As of May 23, 2023, the HBO Max and Discovery+ merger is complete. Although there have been some bumps in the transition, including movies and shows removed from HBO Max and sexist internal messaging, the updated Max streaming service is now available to all users.
Max takes the HBO content that streamers know and love, plus much of the content from Discovery+ for no price increase from the $9.99-$19.99 per month that HBO Max has been charging.
If you’re curious about how this Max merger will affect you, and/or which streaming service is best for you (Discovery+ is still available as a standalone service, BTW), keep on reading.
Is there a bundle with Discovery Plus?
Now that Discovery Inc. and WarnerMedia have merged, so have their respective streaming services. Now the majority of the content you loved on Discovery+ has been absorbed into the new Max service for the same price of standalone HBO Max. That means double the content for a reasonable price, which is a total score.
If you’re interested in the potential savings of the now-unified HBO Max with Discovery+, here’s everything you need to know to help you decide which service is best for you.
What is Max?
Max (formerly HBO Max) is classic HBO with tons of extra content for $9.99—$19.99 a month. The price for the mid-tier ad-free plan ($15.99 a month) hasn’t increased, but most of the content from Discovery+ has been added to the service at no extra cost.
Max is the only place you can find favorites like Friends or The Big Bang Theory on-demand, plus all of the HBO originals like Game of Thrones and Succession. With Max you’ll get all of the great content from HBO Max on top of much of the Discovery+ library—Magnolia Network, Food Network (the Guy Fieri cinematic universe, anyone?), and TLC are just a few of the newly-added channels that have migrated from Discovery+ to Max.
How much does Max cost?
The Max and Discovery+ bundle costs the same as the standalone HBO Max service did, at $9.99–$19.99/mo. or $99.99–$199.99/yr.. Again, that’s twice the content for the same price. We love to see it.
Max and Discovery+ pricing
| Plan | Price range | Hours of content | Number of streams | More details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max | $9.99-$19.99/mo. | 10,000+ hrs | 2-4 | |
| Discovery+ | $4.99–$8.99/mo. | 55,000+ hrs | 4 |
Like we’ve said, the new Max is the same price as Ye Olde HBO Max, but with tons of Discovery+ content added as a cherry on top.
But perhaps HBO’s prestige TV series aren’t your thing. Maybe the insane amount of reality TV content that Discovery+ provides is more than enough for you (55,000 hours is a lot of hours!). If that sounds like you, there is likely no need to upgrade to Max. The Discovery+ you know and love is staying the same, at the same super low price.
Pro tip: Looking for more streaming TV bundles? We show you how to create your own custom one—and recommend configurations for movie lovers, sports fans, and bargain hunters—in our guide, 8 Streaming Bundles to Replace Cable.
Final take
While there technically isn’t a Discovery+ bundle with HBO Max, combining the reality TV streaming service into HBO Max under Warner Bros. Discovery’s net is basically the same thing. With Max, you get both services’ massive on-demand libraries for cheaper than it would cost for à la carte subscriptions to both services. But Discovery+’s extensive library of 55,000 hours is still available as a standalone service, if the merged Max isn’t for you.
Discovery+ bundle FAQ
Is Discovery+ going away?
No. Even after its addition to the Max (previously HBO Max) streaming service, Discovery+ is still available as a standalone service at the reasonable price of $4.99–$8.99/mo..
Will current Discovery+ subscribers get Max?
No, your current Discovery+ subscription does not provide you access to Max. In order to get Max and all of its additional content (which includes much Discovery+ content), you will have to sign up for Max separately.
Methodology
For this article, we researched streaming TV industry news and existing streaming bundles’ pricing and catalogs to provide you will all the info you need to determine which streaming service is right for you. To learn more about our process, see our “How We Rank” page.
