Max Standard Ad-Free Plan Drops 4K, Will Allow Only Two Streams

Warner Bros. Discovery‘s tagline for Max is “The One to Watch.” But if you want to watch 4K Ultra HD movies or TV shows — or stream content on more than two devices at once — you’ll have to pay extra starting next month.

Max this week began notifying subscribers to its standard ad-free plan, priced at $15.99 per month (or $149.99 per year), that the service will no longer include 4K titles — with “full HD” at 1080p as the top resolution available — and that they will be able to stream on only two devices simultaneously (down from three before).

Going forward, 4K content will be available only in Max’s Ultimate Ad-Free plan, which costs $19.99 per month (or $199.99 per year) and provides the ability to watch up to four concurrent streams. WBD introduced the Ultimate tier this past May, touting the availability of more than 1,000 films and episodes in 4K UHD, an increase of nearly eightfold over what had been available previously on Max. The company also noted at the time that 4K content would eventually no longer be available on the standard tier.

Max’s Ultimate Ad-Free tier also supports Dolby Atmos content on compatible devices and allows up to 100 offline downloads (versus 30 for the standard plan).

“On your next billing date, on or after December 5, 2023, the price of your subscription will stay the same, but some of your plan features will change,” the message to Max subscribers says. “You can still stream all your favorite blockbuster movies, fresh originals and iconic series. Or even switch to the Ultimate Ad-Free plan to unlock more features.”

In announcing Max’s Ultimate tier earlier this year, Sudheer Sirivara, EVP of global technology platform at Warner Bros. Discovery, said, “We understand the value of offering our users a cinematic playback experience and to that end, we’ve implemented more advanced technology workflows that allow us to release more 4K content in a faster, more efficient way.”