HBO Max App for iOS Gaining SharePlay, Shuffle Button, Split Screen Support and More

[maternidad]

I got ad supported HBO for free, and I was in disbelief that “features” such as PIP are behind paywalls. And to see all these basic functions require the more expensive package is so ludicrous. I mean they got me, it’s so irritating I’m considering paying for it myself. But what am I saying capitalism isn’t for the customers benefit, it’s for their bottom line. Just blow after blow from the platform with some of my favorite content.

I do not know about alternatives to capitalism, but it seems to be the source of that content that you like so much. Not always do corporate interests match general ones, but they’re often pretty aligned.

 

[Scoob Redux]

HBOmax and Discovery+ are merging and the HBOMax app will no longer be around.

Why would you think that? HBO Max is the flagship brand. No one knows what Discovery+ is. HBO Max will continue (of course), and just get additional content.

 

[svish]

Good updates. But many of these will be changing next year after merging with discovery+.

 

[_Spinn_]

Glad to see more apps taking advantage of cool iOS features.

 

[maternidad]

Why would you think that? HBO Max is the flagship brand. No one knows what Discovery+ is. HBO Max will continue (of course), and just get additional content.

This is what a thought. It seems so obvious that they’d keep it, but they (I think publicly) discussed changing it, according to the MacRumours article.

 

[darngooddesign]

Great! Just in time for it to no longer exist.

HBO+ got these upgrades while Discover+ didn't so guess which one is going to stick around.

 

[paulovsouza]

I do not know about alternatives to capitalism, but it seems to be the source of that content that you like so much. Not always do corporate interests match general ones, but they’re often pretty aligned.

You think the content, and limiting how viewers view them align? If you have good content, and great functionality to view that content that’s the “alignment” you’re speaking of. Making someone pay more for Airplay, PIP, SharePlay all things that prolong the enjoyment people have with the content, I see as bad business. You only do that to nickel and dime your customers. And with how they’re talking, new movies will also be behind a paywall on top of paying for the streaming service. To me that’s putting capitalism, over creating a good product.

 

[Oberhorst]

Good updates. But many of these will be changing next year after merging with discovery+.

Possible, but unclear. Otherwise feel free to rent your crystal ball to me, I'd be keen to use it for trading.

 

[ackmondual]

The Verge recently published an article Streaming video apps all look the same now. Apple should provide the reference templates and frameworks for streaming apps.

This probably isn't going to get the existing big apps to migrate, at least not right away, but it's a start.

If it's like ATV+ via web, then they'll take a very long time to implement the "Up Next" feature (aka watchlist), but they STILL won't have a way to search for programming! The app has these. For web (Firefox in my case), if you want to search for a show, workaround is to open a web search and type in "Apple TV+ [name of show]"

 

[CarlJ]

I don’t understand what makes you think that this affects the content produced for HBO Max in this way. Keep in mind that Discovery activities and HBO, as well Warner Bros. Film and television studios, continue to operate under their own divisions of the company —supposedly in such a way that they don’t have so much influence on each other. It doesn’t make sense anyway that they’d remove the great incentive of high-quality programming (like that, by the way, on the very good Apple TV+) which must be responsible for so many of their subscriptions.

Why would you think that? HBO Max is the flagship brand. No one knows what Discovery+ is. HBO Max will continue (of course), and just get additional content.

An article mentioned by @Shh earlier in the thread, Everything to Know About the HBO Max and Discovery+ Merge, Including the Cancellation of Batgirl, has this:

"Reportedly, WB is about to cut 70 percent of the production staff at HBO Max, with the aim that they simply do not want more scripted HBO Max-only content, as the service aims to fold up HBO, HBO Max and Discovery+ into one streaming service," Forbes reported.​

That sounds like bad news for HBO Max both as an app and as a source of content. The article includes lists of shows getting renewed for a next season (no word on whether those are last seasons for those shows), as well as shows being cut. I'm wondering... if HBO Max is dropping a bunch of shows, could Apple TV+ perhaps pick some of them up? Seems idiotic to buy a streaming service (yes, as part of a larger deal), only to gut it - my experience has been that HBO Max and Apple TV+ have/present some of the most compelling shows currently available, with great stories and really high production values - it'd be a shame to have some of that go away because some executive is more interested in cheap reality TV shows.

 

[maternidad]

You think the content, and limiting how viewers view them align? If you have good content, and great functionality to view that content that’s the “alignment” you’re speaking of. Making someone pay more for Airplay, PIP, SharePlay all things that prolong the enjoyment people have with the content, I see as bad business. You only do that to nickel and dime your customers. And with how they’re talking, new movies will also be behind a paywall on top of paying for the streaming service. To me that’s putting capitalism, over creating a good product.

You're right; those are examples of conflict! I don't believe it's opposed to what I meant, though .