HBO Max is putting on vertical shorts

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Summary

HBO Max is launching a vertical video feed called 'HBO Max Shorts' that uses AI and human editors to surface trailers, clips, and bonus content tailored to users, initially testing with select iOS users in the US.

<figure> <img alt="HBO Max logo on a purple background." data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="Image: The Verge" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/STK055_HBOMAX_2_C.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> </figcaption> </figure> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Warner Bros. Discovery is bringing a <a href="https://press.wbd.com/us/media-release/hbo-max-launches-new-ai-powered-mobile-features-enhanced-content-discovery">vertical video feed</a> to HBO Max to help you find something new to watch. Streaming platforms like <a href="https://www.theverge.com/streaming/920179/netflix-vertical-video-feed-mobile-app-ui">Netflix</a>, <a href="https://www.theverge.com/tech/858277/disney-plus-vertical-video">Disney Plus</a>, and <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/inside-peacock-vertical-video-mobile-content-bravo-1236617466/">Peacock</a> already offer TikTok-like vertical video feeds to surface content that might be interesting to users, and now HBO Max will have a similar feed of its own.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">The feed, called "HBO Max Shorts," will be accessible from an icon on the bottom navigation menu. It will show you things like trailers, clips, and bonus content from the HBO Max library, and it's tailored to you based on your watch history. You can jump into a show or movie right from the HBO Max Shorts clip or add it to y …</p> <p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/streaming/971880/hbo-max-vertical-video-feed-shorts">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>
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# HBO Max is putting on vertical shorts Source: [https://www.theverge.com/streaming/971880/hbo-max-vertical-video-feed-shorts](https://www.theverge.com/streaming/971880/hbo-max-vertical-video-feed-shorts) Find something new to watch on the new HBO Max Shorts feed\. Find something new to watch on the new HBO Max Shorts feed\. by Jul 28, 2026, 3:59 PM UTC ![STK055_HBOMAX_2_C](https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/STK055_HBOMAX_2_C.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=2400) ![STK055_HBOMAX_2_C](https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/STK055_HBOMAX_2_C.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=2400) Image: The Verge [![Jay Peters](https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/JAY_BLURPLE.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=96)](https://www.theverge.com/authors/jay-peters) Jay Peters is a senior reporter covering technology, gaming, and more\. He joined The Verge in 2019 after nearly two years at Techmeme\. Warner Bros\. Discovery is bringing a[vertical video feed](https://press.wbd.com/us/media-release/hbo-max-launches-new-ai-powered-mobile-features-enhanced-content-discovery)to HBO Max to help you find something new to watch\. Streaming platforms like[Netflix](https://www.theverge.com/streaming/920179/netflix-vertical-video-feed-mobile-app-ui),[Disney Plus](https://www.theverge.com/tech/858277/disney-plus-vertical-video), and[Peacock](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/inside-peacock-vertical-video-mobile-content-bravo-1236617466/)already offer TikTok\-like vertical video feeds to surface content that might be interesting to users, and now HBO Max will have a similar feed of its own\. The feed, called “HBO Max Shorts,” will be accessible from an icon on the bottom navigation menu\. It will show you things like trailers, clips, and bonus content from the HBO Max library, and it’s tailored to you based on your watch history\. You can jump into a show or movie right from the HBO Max Shorts clip or add it to your list if you want to bookmark it for later\. HBO Max Shorts will be tested first with “select iOS users” in the US before coming to more markets and devices\. Here’s WBD’s explanation of how it makes the clips for the feed — it relies on a mix of an AI tool and HBO Max editors: > The clips for this feature are powered by an AI tool built in\-house, which helps human editors select and verticalize content by using machine learning algorithms that utilize scene\-level metadata to comb through thousands of hours of titles and suggests the most compelling, high\-impact scenes for discovery\. Once the tool has suggested these clips, HBO Max editors decide which best represent the stories viewers love and capture jaw dropping moments, pivotal plot twists, and visually stunning sequences\. These clips are then rendered in a new vertical video experience to ensure seamless playback\. Looking ahead, “HBO Max Shorts” will expand to include additional devices and markets, incorporate sports content, and refine as users interact with the feature\. WBD is also testing an “experimental conversational search experience” for HBO Max that lets users search for content with natural language queries, and it’s available first for adult users on Android in the US\. Netflix is[testing a similar feature](https://www.theverge.com/news/647518/netflix-openai-search-beta-test-ios)\. **Follow topics and authors**from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates\. - Jay Peters ## The Verge Daily A free daily digest of the news that matters most\.

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