HBO Max is stealing TikTok’s best trick to help you find something to watch
Streaming apps have a big discovery problem: people are finding what to watch on TikTok instead. HBO Max's answer is to bring that endless-scroll experience into its own app.
So what exactly is HBO Max Shorts?
HBO Max Shorts is a new vertical, scrollable feed that highlights iconic and memorable scenes from the platform's library. It is accessible by tapping a dedicated "Shorts" icon on the bottom navigation menu.
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The feed serves up trailers, clips, and bonus content tailored to your watch history. If something catches your eye mid-scroll, you can jump straight into the full episode or movie, or add it to your "My List" without leaving the feed.
For now, it's only rolling out to select iOS users in the US, with wider device and market support coming later.
Behind the scenes, an in-house AI tool scans scene-level metadata across thousands of hours of HBO Max content to flag high-impact moments. However, human editors still make the final call on which jaw-dropping scenes and plot twists actually make the cut.
What else is HBO Max testing alongside it?
Also launching today is an experimental conversational search tool called "Ask HBO Max," starting on Android and limited to adult users in the US.
Instead of matching exact keywords, it interprets intent using natural language, so typing "dysfunctional family drama" or "best movie for a girls' night in" actually returns relevant picks. This, by far, is one of the most significant updates I've seen the platform release in a while.
HBO Max product exec Liesel Kipp says both tools build on habits subscribers already have, browsing short clips and typing casual questions, just aimed at HBO Max's own library instead.
Streaming services have spent years watching people discover content on TikTok before ever opening their app. HBO Max clearly decided it's easier to bring that scrolling habit in-house rather than keep losing viewers to another app and its algorithm.
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