HBO Max Tests TikTok-Style Shorts Feed and AI-Powered Search

HBO Max is introducing a TikTok-style vertical video feed and experimenting with conversational AI search as the streaming service looks for new ways to help viewers discover movies and TV shows across its growing library.

Warner Bros. announced the features Tuesday, joining a broader shift among streaming platforms toward short-form video and artificial intelligence-powered discovery tools.

The new vertical feed, called “Shorts,” will appear as an icon in the bottom navigation menu of the HBO Max app. Opening it will display a personalised stream of trailers, clips and bonus content based on a user’s viewing history and preferences.

Viewers who find something interesting can immediately begin watching the associated movie or TV series or save it to their watch-later list.

AI helps HBO Max select clips.

Warner Bros. said an AI tool helps power the Shorts experience by analysing thousands of hours of movies and television using scene-level metadata. The technology identifies potentially compelling moments that could help viewers discover content.

HBO Max editors then review the results and select clips they believe best represent the platform’s programming.

The approach puts HBO Max alongside Netflix, Disney+ and Peacock, which have also introduced vertical video experiences as streaming companies adapt to viewing habits shaped by TikTok, Instagram Reels and other short-form platforms.

HBO Max is initially testing Shorts with select iOS users in the U.S., with plans to expand the feature to additional devices and markets.

Conversational AI search offers recommendations.

The streaming service is separately testing an AI-powered search experience that lets viewers describe what they want to watch using everyday language rather than searching only for specific titles, actors or genres.

Users could enter requests such as“in the mood for a comedy,” “dysfunctional family drama” or “best movie for a girls night in,” and receive recommendations matching those descriptions.

HBO Max is not alone in experimenting with conversational discovery. Netflix introduced a similar AI-powered search feature last year. At the same time, Amazon offers an AI voice search experience on Fire TV that can respond to open-ended questions about movies and television shows.

The HBO Max conversational search test is currently available to select Android users in the U.S. Warner Bros. said it plans to bring the feature to additional devices and markets as testing expands.

Together, the two experiments reflect how streaming companies are trying to solve an increasingly important problem: helping viewers quickly find something worth watching without requiring them to scroll through increasingly large content libraries.