Most HBO Max subscribers have switched to Max, despite launch issues and price rises

When Max, the streaming service formerly known as HBO Max, debuted last month there were problems. For instance, many subscribers were struggling to log into the new Max platform. There was even reports of some that tried Max and it just made them miss HBO Max even more. But it seems that despite these issues, Max is already a success.

According to The Wrap, which quotes the paywalled Wall Street Journal, 70% of HBO Max and Discovery Plus subscribers made the switch to the new Max service during the first week of its launch. The Wrap interprets that as nearly one-third of users not switching, but 70% in such a short time is an impressively large number.

Max comes in three flavors: the $9.99 per month Max Ad Lite; the $15.99 per month Max Ad Free; and the $19.99 Ultimate Ad Free tier. HBO says that around 20% of the content currently being viewed on Max is from Discovery Plus. That low proportion may be down to the fact that there's still a separate, stand-alone Discovery+ app but no HBO Max equivalent. 

The Discovery Plus app's days are likely to be numbered. However, as long as Discovery Plus is cheaper – it's $6.99 – lots of users are going to stay just where they are.

Is Max a hit or a miss?

Jean-Briac Perrette, Warner Bros. Discovery’s global streaming president, told the Wall Street Journal that the number of Discovery Plus cancellations was "very much in line with what we expected". And the 30% of HBO Max subscribers who haven't yet switched to the new app are still paying subscribers, so Warner Bros. Discovery still has their money. That means subscriber numbers are still likely to be hovering around the 96 million mark the company had at the end of last year.

For Warner Bros. Discovery, the numbers that matter here aren't subscriber numbers, though. They're dollars. According to CEO David Zaslav, the company originally expected its US streaming business to be profitable by 2024. It now expects to reach that milestone later this year, much earlier than it hoped or expected. Speaking to industry analysts and investors, he said: "the key here is our streaming business is no longer a bleeder."

This focus on the bottom line is happening across the industry. Hulu and Disney Plus both announced a content purge, which saw large numbers of titles removed from the streaming catalogue. And Netflix has a reputation for canceling lots of shows that simply aren't bringing in enough eyeballs. But the big worry for streamers isn't so much the content they've already commissioned. It's what they'll be able to stream if the WGA writers' strike carries on for much longer.

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Sorry regular OLED TVs, QD-OLED could become the new Hollywood standard

QD-OLED technology has just been given a seal of approval that even the best OLED TV tech hasn't achieved: to become an industry standard display tech that Hollywood's top filmmakers use to see how their films will look in your home.

QD-OLED is a technology that takes normal OLED (organic light emitting diode) TV tech and makes it brighter without removing the deep, dark blacks that OLED delivers and traditional LED TVs can't. It does that by boosting the blue light from OLEDs via a layer of microscopic semiconductor crystals called quantum dots. Those diminutive dots make the light even more intense, filtering it to create brighter, more vivid colours than a normal OLED TV can provide.

QD-OLED TVs aren't quite as dark as regular OLEDs, but that's not something most people would notice. What you can't fail to notice, though, is how bright QD-OLED is. I've got a Samsung QLED TV, which also uses quantum dots, and it's so bright I should probably wear sunscreen when it's on.

What's that got to do with Hollywood? It's all to do with the post-production editing process when filmmakers and editors are mastering and grading a film or TV show. 

When a Hollywood movie is edited, its colour and luminance are graded on very expensive high-end displays such as Sony's BVM-X300 RGB OLED. That tops out at 1,000 nits of brightness, and is one of the reasons why many HDR movies and shows are designed for displays that also max out at 1,000 nits. But a new pro-spec monitor already in use by Hollywood studios uses QD-OLED to go much brighter. 

Why does QD-OLED matter?

Film studios have used other TVs to test their films and shows. For example, you might find an LG OLED, a Panasonic OLED or a Samsung OLED as a secondary display in some mastering suites. But those displays are consumer TVs, not reference-grade monitors, and that means using them is a bit of a lottery.

Enter Flanders Scientific, a trade specialist in broadcast monitors and color management devices. Its new XMP550 reference monitor is designed to deliver studio-spec accuracy – it's a qualified Dolby Vision mastering monitor – with much higher brightness of 2,000 nits and 2,000,000:1 contrast thanks to its Samsung Display QD-OLED panel. HDR is capable of supporting even higher levels of brightness – 10,000 nits in the case of Dolby Vision – but 2,000 is more than enough to be going on with for now, not least because nobody actually makes a 10,000 nit TV.

If studios embrace this display, and many are likely to, then that's inevitably going to affect how shows and movies are mastered for TVs. With 2,000 nit TVs such as Samsung's S95C becoming more popular, filmmakers and showrunners are going to want to take advantage of that power to make their creations even more vivid. You don't need to rush out and buy one just now, but it seems safe to say that for HDR on QD-OLED, the future's bright.

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Disney Plus could lose more movies and TV shows after recent content purge

If you thought your favorite Disney Plus and/or Hulu movies and TV shows were safe after Disney's recent content purge, you might want to think again.

As first reported by Variety, a company filing on the securities and exchange commission (SEC) website confirmed that The Walt Disney Company was planning to remove even more content from its streaming services' libraries.

Per Item 2.06 Material Impairments section of the SEC filing, Disney wrote that it was "in the process of reviewing content on its direct-to-consumer (DTC) services", i.e. Disney Plus and Hulu. The record also goes on to reveal that Disney "is continuing its review, and currently anticipates additional produced content will be removed from its DTC and other platforms, largely during the remainder of its third fiscal quarter."

Hulu and Disney Plus are set to lose even more shows and movies. (Image credit: Disney Plus)

This latest revelation comes less than two weeks after The Walt Disney Company removed dozens of movies and TV shows from the back catalogs of its primary streaming duo. Series including Willow, Pistol, Y: The Last Man, and The World According to Jeff Goldblum were all given the chop by Disney. Joining that quartet (and many more shows) were a spate of movies, too, including the Cheaper By The Dozen remake and Better Nate Than Ever.

Disney hasn't been shy about the reasons behind this purging of content. The entertainment behemoth has been hemorrhaging cash recently; so much so that returning CEO Bob Iger has implemented a plan to save $5.5 billion (£4.4 billion / circa $8 billion AUS) over the next few years. Part of those cost-cutting measures include letting 7,000 employees go, and removing a swathe of TV shows and films from some of the world's best streaming services.

Ironically, though, the removal of such content from Disney Plus and Hulu will hit Disney financially. Per the SEC filing, Disney expects to record a $1.5 billion impairment charge in Q3 2023 for shedding more shows and movies from its streaming libraries. In layman's terms, Disney can't justify the financial outlay for keeping some content on its streaming platforms, allowing it to write them off as worthless assets on its balance sheet and, in effect, save itself some money.

More money, more problems

Willow was one of dozens of movies and TV shows to be cut from Disney Plus and Hulu recently. (Image credit: Disney)

What does all of this mean for you? Essentially, less bang for your buck. In late 2022, Disney raised the price of its standard Disney Plus subscription plan (in the US, anyway) from $7.99 a month to $10.99 per month. Hulu also saw a small price rise from $6.99 to $7.99 a month, too, around the same time.

In the six months since that increase, though, Disney Plus and Hulu's back catalog has gotten smaller, meaning you're actually getting less content these days for what you pay. For more details on how much Disney Plus costs in your world region, check out our Disney Plus price and Hulu price guides.

Unsurprisingly, Disney's biggest hits are expected to be safe from the chop. Marvel's extensive back catalog of movies and TV shows (at least those set in the MCU, anyway), as well as those set in the Star Wars universe, will remain on Disney Plus. Over on Hulu, major draws such as Only Murders in the Building, Prey, and The Bear aren't likely to be removed.

It's difficult to say, though, which other entries in our best Disney Plus movies, best Disney Plus shows, or best Hulu shows will survive. We've already seen the negative effect that removing fan favorite content has had on other big streamers, such as Netflix, with some users cancelling their subscriptions in protest over a TV show or film's removal. Disney, then, will have to be careful about what content to cuts from its streaming platformers, otherwise it could suffer a similar fate.

For more Disney Plus and Hulu-based coverage, read up on all of the new Disney Plus movies to hit the service. Alternatively, find out what the best Hulu movies are.

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7 new movies and TV shows on Netflix, Max, Prime Video and more this weekend (June 2)

Another weekend has rolled around – and that means it's time to bring you another round-up of the biggest movies and TV shows to watch on the world's best streaming services.

Well, some of them anyway. A new month usually heralds the arrival of multiple new shows and movies on the likes of Disney Plus and Hulu. As weeks go, though, this one's pretty quiet by all accounts.

Still, of our seven-strong selection for the weekend of June 3 and 4, forthcoming Max drama The Idol is arguably the most anticipated – and, given its mixed critical reception, not for all the right reasons, either. If gritty, adult-themed musical dramas aren't your idea of a good time, though, there are other fascinating options available on Netflix, Prime Video, and Paramount Plus for you to try instead.

So, without further ado, here are the seven most intriguing films and TV series to stream in the coming days.

The Idol

Where to stream it: Max

Max (formally known as HBO Max) has been the go-to streamer for all things drama genre-based in 2023, with the likes of The Last of Us and Succession season 4 drawing in millions of users on a weekly basis.

The Idol, a new raunchy musical drama set to debut on June 4, hopes to follow in that duo's footsteps. Co-created by Euphoria's Sam Levinson and Canadian singer-songwriter The Weeknd, The Idol focuses on Jocelyn (Lily Rose-Depp), who tries to reclaim her title as the world's sexiest pop star with the aid of Tedros (The Weeknd), the leader of a contemporary cult, whom Jocelyn embarks on a complex romantic relationship with.

A prestige drama it might be, but critics have panned The Idol for its sleazy, on-the-nose satirization of the music industry and for being "brutish", "nasty", and a "misfire of high-budget misogyny". Ouch. In short: don't expect it to join our best Max shows list anytime soon.

With Love season 2

Where to stream it: Prime Video

Amazon Studios' underrated rom-com series returns for its second outing this week, and its lighthearted and earnest approach to romance might be the perfect tonic to The Idol's more abrasive exploration of the same topic.

With Love season 2 reunites viewers with siblings Lily and Jorge Diaz, who continue to navigate the world of dating and relationships with contrasting success. It's a good job, then, that the pair can rely on their respective support groups to help them through their tough romantic tests. Expect to laugh and cry along with Lily and Jorge as they're forced to traverse new love-based challenges in the show's sophomore outing. One for our best Prime Video shows guide? Maybe.

Manifest season 4 part 2

Where to stream it: Netflix

The end is night for the survivors of Montego Air Flight 828. Manifest season 4 part 2 will officially close out the season and the series – which Netflix picked up following its cancellation on ABC – this weekend, and it promises to be an explosive and potentially shocking end to one of the best Netflix shows around.

Ordinarily, this is the part where we'd briefly recap what happened in the season's first part, but doing so would spoil many of Manifest's secrets up to this point. Manifest diehards know what's at stake by now, so the only thing left to do is take a seat, strap yourself in, and prepare for the flight of a lifetime.

Medellin

Where to stream it: Prime Video

It's a quiet week on the new movie front, so Amazon will be hoping its new action-comedy flick Medellín will fill the streaming film void in your life.

Medellín stars Ramzy Bedia as Reda, a seemingly ordinary individual who sets out to rescue his younger brother from a vicious cartel in Colombia. However, when Reda kidnaps the cartel leader's son in order to exchange him for his brother, things quickly get out of hand.

Narratively, it doesn't sound particularly novel, but Medellín might surprise a few people with what's on offer. If nothing else, it contains a cameo from legendary boxer Mike Tyson, which might be worth checking out even if the rest of Medellín isn't.

Magic Mike's Last Dance

Where to stream it: Max

Nearly four months after it debuted in theaters, the final installment in the Magic Mike trilogy lands on Max this weekend.

Magic Mike's Last Dance sees Channing Tatum return as the titular character, who's retired from the stripper business and now works as a Miami-based bartender. When he's propositioned by Salma Hayek's Max (no relation to the service it's available on) about helping her produce a stage play in London, though, Mike is drawn back into the world he thought he'd left behind.

The movies received mixed reviews upon initial release in February, with critics calling it "loose and limber enough to entertain" and a "satisfying conclusion" to the trilogy Tatum has helmed. Maybe it's not for everyone, but those who enjoyed Mike's previous theatrical outings should get a kick out of it.

Joe Pickett season 2

Where to stream it: Paramount Plus

Paramount Plus has steadily been growing its library of neo-Western crime dramas in recent years, with its Yellowstone universe undeniably the cream of the crop in that field. The studio's TV adaptation of Joe Pickett, though, is also worth investing in – and it just so happens that the show's second season arrives on Paramount's streamer on June 4. 

Based on CJ Box's book series of the same name, Joe Pickett tells the tale of the titular Wyoming game warden and his family as they navigate numerous socioeconomic and political challenges in their community.

Like Medellín, Joe Pickett's synopsis doesn't immediately jump out at you, but critics have had largely good things to say about it since its initial December 2021 debut. One to try if you're looking to fill the Yellowstone hole in your life before season 5 part 2 of one of the best Paramount Plus shows ever arrives later this year.

Painting With John season 3

Where to stream it: Max

The multi-talented John Lurie returns with his fireside chat-style painting series on Max this weekend – and, just like previous seasons, viewers can expect plenty more in the way of abstract artwork, casual conversation, and meandering metaphors.

Season 3 follows the same six-episode, 30-minute format as its predecessors – new entries are released every Friday, FYI – and sees Lurie continue to delight audiences with his laid-back, meditative musings as he showcases his abilities as an artist. One for Bob Ross fans to consider watching. Just don't get offended with the title of the show's first-ever episode, which is called 'Bob Ross Was Wrong'.

For more streaming-based coverage, read our guides on the best Netflix movies, new Disney Plus movies, best Apple TV Plus shows, and best Hulu movies.

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Netflix Tudum: 33 TV shows and movies to look out for at the June 17 showcase

Netflix has announced details of its next Tudum fan event, which will be streaming live from Brazil on 17 June. Expect exclusive reveals, tons of new trailers and more Netflix news than you can shake a streaming stick at.

A major celebrity line-up is set to take the stage during the two-hour extravaganza, which will be headlined by Chris Hemsworth and Henry Cavill. 

Fans can expect to see two of Netflix's biggest global shows: Stranger Things and Squid Game. Other top TV shows set to be showcased at the event include Season 3 of The Witcher; Avatar: The Last Airbender; Bridgerton; Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story; Never Have I Ever; and All The Light We Cannot See. That's not all either. You can expect more about Lupin, Heartstopper, Cobra Kai, Too Hot To Handle, Love Is Blind, You and Emily In Paris.

And it's not just about TV shows, although of course there's going to be lots of that, Netflix is also going to show off some of its new films too. There are some really big movies being showcased here, including the Chris Hemsworth-starring Extraction; Heart of Stone with Gal Gadot, Jamie Dornan and Alia Batt; and Rebel Moon. 

What to expect from Netflix's huge fan event

Here, courtesy of Netflix, is the full list of TV shows and movies that have been confirmed so far that you'll see at the event.

• Extraction
• FUBAR
• Outer Banks 
• 3 Body Problem
• The Witcher
• Rebel Moon 
• Avatar: The Last Airbender
• Sintonia
• Elite
• Bridgerton
• Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
• Back to 15
• Never Have I Ever
• The Archies
• All the Light We Cannot See
• Stranger Things
• Wednesday
• Squid Game
• Squid Game: The Challenge
• You
• Emily In Paris
• BERLIN
• Love is Blind
• Too Hot to Handle
• Cobra Kai
• Heartstopper
• Lupin
• The Chosen One

There will also be special appearances from Kevin Hart and Gugu Mbatha-Raw who star in the upcoming action film Lift. As well as from Clara Galle and Julio Peña Fernández who star in the upcoming film sequel Through My Window: Across The Sea. Gal Gadot, Jamie Dornan and Alia Bhatt will also be there to showcase Heart of Stone.

The mystery film They Cloned Tyrone is also expected to make an appearance with John Boyega and Teyonah Parris. Finally, stars from the yet to be released animation One Piece, including Inaki Godoy, Mackenyu, Emily Rudd, Jacob Romero Gibson and Taz Skylar, are also said to be at the event.

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5 upcoming TV shows that mean Apple TV Plus could replace your Netflix subscription

Apple TV Plus has dropped a teaser for its content lineup this summer, and it’s enough to make us seriously consider whether Netflix will remain the go-to streaming service in 2023.

Apple TV Plus is no longer the well-funded entertainment platform that kicked off its streaming ambitions with The Morning Show and See. These days, it’s building up an impressive library of content, from sci-fi Apple TV shows to big-name comedies and dramatic series – it has even bagged some Oscar wins for the likes of CODA.

Its latest teaser trailer runs through the highlights of its 2023 lineup, with a mix of debut shows and new seasons that make the Apple-run streaming service well worth a look – especially at a time when Netflix is shedding subscribers with its password crackdown, and generally becoming a lot more expensive for multi-household accounts.

So if you’re considering moving over to Apple TV Plus, here are five new and upcoming shows – plus one film – that might sway you.

Platonic

(Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne star in this buddy comedy series about former best friends who reconnect after a long time apart, and spiral into a mutually caused midlife crisis. Despite its goofball comedy appearance, Platonic has been rapturously received – thanks to the rapport of its stars – and is available to stream on Apple TV Plus right now.

Streaming now

The Crowded Room

(Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

Tom Holland and Amanda Seyfried star in this Apple Original limited series about a man arrested for his links to a shooting in the 1970s. Seyfried was a revelation in last year’s Elizabeth Holmes biopic, The Dropout, and is well worth a look as Holland's interrogator in this upcoming thriller.

Release date: June 9

Foundation season 2

(Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

The big-budget TV adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation novels are a sci-fi delight, with sumptuous galactic backdrops, eye-grabbing costumes and effects, clones and androids, and a space opera story that’s hard to look away from. While season one could be uneven at times, it was still a sizeable hit, and season 2 looks set to build on its foundation (pun intended) and make even bigger swings this time around. Anyway, Lee Pace is in it – what more do you need to know?

Release date: July 14

The Beanie Bubble

(Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

This brilliantly-premised biopic movie follows the creation and rise of the humble Beanie Baby – the plush toys that exploded in popularity in the ‘90s, becoming major collectibles thanks to their unique designs and limited production. 

The Beanie Bubble stars Succession’s Sarah Snook, Elizabeth Banks, Geraldine Viswanathan and Zach Galifianakis and joins a growing trend of toy-related documentaries and biopics on today’s streamers.

Release date: July 28

The Morning Show season 3

(Image credit: Apple)

The Morning Show was the first big sell on Apple TV Plus when it launched back in 2019. It stars Steve Carell and Jennifer Aniston as co-anchors of a major morning news broadcast, navigating love, sex, news and consent in the wake of a massive scandal at the media conglomerate.

Production for season 2 was hit hard by the onset of the pandemic, which the showrunners decided to weave into the plot – with inconsistent results. We’re hoping that season 3 is a chance for The Morning Show to course correct, while putting the talents of Billy Crudup, Mark Duplass, Nestor Carbonell and Greta Lee to better use.

Release date: late 2023

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You can watch Star Trek Strange New Worlds season 1 for free and here's why you absolutely should

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 is on the way. For those you who aren't Paramount Plus subscribers but want to catch up on the show, you can now enjoy the entire first season for free on YouTube.

Strange New Worlds is one of many Star Trek shows hitting our screens. The series acts as a prequel to the first-ever Star Trek TV show, at a time when Captain Christopher Pike – who helmed the USS Enterprise in the pilot episode, The Cage – was still in command of the iconic spaceship's crew.

The free YouTube drop is a boon for any Star Trek fan who hasn't had a Paramount Plus subscription that lets them see the show – with all 10 episodes from the first season being available to stream.

It's only a temporary bit of marketing, though – as the season will be pulled at midnight (PT) on June 30, giving you only a few weeks to binge through the whole show.

Live long and subscribe

The surprising move to release the first season for free comes in the run-up to the second season, which lands on June 15 – with Paramount no doubt looking to drum up interest in the show for those not yet subscribed to its streaming service.

Paramount Plus has become the de-facto home of Star Trek shows, hosting Strange New Worlds, Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Discovery (formerly hosted on Netflix) and the animated spin-off Lower Decks.

The trailer for Strange New Worlds season 2 teased a shocking crossover with Star Trek: Lower Decks, specifically showing off actors Jack Quaid and Tawny Newsome who voice Boimler and Mariner in the animated show – embodying these cartoon characters in live-action for the first time.

Before checking out season 2, though, this foray into free streaming on YouTube should give you a taste of what the show's actually like.

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