I’m a Roku user and I just canceled my HBO Now subscription that I’ve had for years. I’ll consider subbing again if they get a deal worked out, but maybe I’ll decide I’ve got plenty to watch on my other services.
The cost is also an issue. Fifteen bucks is a lot compared to other streaming services. Actually, it’s a lot to pay for a premium cable channel, particularly when there’s no watercooler show like The Sopranos or Game of Thrones. And clips or highlights from Bill Maher and John Oliver’s shows are posted on YouTube. So perhaps I should cancel my HBO subscription and just get another streaming service?
Is HBO Max a disaster? Because it feels like it is. Not having Roku at launch, not having 4K, a bunch of missing content, and now a good chunk of their stuff, like the Batman movies and Justice League will soon leave the service.
Is there a reason you’re repeating yourself?
Sorry, I’m just worried.
Worried about what? Are you going to come to some kind of harm if HBO Max isn’t on Roku by some certain date?
Why are you worried? Who do you work for? Netflix? Amazon Prime? Disney+?
BTW, where did you hear that the Batman movies and the Justice League movie are leaving the service? They’re all Warner Bros productions so I doubt there are any rights issues. In fact they’re adding the director’s cut of the Justice League movie.
They’re in the “Last Chance” section.
OK, so why all the worry about HBO Max?
I can relate. New Coke almost made me catatonic.
It’s only just been launched. Plenty of time remains to improve the service, the available content and so forth.
And remember that it’s from one of the largest cell phone companies in America. AT&T could offer bundles with wireless service and HBO Max. Although as I said earlier, the cost is an issue, along with the sheer number of streaming services. There is going to have to be consolidation or at least bundles of streaming services.
Is there some sort of rule that they can’t do all that down the line?
They already are doing that - some wireless plans and internet plans (such as my Fiber 1000) get it for no added costs. And if you have AT&T, apparently streaming HBO Max doesn’t count in your data plan numbers.
Considering it’s HBO Now (which never really had any issues getting subscribers) plus a bunch of stuff added for the same price, I think it’ll be fine.
Well, HBO has to charge fifteen bucks for either HBO Now or HBO Max or they’ll piss off the cable companies (Comcast, Cox, Spectrum, etc) who charge people that much for getting HBO as part of their cable package. But right now at least, there’s really nothing compelling on HBO so I’m considering dropping it and Showtime for a few months.
I am assuming you mean ‘current’ watercooler shows (as The Sopranos and GoT are on it). It’s not like HBO is not putting out buzz worthy shows anymore - The Watchmen was as watercooler of a show as anything not-GoT I’ve seen in a while. I hear about Succession a lot. And one friend kept asking me if I’ve seen The Outsiders - I had to remind her I wasn’t subscribed to HBO at the time.
Now granted some of their shows for later this year have been delayed due to Covid, but I’m really looking forward to Season 3 of Barry and Season 2 of Euphoria (maybe watercooler for the wrong reasons). The shows with release dates have been buzzed about a lot: Perry Mason and Lovecraft Country.
Batman
Batman Forever
Batman Returns
Batman & Robin
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Catwoman
Jonah Hex
Justice League
The Lego Batman Movie
The Losers
Steel
Suicide Squad
Teen Titans Go! to the Movies
Wonder Woman (Animated Movie)
Wonder Woman
HBO Max has removed Gone with the Wind
we did it, racism is finally over
Disney+ removed big name titles within months of launching, too, so all I can say about your worries is meh. In fact, it’s been reported that every Disney film title released from 2016 thru 2018 will be removed from Disney+ in 2026 and go back to living on Netflix, so that’s a future disaster waiting to happen but again, meh. The big names might be taking over, but that doesn’t mean the Wild West days of streaming are going to be over anytime soon.
How did you go from “I spent all day watching shows on HBO Max. While I’m disappointed by the lack of old Cartoon Network shows, there’s still MORE than enough content to keep me happy” to “Will HBO Max be discontinued in a year?” in just one week? And just what exactly is it that you are “worried” about? Surely you don’t think they are going to shut it all down and remove everything?
I still watch stuff on HBO Max. There’s more stuff there that interests me than on Disney+. It’s just that, with how big of a disaster the launch was, I’m worried about the service’s future.