Max is rolling out autoplay video previews, and it’s not just about flash. The feature, which officially hits U.S. adult profiles across all tiers this week, introduces AI-assisted clip selection to speed up discovery and make homepage browsing feel more dynamic. Think Netflix-style hover previews, but with Warner Bros. Discovery’s tech stack behind it.
That tech stack is getting smarter. In the coming weeks, Max will launch a proprietary AI tool to surface “Drop-in Moments,” short standout scenes the platform thinks are most likely to hook viewers. According to WBD CTO Avi Saxena, the tool is designed to cut down the manual effort needed to curate clips and better scale previews across Max’s massive content catalog.
While autoplay video previews are divisive, Max is keeping the user in mind. There are toggle options to disable both video and audio in the settings. So if you’re not into automatic motion and noise while scrolling, you’re covered.
This update is part of a broader UX overhaul that started back in December with the launch of “Channels,” which enabled linear-style live feeds of HBO networks. January brought a redesigned navigation UI that pushed primary menu options like “Home,” “Movies,” and “CNN Max” to the left-hand side, away from the top bar. There’s also a “What’s New” section for just-arrived or soon-to-depart content and a more robust “Categories” browsing interface.
And just as this wave of platform updates arrives, so does another branding shift. Later this summer, Max will revert back to HBO Max. That move is likely aimed at recapturing the brand equity that “HBO” still carries with subscribers.
