American company HBO announced on Thursday that it will also launch its Max streaming platform in Romania and other European markets, which is already available in the United States, and that the cheapest subscription option will include advertising for customers in our country.

Essentially, the change will only be a change in the name of the new platform, which will be called “Max” instead of “HBO Max” as it is now.

Those who currently subscribe to HBO Max will retain their current profiles, watch history and “continue their journey on Max where they left off,” the company said in a press release Thursday.

It also notes that in some cases, depending on the device or operating system, HBO Max automatically updates to the Max app, but in other cases, when subscribers open the HBO Max app, they will be prompted to download the new app. Max app, “allowing them to start learning a new platform in just a few clicks.”

The Max platform was launched in the US last May after the merger of American entertainment giants Warner Bros. and Discovery create a new conglomerate Warner Bros. Discovery. Max was launched to combine the streaming platforms that the two companies owned.

But in the case of European markets, the launch of Max was delayed, most likely to avoid confusion among customers, given that HBO Max did not launch in many European markets until 2022, replacing the HBO Go platform at that time. In other words, the Max launch would come with the second platform name change in as many years for many European customers.

Recently, the platform will offer subscribers a “Sports Extra”, which HBO says will include major international and European sports, including the Grand Slam tennis tournaments, three cycling events – the Giro d’Italia, La Vuelta a España and the Tour de France. , as well as the Tour de France Femmes, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and every winter sports world championship.

HBO will include advertising for Romanian customers of “Max”

But the big news is that HBO will mostly come with a basic subscription that will include ads. HBO has announced that it will offer its customers in Europe 3 subscription options that will add “Sports Extra”:

Basic subscription with advertising:

• This subscription will allow users to use Max at a lower price and will include advertising. Initially, it will be available in nine European countries, and then it will spread to others.

• The first countries where the basic subscription with ads will be available are Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Romania, Poland, France and Belgium.

• Subscribers will be able to watch Max titles on 2 devices at the same time.

• The content will be available in Full HD resolution.

Standard subscription:

• Subscribers will be able to view Max content on 2 devices at the same time.

• The content will be available in Full HD resolution.

• This subscription will allow you to download up to 30 files for offline viewing.

Premium subscription:

• This ensures the best consumer experience.

• Users can play content on 4 devices simultaneously.

• Full HD or 4K resolution and Dolby Atmos sound (if available).

• This subscription will allow you to download up to 100 files for offline viewing. (Restrictions apply).

Sports additional option:

• Sport Extra will provide coverage of the best sporting events including tennis Grand Slams, Cycling Grand Tours, 24 Hours of Le Mans, Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2 live and more.

• Subscribers should check local schedules for sports rights availability in their countries.

• The optional Sport option will be available when added to any basic subscription.

• Users can stream sports content on 2 devices simultaneously (from streams available on their basic plan).

HBO did not say how much each package would cost, saying it would announce later. However, the new changes will take effect for customers in Romania on May 21st, so the company will likely announce the cost of the subscription soon.

Max will be the second streaming service to include advertising for customers in Romania

HBO’s announcement on Thursday comes after SkyShowtime announced last month that it would change its subscription structure for customers in Romania, and essentially all of its subscribers, starting April 23.

The main innovation was the fact that the current subscription, which will be renamed Standard, will include advertising, thus making SkyShowtime the first streaming platform to enter the Romanian market with an ad-inclusive subscription offer. The ad-free subscription will be called “Standard Plus”.

However, unlike HBO, SkyShowtime has also announced how much the subscriptions will cost: Standard will remain at its current price of €3.99 per month, while Standard Plus will cost €5.99 per month.

Customers who pay a full year’s subscription in one payment will receive a 2-month discount from the total price, i.e. €30.99 for the advertising package, respectively €46.99 for the other one.

SkyShowtime later informed customers in Romania who took advantage of a limited offer to subscribe for half price during the term of their subscription, available for the first two months after the launch of the platform, that the subscription price would increase from €2.99 to €1.99. It’s not entirely clear yet whether the standard subscription will include ads for them.

Although prices vary between markets, SkyShowtime has announced a subscription change for all of its European customers, which means virtually all customers, given that the streaming platform is only available in Europe as a result of a partnership between two of America’s biggest entertainment companies: Paramount Global and Comcast.