WarnerMedia today announced the availability of the ad-supported tier of HBO Max for $9.99 per month. The company aims to attract more subscribers to its HBO Max streaming service with this cheaper tier.
HBO Max has content from some major studios, including HBO, Warner Bros., DC, Cartoon Network, and more. It has some iconic and popular content like Friends, Game of Thrones, Zack Synder's Justice League, and more.
No Downloads or 4K Streaming for Ad-Supported Tier
The new ad-supported tier of HBO Max will offer subscribers access to the same content catalog as the ad-free version, which costs $14.99 per month. It does come with several limitations that are not present on the ad-free tier, though. The ability to download content for offline viewing is missing, with the video streaming quality being limited to 1080p.
The lack of 4K streaming should not really be a bummer as not all content available on HBO Max are available in 4K resolution.
Additionally, all Warner Brothers movies releasing in cinema halls and HBO Max on the same day in 2021 will not be available on the ad-supported tier. Instead, the movies will make their way to the ad-supported tier a few months down the line. You can read more about HBO Max same-day premieres and how they work here.
The good thing is that HBO will be limiting ads to four minutes per hour on the cheaper HBO Max tier. It is committing to the "lowest commercial ad load in the streaming industry." All HBO programming will also be free of any ads.
HBO plans to offer viewers more personalized ads over time to complement the content they are watching and further improve their overall viewing experience. The ads will also be shown in a way that does not disrupt the "integrity of the programming."
The ad-supported tier of HBO Max supports up to five streaming profiles, and it also offers parental controls so that you can have full control over the content your kids can watch. Existing HBO Max subscribers will have the option to switch to the new cheaper ad-supported tier from the next billing cycle.
Pay Yearly for Greater Savings
At $9.99 per month, the ad-supported tier of HBO Max is a fair bit cheaper than the ad-free version, which costs $14.99 per month. You can, however, pre-pay the yearly subscription charges for even greater savings.
If you pay yearly, you will save more than 15 percent, with the ad-supported tier costing $99.99/year instead of $119.88 if paid monthly. Similarly, the ad-free tier would cost you 179.88/year if paid monthly, but if you are ready to pay upfront, you are only shelling out $149.99/year.
With so many streaming services from various media studios, it can quickly become quite expensive to subscribe to all of them. Subscribing to an ad-supported tier of a streaming service is a great way to cut down on your monthly subscription charges. Plus, you are still getting access to all original HBO programming sans ads, so it is a win-win situation.
