovery, which turned into a new company called Warner Bros. Discovery. Warner Bros. Discovery is now the owner of HBO, Discovery, and various related brands.
Why a Max Subscription Is Better Than Discovery+
The addition of HBO’s library adds critically acclaimed, largely adult-oriented content to Discovery’s vast and broad, often unscripted, offerings.
Many iconic shows have long been HBO exclusives. These include shows based on the Game of Thrones universe. There are new and classic hit shows alike, like Succession, the Sopranos, and Sex in the City. There is also satirical news with Last Week Tonight With John Oliver and the comedic talk show Real Time with Bill Maher.
And, of course, there are decades of movies. HBO has Harry Potter. It also has exclusive streaming rights to Studio Ghibli in the US.
Max also features sports documentaries and the live-streaming of NBA, NHL, and MLB games. It’s not one of thetop sites for streaming sports, but it’s an option.
That’s not to say that everything you gain is geared toward adults. You also get long-running shows from Cartoon Network. Plus HBO has been the home of Sesame Street since 2016, when the show moved over from PBS.
Discovery+ Shows Are Part of Every Max Subscription
Regardless of which Max plan you select, you get access to most of the Discovery+ catalog. There is no difference in content availability between the tiers.
Max doesn’t advertise this, because much of the effort has gone into merging the two services into one to create a platform that could compete with the likes of Netflix and other streaming giants.
Even if Discovery+ does continue to exist separately, Max isn’t interested in reminding you that Discovery+ is a thing.
Is There Content on Discovery+ Not on Max?
Discovery+, to its credit, is no slouch. ADiscovery+ subscription offers shows from a wide range of brands, including the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, CNN, Food Network, HGTV, Magnolia Network (formerly DIY Network), OWN, TCL, and Travel Channel. Most of what’s available for streaming from these networks on Discovery+ is also on Max.
But there is still content on Discovery+ that is not available on Max. This includes shows from A&E, History, and Lifetime. These channels are part of A&E Networks, a joint venture between Disney and Hearst.
Since Warner Bros. Discovery doesn’t own this media, they can’t immediately roll it into Max. This is a situation that can change as companies renegotiate their licensing agreements, but for the time being, there is a relatively small segment of content not yet available on Max.
Discovery+ vs Max: Which Streaming Service Is Cheaper?
You can pay for Max either by the month or by the year. Annual plans are up to 20% cheaper than their monthly alternatives.
Max plans range from $9.99 per month to $19.99 per month:
Discovery+ plans are simpler. There are only two offerings and you have to pay by the month:
Comparing the two, the cheapest ad-supported plan on Discovery+ comes out to $59.88 spread out over a year. The cheapest Max plan is $99.99 paid all at once. That’s a difference of $40.11, which means you’re paying 40% more to add Max.
The cheapest ad-free plans are $107.88 in monthly payments to Discovery+ compared to Max’s lump payment of $149.99. That difference comes to $42.11, which is actually a smaller 28% increase.
Yet before the merger, HBO Max was a separate subscription service with a starting price twice as high as that of Discovery+. Now a Max subscription still costs more than Discovery+, but it includes most of what the latter offers.
If you think of Max as an add-on to Discovery+, then post-merger, you’re now paying significantly less for HBO content.
Is Max Available In the Same Countries As Discovery+?
In addition to the US and US territories, Discovery+ is available in many countries. The website explicitly lists Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, India, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Spain, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.
This list is not exhaustive, as there are other regions where the network has since launched, such as Germany and Turkey.
Max, by contrast, has not yet expanded outside of the US. That’s not to say that Warner Bros. Discovery doesn’t have global ambitions.
Max should be available in the parts of Latin America and the Caribbean with access to HBO Max by the end of February 2024. The service should reach 22 European countries with existing access to HBO Max by Spring 2024, with France and Belgium coming later in the year.
Max is also expected to reach parts of Southeast Asia sometime in 2024.
In the meantime, it’s possible to access Max from anywhere if you sign in while using a VPN. A VPN can route your internet connection through a country where Max is available, circumventing regional restrictions.
Using a VPN can put a strain on your network speeds, however, so this option may not be viable if your connection already often buffers when attempting to stream video.
Regardless of where you live, it makes sense to shift your attention away from Discovery+ towards Max. This is the platform with more excitement and it’s where Warner Bros. Discovery is investing its resources.
Once the latest licensing deals are in place or renewed, and Max is available to a more global audience, the writing may be on the wall for Discovery+.
