The "new" MAX/ No Longer HBO

They removed the HBO because WBD is probably going to sell portions of the company to Comcast next year, with Warner Bros Studio and HBO being the prized assets.

Op you’re insane and need to simmer down. The max app looks similar to the HBO Max app of a couple days ago only now it has added content.

However it should be noted that AT&T is responsible for devaluing the HBO Brand in the first place by using it for the app name. It was originally intended to be called WarnerMax.

Nonsense. The added content is cluttered and messy and I abhor it.

R1 I hope that's true.

Actually I was really happy to see all the HGTV and Food Network content added. Since I got rid of cable I miss having Ina Garten’s shows and watching things like HouseHunters.

Seemed about the same for me.

What a fucking snowflake.

The layout (at least in a browser) is the same as every other streamer, including Hulu and Showtime. The tiles might be smaller, which allows more content to be displayed on the page. But it's all organized the same as the other streamers: promoted movies and series at the top, a "Continue Watching" row, a "For You" row recommending shows and movies based on your viewing, a row for your watchlist, a row with access tiles for the different WBD brands, etc. I don't know what you're talking about with pop-ups. But maybe my ad blocker is blocking those.

I'm glad to have all of the content in one place. I canceled my Discovery+ subscription yesterday and now I'm saving $8 a month without losing anything.

The transition was not without issues but they were relatively minor.

As far as I'm concerned HBO no longer exists. The site is a hodgepodge of programming and the marquee brand, HBO got swallowed up. That's what pisses me off. They have taken all HBO's content and shoehorned it in with all this other crap. My rant is about HBO. Otherwise, Max is just another website.

R6 House Hunters, really? No Love It or List It? Property Brothers? Fix My Frankenhouse?

They're all the same: open concept main floor, huge kitchen, lots of storage, natural light

It was never just HBO content exclusively. It always included content from the other WB properties like Turner, CNN, Studio Ghibli, Cartoon Network, etc. The only difference now is that it also include content from the Discovery properties.

There's a link at the top to access HBO content directly. Just click that if the rest of the offerings offend your sensibilities too much.

I doubt op subscribes. Just a bitch.

As part of the transition we now have Direct TV, and an odd feature is that you are not able to fast forward streaming movies on that platform.

Not thrilled with the new interface or Shaazam pushing, but interested to check out the Discovery content.

Yay! 1000 lb Sisters!!!!!!!!

OP is a Zoomer and his feelings were hurt when HBO didn't ask him for his input. HBO Max used to be his safe space.

What's with all the bitching about Shazam? It shows up in the featured section because it was just released to the platform. But it's there with five other shows or movies that are being promoted as well. Also, that featured section changes over time. For me, Shazam was in the section when I first logged into the new platform yesterday. But today it's not one of the 6 titles in that section for me. Right now I'm seeing some Guy Fieri game show, Barry, Legion of Superheroes, South Park, Sex and the City and something called Fired on Mars. The only place I see Shazam is in the "Just Added" section and as one of the 6 featured titles on the Movies tab.

You people need to learn to adapt and adjust without melting down.

I read on another site that the intent is to devalue the brand with the eventuality of combining it with Peacock and making one megasite - kind of an online version of cable.

I don't have a head for business, so I don't know if that sounds legit. I do know that the guy who is spearheading this prefers reality-type programs as they are cheaper to produce. More 100lb Sisters, less shows with acclaim.

We’ll, OP, I generally don’t get worked up about these things, but your thoughts were similar to mine when I logged in yesterday.

First, they didn’t redirect the old HBO site and app properly so it was impossible to log in for a while and then, yes, interface is messy.

But I’ve adjusted and life goes on.

It is unlikely a merger of the entirety of WBD and Comcast would be approved by the Justice Department. It is more likely Comcast would only want to buy HBO and Warner Bros.

I felt the same way as OP until I found out I was able to change my avatar. They have a lot of fun options. It's the stupid stuff that makes me happy.

OMFG Shazaam is on my homescreen!!!!!

See, that's the po9int. I used to go to HBO, the TIffany of networks, IMO to get away from Guy Fieri and those of his ilk. If I want to s ee him I will go to the food channel or WTF ever. Same with all the other crap cluttering up the landscape. HBO was different. It was high quality. It was special. No more. And I have been a subscriber to HBO for at least ten years.

Good god, R24. HBO still exists. Just click the fucking HBO link at the top and you can flee to your high-quality HBO safe space. You'll never again have to waste your beautiful mind on all that low-quality Discovery trash.

Well, Discovery is trash. So there's that.

I really haven't noticed much difference other than the purple has been replaced with blue. Yes, there is some new stuff that I don't care about, but that is the case with every streaming service. Shazam would be featured even if it was still HBO Max, since it is a WB film. They also started pushing the Tina Turner documentary yesterday along with Shazam. I largely ignore the big push at the top of every streaming service.

They still have Doctor Who, South Park, most of the HBO shows (except the yanked ones) and I am currently rewatching The Middle.

I think dropping the HBO name is dumb, since that is the prestige name, and I dislike a lot of the moves they have made since the merger, but being pissy because they are promoting Shazam is ridiculous.

My major complaint is they started sending promotional emails again as MAX even if you'd unsubscribed from HBO emails.

But that's the point, R25, they're moving away from quality programming in favor of reality programming and other cheaper fare. There also going to limit access to previous HBO offerings, in some cases vaulting them forever. I'm with R24, I subscribed to HBO to get away from flyover frau programming that's really nothing more than thinly-veiled commercials packaged as entertainment.

Thank you, R29!!!!! That is exactly my point and you said it well!

Give me an example of the HBO division of WBD that is moving away from quality in favor of reality programming. As I understand it, the HBO division still produces HBO-level quality television series and movies as they always have. The Food Network and HGTV will still produce a bunch of Guy Fieri shows and various iterations of House Hunters as they always have. The only difference now is that if you want to steam both types of programming, you only have to pay for one platform to do that instead of two. And if you don't want to watch anything besides the HBO stuff on that platform, then you don't have to click on anything but the HBO stuff. They're not forcing you to watch Ghost Hunters or 1000-lb Sisters before you can watch Succession or White Lotus.

R26 all of that Discovery/TLC Channel 90 Day Fiancé bullshit gets old. I watched one or two of them during lockdown but look at how many seasons and spin-offs of that crap exist now. It’s stupefying.

Yes it is R26. But having it on the same streaming platform doesn't stop you from watching HBO.

I’m with the OP and r29. It’s a clusterfuck of banality. Yes. I can stream HBO programming but I also have to wade through a river of shit that I don’t care to watch. Have never watched. And don’t plan on watching. Ever. They should change the name to Maximum Shit Show. It’s a hell of a lot more honest. And accurate. Just a suggestion.

Ditto, r24.

[quote]Maximum Shit Show

It's not the Trump administration, R34.

Peacock should rethink this policy.

So no more of this?

This is yet further proof that the worst thing that ever happened to HBO was when David Zaslav got his cheap-ass clutches on it.

True, R39. I used to get a small rush, a kind of excitement seeing the HBO logo come on the screen. I associated it with programs and movies I enjoyed, stuff that was really good, quality, smart stuff. Unusual stuff.Creative. Just now "Max" flashed on the screen, and my impulse was to change the channel.

Get over it, fool!

Fingers crossed the app doesn’t crash during the Succession finale.