TECHNOMALIST
HBO Max is testing a short-form vertical video feed and an AI-powered conversational search feature, becoming the latest streaming service to adopt popular content discovery tools from social media and AI. Warner Bros. announced the experimental features on Tuesday, aiming to help users navigate its expanding library.
The new “Shorts” feed, accessible from a bottom navigation icon in the HBO Max app, serves a scrollable stream of trailers, clips, and bonus content. Material is personalized based on watch history. Viewers can immediately start a show or movie from a clip or save it to a watch-later list.
Behind the scenes, an AI tool analyzes hours of film and TV using scene-level metadata to identify engaging snippets. Human editors then curate the final selection to best represent the platform’s catalog. This hybrid approach blends automation with editorial oversight.
Conversational search lets users type natural language queries like “in the mood for a comedy,” “dysfunctional family drama,” or “best movie for a girls night in” to receive recommendations. The feature uses natural language understanding to interpret intent and match it with relevant titles.
HBO Max joins competitors like Netflix, Disney+, and Peacock, all of which have introduced vertical video feeds for discovery. Netflix also added a similar AI search last year. Amazon has an AI voice search on Fire TVs that handles open-ended queries.
The Shorts feed is being tested with select iOS users in the U.S. before broader rollout across devices and markets. The conversational search is initially available to some Android users stateside, with expansion planned soon.
These moves reflect an industry-wide rethinking of content discovery as libraries grow and audiences become accustomed to TikTok and Instagram Reels. By mimicking short-form video and conversational interfaces, streamers hope to reduce browsing friction and increase engagement.
Warner Bros. did not disclose a timeline for a wider launch. The company is likely evaluating user interaction and feedback during these limited tests.
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