Doomscrolling Comes to Prestige TV: HBO Max Introduces 'Shorts'

The vertical video revolution has finally come for prestige television.

If you've noticed yourself mindlessly swiping through endless TikToks, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts, Warner Bros. Discovery is hoping to capture a slice of that attention. On July 28, 2026, the streaming giant announced a new feature for its mobile app: HBO Max Shorts, a vertical, scrollable feed designed to help users discover new content.

Because in 2026, if you don't have a TikTok clone in your app, do you even have an app at all?

What are HBO Max Shorts?

Located via a new "Shorts" icon on the bottom navigation menu of the HBO Max mobile app, this feature is exactly what it sounds like. It is a continuous, algorithmically-driven feed of vertical video clips curated from HBO's massive library of movies, television series, and documentaries.

When users swipe through the feed, they will see:

• Bite-sized, memorable scenes from iconic shows.

• Pivotal plot twists (hopefully without spoilers!).

• Trailers for new releases.

• Bonus content and visually stunning sequences.

If a clip catches your eye, the app removes the friction of searching for it. You can tap to start watching the full title immediately, or simply add it to your "My List" to watch later directly from the vertical feed.

AI Meets Human Editors

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of HBO Max Shorts is how the sausage is made.

Warner Bros. Discovery isn't relying purely on interns to manually cut vertical clips of Succession or The Last of Us. Instead, they are utilizing a proprietary, in-house AI tool.

Here is how the workflow operates:

1. AI Scanning: Machine learning algorithms use scene-level metadata to scan thousands of hours of HBO content.

2. Clip Generation: The AI identifies high-impact moments and automatically verticalizes the footage, suggesting clips that it believes are highly compelling.

3. Human Curation: Real human editors at HBO Max review the AI's suggestions and make the final call on which clips actually represent the stories best and deserve to be in the feed.

Deepna Devkar, SVP of Machine Learning Engineering at WBD, stated that this AI application accelerates the creation of these clips, making their massive content offering much more discoverable.

Why is HBO Max Doing This?

The answer is simple: Content discovery is broken, and vertical video works.

According to Liesel Kipp, EVP of Product Management at Warner Bros. Discovery, these new mobile features "build on intuitive, familiar behaviors subscribers use every day".

For years, the biggest complaint about the streaming era has been the "Netflix scroll"—spending 45 minutes browsing horizontal carousels of thumbnails only to give up and watch an old episode of Friends. Thumbnails and text descriptions are no longer the most effective way to hook a mobile user.

By feeding users high-impact, vertical scenes directly, HBO Max is bypassing the thumbnail entirely and hoping the content speaks for itself. It is a direct response to the way Gen Z and Millennials consume media today.

When Can You Try It?

Currently, HBO Max Shorts is in an initial testing phase for select iOS users in the United States.

However, Warner Bros. Discovery has confirmed plans to roll the feature out across more devices and international markets in the future. They also plan to incorporate sports content into the feed and refine the algorithm as users begin to interact with it.

So, get ready. Your next binge-watch might just be a swipe away.