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With popular TV series, hit movies, award-winning documentaries, hilarious comedy specials, hot music programming and live sports, HBO Max is one of the best streaming services for just about everyone.

However, while it has loads of great originals, like House of the Dragon, Euphoria, The Pitt, Hacks and others, HBO Max doesn’t offer a free trial anymore.

How to Get a HBO Max Free Trial

If you’re looking to test it out before committing monthly, a subscription to DirecTV and Prime Video offer HBO Max and a free trial for new subscribers.

The streaming service DirecTV comes with free access to HBO Max with its “Premier” package, which goes for $129.99 for the first month of service ($169.99 per month afterward). It features more than 185 channels, like NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, ESPN, FOX Sports, AMC, FX, HGTV, CNN, Food Network and more, as well as access to ESPN Unlimited, Paramount+, Disney+, Hulu and other streaming services, unlimited DVR storage and the ability to stream on three devices simultaneously.

Once the five days is up you’ll be charged the subscription price based on what package you choose at checkout.

Right now, Prime Video is one of the few place on the internet that offers a seven-day free trial for HBO Max, as an add-on channel. This means you have to be a Prime Video or Amazon Prime subscriber to get the free trial.

Not a member? Sign up for a 30-day free trial to take advantage of all that Amazon Prime has to offer, including access to Prime Video, Prime Gaming and Amazon Photos; fast free shipping in less than two days with Prime Delivery; in-store discounts at Whole Foods Market; access to exclusive shopping events — such as Black Friday in November — and other perks. Learn more about Amazon Prime and its benefits here.

What Is HBO Max?

Formerly known as Max, HBO Max has evolved into a huge streaming service that combines HBO, Warner Bros. and Discovery networks, including Max Originals, B/R Sports, CNN, DC, ID Network, TNT, TCM, TLC, Discovery Channel, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, OWN, Food Network, HGTV and Travel Channel.

How Much Does HBO Max Cost?

HBO Max has multiple subscription tiers: Ad-supported, commercial-free and ultimate ad-free. Max’s paid subscriptions start at $10.99 per month (or $109.99 per year) for ad-supported streaming, or $18.49 per month (or $184.99 per year) to watch ad-free.

In addition, the HBO Max Premium ad-free package is $22.99 per month (or $229.99 per year) and includes 4K Ultra HD picture quality, 100 downloads to watch on the go and you can stream on up to four devices at once.

Best HBO Max Bundle Deal

HBO Max’s bundle deal with Hulu and Disney+ allows subscribers to stream from all three platforms for one base price. On their own, each streamer starts between $7.99 per month to $10.99 per month, but the HBO Max bundle gets you all three ad-supported plans starting at $19.99 per month — a 31% savings.

What to Watch on HBO Max: TV Shows, Movies

Whether you love TV, movies, live sports or music originals, HBO Max has a wide streaming library that features some of the most popular titles, including The Pitt, House of the Dragon, Industry, Hacks, Task, True Detective, Euphoria, Succession, The Last of Us, The White Lotus, The Gilded Age and other series.

The service also has hit movies, such as Sinners, Weapons, Superman (2025), One Battle After Another, Quiet on Set, Wonka, Priscilla, Aquaman: And the Lost Kingdom, The Color Purple, Barbie and more.

It has music programming, like Gaga Chromatica Ball, The Weeknd: Live at Sofi Stadium, Love, Lizzo, Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over and many others.

Meanwhile, the streaming service has access to live sports from MLB, NHL, NASCAR, NCAA March Madness, U.S. Soccer and other leagues. Learn more about HBO Max and everything it has to offer here.

KATSEYE lands its first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 as WILD debuts atop the list (dated Aug. 29). The set earned 170,000 equivalent album units in the United States in the week ending Aug. 20, according to Luminate. WILD marks the group’s second top 10-charted effort, following the No. 4-peaking Beautiful Chaos in 2025.

WILD is the fourth No. 1 album by an all-woman group this decade. It follows TWICE’s With YOU-th (2025), NewJeans’ 2nd EP ‘Get Up’ (2023) and BLACKPINK’s Born Pink (2022). Before Born Pink, the last No. 1 album by an all-woman group was Danity Kane’s Welcome to the Dollhouse in 2008.

WILD also lands KATSEYE its biggest week by equivalent album units earned, and by pure album sales (145,000). Further, WILD tallies the largest week by units for an all-woman group since the Billboard 200 began ranking by units in December 2015. WILD additionally has the largest pure album sales week for an all-woman group in more than three years, since TWICE’s Ready To Be: 12th Mini Album debuted with 146,000 (March 25, 2023).

Also in the top 10 of the latest Billboard 200, Phoebe Bridgers gets her first top 10 as Lost Weekend bows at No. 2 with both her biggest week ever by units and by pure album sales.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 2,500 ad-supported or 1,000 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new Aug. 29, 2026-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Aug. 25. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X and Instagram.

Of WILD’s 170,000 first-week equivalent album units, album sales comprise 145,000 (it debuts at No. 1 on the Top Album Sales chart), SEA units comprise 24,500 (equaling 26.95 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs; it debuts at No. 19 on Top Streaming Albums) and TEA units comprise about 500.

WILD’s album sales were largely driven by its availability across more than 30 CD and vinyl variants (all containing collectible items such as photocards, with some items randomized, including signed editions; some editions also contain bonus tracks).

WILD was preceded by a pair of Billboard Hot 100-charting cuts: “Pinky Up” (No. 28 peak in April) and “Animal” (No. 24 on the Aug. 8 chart).

Phoebe Bridgers collects her first top 10-charted set as Lost Weekend debuts at No. 2 with 118,000 equivalent album units earned — the singer-songwriter’s best week ever by units. Of that sum, traditional album sales comprise 77,000 (her largest sales week; it debuts at No. 2 on Top Album Sales), SEA units comprise 41,000 (equaling 41.6 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs, it debuts at No. 7 on Top Streaming Albums) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum. First-week album sales were bolstered by the set’s availability across 16 physical editions (CD, vinyl and cassette).

Lost Weekend is Bridgers’ first solo studio album since 2020’s Punisher. In the years since, she formed the supergroup Boygenius with Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus. The trio released The Record in 2023, which reached No. 4 on the Billboard 200.

The Nos. 3-9 titles on the latest Billboard 200 are all former No. 1s. Stray Kids’ THIS & THAT falls 1-3 in its second week, earning 82,000 equivalent album units (down 78%). Olivia Rodrigo’s you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love dips 3-4 (70,000, down 3%); Ella Langley’s Dandelion descends 4-5 (nearly 70,000, down 1%); Morgan Wallen’s I’m the Problem shifts down 5-6 (67,000, down 5%); Noah Kahan’s The Great Divide falls 6-7 (56,000, up less than 1%); Ariana Grande’s Petal slides 2-8 (51,000, down 38%); and Drake’s ICEMAN is a non-mover at No. 9 (43,000, down 5%).

Plus, Olivia Dean’s The Art of Loving returns to the top 10, up one slot to No. 10 with 41,000 units (up 11%).

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.

Rosalía revealed on Saturday (Aug. 22) that the invective against the “emotional terrorist” referenced in her hit heartbreak anthem “La Perla” is primarily inspired by legendary ranchera singer Paquita la del Barrio and her iconic song “Rata de Dos Patas.” The Spanish superstar made the statement during the first of her five nights at the Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City, part of her LUX tour.

Rosalía told the audience how honored she felt to be performing in Mexico — “a land with history, with enormous tradition and culture,” she said — and mentioned the similarities she finds between traditional Mexican music and flamenco. It was then that she admitted the ranchera genre inspired her hit “La Perla,” recorded as a duet with the singer from the Mexican-American trio Yahritza y Su Esencia, and included in her celebrated 2025 album that gives the tour its name.

“Ladies and gentlemen, without ‘Rata de dos patas,’ ‘La Perla’ wouldn’t exist,” Rosalía told the 16,500 people (according to Ocesa figures) gathered at the venue. “So, thank you very much, Mexico, and thank you, Paquita la del Barrio. Today, I offer heartfelt thanks for the inspiration.”

The legendary singer of classics that also include “Tres Veces Te Engañé” and “Las Rodilleras” died in February 2025 at the age of 77.

The living museum of LUX with contemporary liturgy from the Catalan artist included a second homage to Mexico when pop star Kenia Os joined Rosalía on stage for the famous “confessional,” a mythical segment of the show where celebrities share their most guarded secrets with the Motomami.

During her participation, Os — whose romantic relationship with Peso Pluma ended in June “on the best terms” — revealed that her “type of men” often tends to be singers. Rosalía responded, “Do you know what singers usually have in common? They know how to sing, but they don’t know how to maintain harmony in a relationship,” prompting a wave of applause and cheers from the audience.

The Mexican artist admitted her romantic relationships don’t work because she’s a woman “who sets boundaries and says what she doesn’t like.” She spoke about a previous partner she dubbed “el cacas” (a reference to fecal matter), whom social media quickly associated with rapper Gera MX. She recounted that it all happened during her first U.S. tour, when they decided to take a break due to conflicting work schedules.

“I found out he secretly tagged a woman on social media thanks to my friends and many gay friends,” Os revealed. “I told him I needed space, and he said it was nonsense, that I was crazy and he’d never be with her. Ten days later, he started dating her.” She concluded her segment with the saying, “An eye of a crazy woman never lies,” and both artists agreed: “When they tell you it’s not her, it is her.”

During her first night in Mexico City, Rosalía also surprised fans with new outfits for her performances of “Sexo, Violencia y Llantas,” “Reliquia” and “Dios es un Stalker.” In “Reliquia,” she gave a nod to Mexico by adding the country’s name to the lyrics, singing, “I grew up and learned boldness in Mexico and Barcelona.”

Rosalía will continue her series of shows in Mexico City on Aug. 24, 26, 28 and 29. Previously, the Barcelona-born star kicked off her trek in Mexico with two shows in Guadalajara (Aug. 15 and 16) and one in Monterrey (Aug. 19).

ZZ Top has returned to the stage following the death of longtime drummer Frank Beard.

On Saturday (Aug. 22), the legendary Texas blues-rock band played its first show since Beard’s death earlier in the week at Austin’s Moody Theater, “one of Frank’s favorite venues and in a city that had been something of a second home for him,” according to a previous press statement.

Following Beard’s death at age 77 on Monday (Aug. 17), ZZ Top canceled two tour dates in Salt Lake City on Aug. 18 and Colorado Springs on Aug. 19. The band previously announced that it would resume its current The Big One! Tour with back-to-back shows this weekend at Austin City Limits.

During Saturday’s show, drummer Michael Monahan stepped in behind the kit. Both Monahan and longtime drum tech John Douglas had been filling in for Beard as he dealt with health issues in recent years.

ZZ Top frontman Billy Gibbons addressed his bandmate’s death once during the performance, during the group’s introductions after the first song, according to Ultimate Classic Rock.

“I guess some of you probably know there’s a new man in town,” Gibbons said of Monahan. “In fact, it all started a little while back. [Bassist Elwood Francis] and I got an unexpected call from our dear Frank Beard, our dear drummer for 50 years. I’ve never heard him admit, he said, ‘My bass drum foot’s a little weak. Can you get my man [Monahan] to take over?’ I said, ‘Oh yeah, yeah, he’s been doing pretty good.’ Frank said, ‘Yeah, that’s what worries me.’”

Gibbons then shifted his tone to a more upbeat one, telling the audience, “We’re all here for a celebration, you know what’s going on. So we’re gonna have a good time.”

ZZ Top similarly returned to the stage quickly following the death of the band’s longtime bassist Dusty Hill in 2021. At the time, Francis, the group’s guitar tech of 20 years, filled in for Hill on bass just days after the band announced Hill’s death at age 72.

ZZ Top will remain on the road through October as part of the band’s The Big One! Tour. The group will then travel to South America for additional shows in November. The band hasn’t yet announced whether Monahan will remain behind the kit for those performances.