Short answers, pulled from the story.
HBO Max launched in the United States on the 27th of May 2020. The service succeeded both HBO Now and HBO Go, and existing HBO pay television subscribers were migrated to the new platform at no additional charge.
HBO Max was renamed Max on the 23rd of May 2023 because the HBO name carried associations with premium adult programming that conflicted with the service's broader library of children's shows and reality series. Warner Bros. Discovery purchased the domain max.com from Max International, a nutritional supplement company, for $1.8 million before the rebrand launched.
Project Popcorn was Warner Bros.' internal name for its decision to release its entire 2021 film lineup simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max. Seventeen films were released under the plan, and Warner Bros. spent more than $200 million compensating talent whose agreements had been structured around theatrical revenue. The Matrix Resurrections, released on the 22nd of December 2021, was the last film issued under Project Popcorn.
HBO Max paid $425 million for the U.S. streaming rights to Friends, one of the largest streaming rights deals announced ahead of the service's May 2020 launch.
Paramount Skydance is set to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery after WBD's board determined on the 26th of February 2026 that Paramount Skydance's revised offer of $110.9 billion was superior to an earlier Netflix bid of $72 billion. WBD's shareholders approved the sale on the 23rd of April 2026. Paramount Skydance plans to merge HBO Max with its Paramount+ streaming service if the deal receives regulatory approval.
Warner Bros. Discovery cancelled Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt and removed dozens of other titles in August 2022 as part of cost-cutting measures following the merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery, Inc. The company wrote off the value of the removed titles and cited a strategic shift toward theatrical releases over streaming originals. The cuts included close to 200 episodes of Sesame Street and the full libraries of original Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons.