HBO Max ad-supported

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HBO Max has an ad-supported tier that's 1/3 off the price of the regular service. And, that discounted service is on sale right now. But is it worth it?

Short answer: yes.

Long answer: just keep reading.

I subscribe to several streaming services. In fact, I have to check my streaming device menu to see just what all services I have a subscription.

There's Hulu, Netflix, HBO Max, Frndly TV, Peacock, Paramount Plus, AMC Plus, Disney Plus, Discovery Plus, Showtime, Apple TV Plus, and Starz.

So, how much do I pay per month for all this? Around $10-$15 each month.

How? Simple. I only subscribe to one at a time. I binge watch all the stuff I want to watch during that month, then the next month I'll subscribe to a different service.

Some of the services are only $5 or so, and I may subscribe to two of those during a month. My goal is to keep it under $15/month. So, most of the time, it's one of those services, but sometimes it's two.

Over a year, I get to watch a lot of stuff from all those services, and I pay a lot less than most people who watch those services.

This month, I'm doing HBO Max. I actually did Netflix this month. Or, more properly, Netflix with ads is the service I chose to do in November. And while we are still in November, I wanted to watch a movie that was on HBO Max, so I actually started it up a few days early. My December service is HBO Max.

Actually, it's HBO Max Ad-supported. Regular HBO Max is $15/month, while the ad-supported version is $10/month. And, right now, they're running a special where it's $2/month for three months. And that price is good for returning customers, not just new customers. I don't know if I'll keep it all three months, but at this price, I can.

So how is it? It's fine. I watched two movies yesterday. One was a classic film, and the other was a new HBO Max exclusive.

I launched Casablanca, which is a great film, and watched it after lunch, while doing laundry. It played without issue. Last night, I watched A Christmas Story Christmas, which I had been wanting to watch. It played fine without issue.

Actually, I didn't get any ads for either movie. Probably a server glitch, but that tells me that if there's an ad server problem, rather than crash your app, the service simply skips the ad and keeps playing the content. So, I got a test I didn't expect, and it passed the test with flying colors.

So, what am I missing by using the ad-supported version of HBO Max? No same day movies -- that is, no online viewing of movies the day it premieres in theaters -- and no downloads of movies.

I don't really care about either one of those, and ads don't bother me, so for me, the $10/month plan is just fine. And the current deal of $2/month for three months is great. If you want HBO Max content, the current special is a great way to add it to your Streaming Life.

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