HBO Max Tests a Vertical Shorts Feed and Conversational Search

HBO Max is testing a vertical video feed that presents trailers, scenes and bonus clips in a format familiar from TikTok and Instagram Reels. A new Shorts icon will appear in the mobile app for selected U.S. iPhone users before the feature expands to additional devices and markets.

The feed is personalized through watch history. Viewers can move directly from a clip into the full movie or episode, or save the title for later. Warner Bros. says an AI system analyzes scene-level metadata across thousands of hours of programming to identify promising moments, with human editors making the final selection.

The service is also testing conversational search. Users can ask for a mood, genre or social setting in natural language, such as a comedy or a film for a group night, and receive recommendations. Netflix and Amazon have introduced related discovery tools.

Streaming catalogs have become large enough that choice itself creates friction. A short feed can expose viewers to programs they would not search for by name, but it can also encourage shallow browsing and remove scenes from the narrative context that gives them meaning.

Scene extraction also raises rights questions for writers, directors and performers whose work may be turned into promotional clips by an algorithm. Licensing agreements often allow marketing use, but unions and creators may seek clearer rules as automated systems select and repackage moments. Human editorial review does not eliminate the need for contractual transparency.

Vertical clips may help HBO Max compete for attention and make a large catalog easier to sample. The challenge is converting a short swipe into sustained viewing rather than training subscribers to consume isolated scenes without context. Recommendations should avoid revealing major plot points and give users a clear path to the full episode. Parents may also expect the feed to respect profile maturity settings. If the product works, it can become a discovery layer for older titles. If it chases engagement alone, it risks making a premium service feel like another undifferentiated short-video app.

Human review is an important safeguard for the clip system, especially around spoilers and sensitive material. HBO Max should also let users disable the feed and explain how watch history shapes recommendations. The product will succeed if it shortens the path to a full program, not if subscribers spend their viewing time scrolling through fragments.