HBO Max
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HBO Max |
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| Industry | Streaming media; digital advertising |
| Country | United States |
| Founded | 2020 |
| Headquarters | New York City, New York, United States |
| Parent company | |
| Status | Active |
| Verification |
Verified |
Overview
HBO Max is a U.S.-based subscription streaming service operated by Warner Bros. Discovery, offering both ad-free and ad-supported tiers. In 2025, media reporting and advocacy monitoring identified HBO Max as one of several major streaming platforms carrying paid recruitment advertisements for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as part of a broader Department of Homeland Security (DHS) digital recruitment effort targeting streaming audiences. [1]
Boycott
HBO Max is listed for boycott due to its role in distributing ICE recruitment advertisements on its ad-supported service and the resulting public backlash. Reporting in 2025 documented ICE recruitment video ads appearing before and during HBO Max programming, leading to criticism from viewers, immigrant-rights organizations, and digital-rights advocates, and to calls for subscription cancellations and advertiser pressure. [2]
Additional reporting described DHS allocating millions of dollars to digital video advertising across commercial streaming services, with HBO Max identified as one of the platforms used due to its large subscriber base and advertising reach within premium scripted content. [3]
HBO Max confirmed that the ads were paid government recruitment placements served through Warner Bros. Discovery’s advertising infrastructure and permitted under existing advertising policies. Advocacy groups argue that hosting ICE recruitment advertising constitutes material support for immigration enforcement agencies linked to detention, deportation, and civil-rights violations, and therefore warrants inclusion in organized boycott campaigns. [1]
Background
ICE increasingly relies on commercial streaming platforms with ad-supported tiers to conduct recruitment campaigns aimed at younger and cord-cutting audiences. These campaigns directly support staffing and operational capacity for immigration enforcement agencies. ICE List documents platforms that host or distribute ICE recruitment advertising when such activity is publicly documented and associated with organized boycott calls. [1]