Snapchat Users Will Get to Watch Free HBO Max Episodes

HBO Max to Offer Free Shows on Snapchat

As announced in a press release, HBO Max is officially partnering with Snap to offer free episodes to US Snapchat users. Through the Snapchat app, users will be able to access select episodes of HBO Max's original content for free, and without needing to sign up.

In the announcement, HBO Max explained it would regularly update the content available on Snapchat. Only one or two episodes of each of series will be available. At launch, users will be able to watch:

• Craftopia
• Euphoria
• The Flight Attendant
• Game of Thrones
• Genera+ion
• Gossip Girl
• Looney Tunes
• Love Life
• Lovecraft Country
• Selena + Chef
• Titans,
• Warrior
• World of Calm
• Betty

HBO Max hasn't officially explained why it is offering some of its content to Snapchat users for free, but we have a pretty good idea. HBO Max is still a relatively new streaming platform, and has a bit of a reputation for not being particularly good. It's likely that HBO Max's latest move is aiming to attract new subscribers to the platform.

Snapchat users can co-watch each of the shows with up to 63 friends, by sending a chat message with a link to join the Snap Mini. As with other shareable content, each users' playback will sync with the others'. Interestingly, users will still be able to access chat to share thoughts about the content, without stopping playback.

How Can I Watch HBO Max Episodes on Snapchat?

HBO Max's free episodes are available to stream through the Snap Mini section of Snapchat. For those that don't know Snap Mini allows third-party apps to offer mini versions of their app built-in to Snapchat.

To use the new feature, Snapchat users need to head to HBO Max's Snap Mini. Users can do this using the rocket icon that appears within any chat, or by using the app's built-in search.

Viewers will be asked to enter the birthday before accessing the episodes, to adhere to age restrictions. Once inside HBO Max's Snap Mini, users will be able to choose episodes to watch inside Snapchat, just like a normal streaming app.

At the end of episodes, users will see an option to visit HBO Max's website or app and sign up for the service, so they can continue to watch the series.

HBO Max Aims for New Subscribers

HBO Max's new promotion with Snapchat shows that the streaming platform is trying to reach new subscribers.

However, since Snapchat's core userbase is made up by Gen Z users, the platform may run into problems recruiting new subscribers. Not many kids can sign up to a streaming service, after all.

This free Chrome extension lets you watch HBO with your friends

One of the most distressing side effects of the coronavirus pandemic has been our inability to spend time with family and friends. As a result, people have been finding clever ways to virtually meet up, from Zoom game nights to online watch parties facilitated by apps and extensions that let us watch shows and movies together. One of the apps that makes these watch parties possible is called Scener, and as of this week, it now supports HBO.

Scener is a free browser extension for Chrome that initially only supported Netflix, but can now be used with HBO Go and HBO Now. Once you install the extension, you can synchronize playback on any show or movie on the supported platforms and watch in sync with your friends as you chat over audio, video, or text.

According to The Verge, WarnerMedia reached out to Scener shortly after stay-at-home orders started being issued throughout the US. The two companies started working together in March, and in addition to adding support for HBO Go and HBO Now, Scener also updated its website and the app itself. The app update resolved some major stability issues, making it run better on Chrome than it had in the past.

“To take part, every member of the theater will need to log in to the service you are watching together, i.e. Netflix or HBO NOW/HBO GO (HBO NOW users can watch together with HBO GO users),” the Scener team explains on their Chrome Web Store page. “Each viewer must (1) have an authorized account, in good standing, with the participating streaming services provider, (2) be logged in to their authorized account, and (3) otherwise be in compliance with the applicable streaming services provider’s Terms of Use.”

In other words, you can’t start streaming Game of Thrones on your laptop and share it with a group of friends that are not subscribed to HBO Go or HBO Now. It’s also worth noting that while Scener plans to expand to more platforms in the future, they “don’t have specifics to share today regarding HBO Max.”

“There are watershed moments in history where black swan events change human behavior; that couldn’t be more true for America right now,” Scener co-founder Joe Braidwood told The Verge. “This is one of the first milestones that starts tracking the new path of co-viewing becoming more than just a trend. We think the sky’s the limit.”