The arrival of HBO Max last month means WarnerMedia now has three HBO-branded streaming services, namely HBO Go, HBO Now, and the new, HBO Max. In order to clear up the confusion a bit, the company is now getting rid of the former, a move that we anticipated when HBO Max launched. It is also rebranding the HBO Now app as simply HBO.
WarnerMedia has announced that it will retire the HBO Go app from “primary platforms” as of July 31, 2020. Go subscribers will be able to stream HBO programming via HBO Max at no additional cost once this change comes into effect.
The latter includes all content available on HBO Go, as well as a bunch of additional movies, shows, and contents from parent company WarnerMedia. So it’s a win-win for HBO Go subscribers.
You can subscribe to HBO Max directly for a monthly fee of $14.99. However, just like HBO Go, you can also get it for free if you subscribe to HBO through one of the supported cable providers. Those include AT&T TV, Comcast, Cox, DirecTV, Hulu, Optimum, Spectrum, and more.
WarnerMedia is also reportedly planning to launch a cheaper, ad-supported version of HBO Max sometime next year. Here’s everything you need to know about HBO Max.
The HBO Go app is going away, HBO Now gets a new name
HBO’s two older streaming apps serve similar yet distinct purposes. The Go app is for cable subscribers who want to access HBO programming online, while the Now app offers the same services for those without a cable subscription.
Now, with HBO Max arriving with an expanded library, the AT&T-owned company is expectedly killing them off.
HBO Max is essentially an expanded and rebranded version of HBO Now. The new app will replace HBO Now on most of the supported platforms, or in WarnerMedia’s language, on “primary platforms”.
However, since the company hasn’t reached deals to bring HBO Max to Roku or Amazon streaming devices yet, they aren’t getting the new app. For users of these two platforms, WarnerMedia is simply rebranding the HBO Now app as HBO.
This essentially means there will now be just two options: HBO and the new, HBO Max. Roku and Amazon users get the former, while everyone else gets the latter.
Unfortunately, users of Roku or Amazon streaming devices will not get access to the expanded catalog of HBO Max.
While they’ll still have to pay the same price of $14.99 a month, they will be able to watch HBO content only. Hopefully, WarnerMedia will reach a deal with these two platforms soon.