HBO Live Stream: How to Watch HBO Live Stream Free

HBO Max, the online streaming platform from HBO, has been gathering steam and is slowly coming up in its race for subscribers. While many of us expected it to start with a bang, being the license owner for many great movies and shows (Game of Thrones, Westworld, Rome, Deadwood, Oz, The Sopranos), it is finally this year that it is coming up to our expectations.

1. The steady rise of HBO as a straming service

It started streaming In the Heights from 10th June and you can watch the HBO Live stream of The Conjuring 3 too on it. This launch happened in parallel to the theatre launch and the cheap $10 HBO Max ad-supported subscription. And not to forget, you get to watch the Friends Reunion at no other place except HBO Max. Only the same day movies will be released in 4K quality and the rest will be available at 1080p.

The lower level tiers however don’t give you access to all content. Same-day movie releases like The Conjuring 3 are available at the top tier. So if you want, you can start your subscription with the ad-supported tier but if you feel you are missing out on the best on HBO Max, you got few options other than paying for the full package.

There are 2 types of original content. The HBO Originals and HBO Max Originals. The HBO Originals will be released for the traditional HBO channels and the new ones that are the cable and online streaming platform HBO Max. This will be ad-free except for the other suggested HBO content which is the standard for other providers too.

HBO Max Originals on the other hand are app-exclusive and won’t be available on the traditional platforms that is on the HBO channel that cable providers broadcast. These shows may have advertising inserted into them even if you are on the ad-free tier. If you need a detailed comparison between HBO Now and HBO Max, you can check our article about HBO Now vs HBO Max.

2. Where is HBO Max available

Currently, the service is available only in the US but it is expected that WarnerMedia will launch the service soon enough in Europe and Latin America.

3. Can I watch HBO Live on HBO Now?

HBO Now is the outdated version of HBO Max and its support has been dropped on 17th December 2020. You must have by now switched to HBO Max and if not, you must do it now if you want to watch any HBO content through live streaming online. The last platform to support HBO Now was Roku which upgraded to the HBO Max app the same day on which support for HBO Now was dropped.

4. How to watch HBO Live stream for free

HBO Max did have a trial period of 1 week but that offer has been discontinued and whatever methods remain to involve having or paying for the subscription of some other service to get HBO live stream for free.

4.1 HBO Live Stream 1 week free trial with Hulu

Though the 1 week free trial of HBO Max is discontinued, it is still available with a Hulu plan subscription only if you are a new HBO Max user. You can use this to watch any latest released movie that is available on HBO Max and in the theatre at the same time. You can also use it to watch the Friends Reunion, Game of Thrones and not to mention the vast library of content that Hulu itself offers.

You get your live stream of HBO Max content by starting your free trial. You just need to enter your Hulu credentials (sign up if you don’t have an account) and HBO Max will be added to your Hulu account. Make sure you unsubscribe HBO Max before the free trial period ends if you don’t want to pay for the subscription.

4.2 Watch HBO Live Stream for free if you are an existing HBO subscriber

If you already have an HBO subscription through these providers - AT&T TV, Cox, DirecTV, Hulu, Optimum, Spectrum, Verizon Fios, and Comcast Xfinity, then you are eligible for a free HBO Max subscription giving you access to watch HBO live stream for free. However, not all people with subscription are available. You can check if your provider is on the list by which you will get a free subscription to HBO Max.

4.3 HBO Live Stream with AT&T Mobile or DirecTV

If you have an AT&T Mobile, TV, and wireless unlimited plan, you get an HBO Max subscription for free. To avail of this, download the HBO Max app, launch the app where you will be asked to select your provider, select AT&T and you will be redirected to a webpage where you will have to authenticate your AT&T account subscription.

With DirectTV, you get an HBO Max subscription for the full 3 months. Log into DirecTV and see if you see a promotion banner like the one above. If yes, click on it to activate your free HBO Live stream for 3 months.

5. Switch from 3rd-party HBO Now to HBO Max

If you pay for the subscription directly through the HBO website or these channels - Apple, Google Play, Samsung, Optimum, Verizon Fios, Consolidated Communications, or Liberty Cablevision of Puerto Rico - you get direct access to HBO Max. However, if you pay for it through other providers like Amazon, you need to wait before WarnerMedia works out a deal with your provider or find some other way to do this.

6. Download HBO videos with StreamFab HBO Downloader

The best way to watch HBO Live stream for free is to get a free or paid subscription to HBO Max and download your favorite movies, series, or original shows to watch later. With StreamFab HBO Downloader, you can download any content from your HBO Max subscription and watch it at your comfort or share it with your friends.

StreamFab HBO Downloader is a desktop application available for PC and Mac. You can use it to download videos of up to 1080p in H.264 format and AC3 5.1 audio. Not only that, you have the option to download videos in 1080p or 720p and an AC3 5.1 or AAC 2.0 audio track.

If the HBO Max video you are downloading has multiple tracks with it, you can select the audio and subtitle track to come with your download. By default, it will download the track selected by default but you can change it from the software interface. The subtitles can be remuxed into the video while downloading the files or you can download them separately as .srt files.

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If you have a whole series to download like Game of Thrones, StreamFab HBO Downloader has got you covered with its batch download feature. You just need to select the show you want to download. All its available seasons can be selected at once to download in batch but you can select individual episodes or seasons too. There is a download-accelerator build-in that accelerates the download speed during batch download.

7. Devices to watch HBO Max

Most devices that earlier supported HBO Now have HBO Max apps available on them. Their previous apps of HBO Now have been upgraded to HBO Max, bringing with it additional content. For those who don’t have the HBO Max app, you can download it from their app stores. And if nothing else, you can always enjoy HBO Live streaming from browsers.

The subscription can be used on 3 devices so you can share it with your friends or family. If you have an app, you can also download movies and series on your device which will start for 48 hours once you start watching it and 30 days otherwise. There are low and high-quality downloads available for you which you can choose as per your preference. There is also a profile creation option that you can use for each user including kids for whom you can set an age-appropriate content restriction.

Some of these devices that support the HBO Max application are:

• Most Apple devices
• Devices with Android operating system
• Sony’s PS4 and PS5
• Microsoft’s Xbox One
• Smart TVs like the ones from Samsung
• Amazon Fire TVs, Google Chromecast, Roku, and other pluggable streaming devices.
• Most browsers like Firefox, Chrome, Edge, Safari, and Opera.

Final Words

Except for streaming HBO Live content, you also get access to other famous content like Friends, The Big Bang Theory, Rick & Morty, and South Park. For the same-day movies that will be released on the HBO Max platform along with theatre releases, they will be available on the platform only for 31 days. The rest of the content except WarnerMedia movies which are owned by HBO is supposed to stay for a very long time like Friends Reunion, which is not going anywhere soon. The important point here is, once you have paid for the subscription or got it free through the above offers, you can watch all the content that is available on the HBO app without restriction with the condition that you have subscribed for the top-tier plan of $15.

In case you want to download any video from HBO Max and HBO Now so that you can watch at a later time without having connected to a live internet, the StreamFab HBO Downloader could be your best option for that purpose. It allows you to download all the streaming videos on the platform to universally-compatible MP4 videos that you can watch on any of the playback devices you may have at home. Besides, you can also batch-download your favorite TV shows to binge when you have plenty of free time available.

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