At a WarnerMedia presentation today, the HBO Max parent company announced that its streaming service will debut an ad-supported pricing tier the first week of June. The regular cost of HBO Max (sans ads) is $14.99/mo, which is very decent considering all that the service offers from its movie and TV catalogue. But an ad-supported tier is a smart move; for $9.99/mo, you’ll get commercials, but not as heavily (according to WarnerMedia) as, say, another streaming service we won’t name, whose ad load is abso-hulu-tely monstrous.
For the most part, there will be no difference between the two pricing tiers in terms of content; everything that is available on HBO Max at full price (shows and movies from HBO, the Warner Bros. library, Turner Classic Movies, Adult Swim, Cartoon Network, TBS, DC, and more) will be part of the ad-supported tier. But there is a crucial exception: the Warner Bros. same-day premiere movies (like the recent Wonder Woman 84, Godzilla vs Kong, and Mortal Kombat) will not be part of that deal. You’ll have to go an actual theater (!) for that.
As far as the ad experience goes, there will currently be “brand blocks,” (one long break from one advertiser, with limited interruption). In the future, “pause ads” (ads that pop up when you, y’know, pause) and “branded discovery” (sponsored content as you browse, probably like banner ads on websites) will also pepper your viewing.