Tara Ward breaks down everything you need to know about the arrival of Max to New Zealand.
Whomst is Max?
Max is a streaming service owned by Warner Bros Discovery. Eager TV viewers have been waiting patiently for Max to launch in New Zealand for several years, until last week, when Sky New Zealand and WBD announced that Sky will be the home of Max in Aotearoa.
What does that mean?
This new Max partnership replaces an existing deal between Sky and HBO. While Sky already had exclusive access to almost all HBO and Max Originals content, this new partnership has increased the breadth and depth of Sky’s overall catalogue. You’ll notice this the most on Neon, which now has thousands of additional hours of Discovery Channel (TLC, Discovery, Animal Planet etc) content on site.
So, as of October 30, Sky and Neon subscribers have exclusive access to Max and HBO Original shows, as well as a library full of WBD classic franchises, all in one place. “The Max hub on Sky and Neon will offer an unrivalled collection of groundbreaking series, Hollywood blockbuster movies and family favourites, as well as a deep library of quality programming across lifestyle, reality and documentaries,” Sky said in a statement.
I’m already a Neon subscriber – do I need to do anything?
Not a single thing. You’ll automatically have exclusive access to new Max and HBO Originals shows and movies, including the upcoming Dune: Prophecy (which premieres on November 18 at 4pm) as well as HBO award-winners like The Last of Us, The White Lotus, and Succession. For Sky subscribers, the SoHo channel will be rebranded HBO, and will exclusively show HBO original content.
What shows can I watch on Max?
To access the Max catalogue, click on “Max” on Neon’s home screen. From here, you can either scroll through Max’s different sub-channels (HBO, Max, DC, Harry Potter, Warner Bros, Discovery, ID and TLC) or simply just click on “All Max” to discover every single show on offer.
The exclusive, big-budget titles lie under the HBO and Max options. If you’re looking for HBO’s award-winning, critically-acclaimed original series, this is where you need to go. Flight of the Conchords, Girls, Mare of Easttown, The Wire, And the Band Played On, The Sopranos, Veep, Euphoria, Chernobyl, Olive Kitteridge, Six Feet Under and Game of Thrones are all here, as well as current HBO series like The Franchise, The Penguin and Somebody Somewhere.
The Max offering is smaller (and will presumably continue to grow), but includes Our Flag Means Death, And Just Like That and The Flight Attendant. There’s a solid mix of Hollywood movies (including The Batman, Dune and The Color Purple), documentaries, comedies and drama series across these two channels, as well.
As for the other Max content? If you’re looking for every episode of Friends or The Big Bang Theory, try Warners Bros. TLC has reality TV covered with shows like 90 Day Fiance, Dr Pimple Popper and Say Yes to the Dress. If you love true crime then go straight to ID, which has documentary series like Crime Scene Confidential and Who the (Bleep) Did I Marry? Discovery is dominated by shows about Australian men getting dirty in the outdoors, like Aussie Gold Hunters, Aussie Truck Rehab, and Aussie Salvage Squad. A Kids channel is coming soon, featuring Looney Tunes and DC Kids shows.
How can I watch?
The new Max hub and HBO channel is available on the new Sky Box, Sky Pod and Sky Go from 30 October. For Neon subscribers, the Max hub will automatically be available on the Neon home page.
What’s the verdict?
HBO makes the best “must-see” TV shows, and these titles have always been a main drawcard for Neon subscribers. It’s great to see these shows staying on Neon, with the added bonus of thousands of hours of on-demand content to stream, and at no extra cost to subscribers.
