HBO Go Is Going: One Writer’s Plans in the Era of HBO Max
HBO is changing the way many subscribers stream their favorite shows. The premium channel responsible for hit series like Watchmen, Succession, and Westworld is saying goodbye to its HBO Go streaming app on July 31, but not all users will have an easy time switching to its new, recently launched HBO Max app.
That’s because HBO Max isn’t available on Roku or Amazon Fire smart TVs or other streaming devices, which, according to estimates, account for 70 percent of the streaming devices in the U.S.
HBO Go, which launched in 2010, was the original streaming app for users who subscribe to HBO through cable and satellite providers. While Go currently has free access to HBO Max and its exciting additional content, some subscribers will only be able to log on to it by going to hbomax.com and signing in through their cable or satellite provider. (Here’s a full list of HBO Max providers.)
So, if you don’t have the right type of smart TV, you’ll be stuck watching HBO Max on your computer, laptop or phone. If you want to stream to a larger screen, there’s always the option of connecting your computer to your TV, but that in and of itself requires a strong internet connection.
Other possibilities include signing up for HBO directly through the HBO app (the rebranded version of the HBO Now streaming app). That gets you the channel’s regular offerings minus the additional content on HBO Max. But, it’s a way to stream HBO shows if you can’t access HBO Max.
To be sure, it’s a complicated landscape. I’m one of those subscribers who counted on HBO Go to watch a lot of the cable channel’s content on my Roku TV. I’ve known since HBO Max launched at the end of May that Go would soon be gone, but I thought by now HBO’s parent company, WarnerMedia, would have struck a deal with Roku.
Luckily, I have a DVR and can record currently airing shows like I’ll Be Gone in the Dark and I May Destroy You. To catch up with older shows that aren’t currently airing, I’ll have to watch them on another device. (Or, perhaps I’ll see if I can check them out from the library on DVD. There’s a radical idea in 2020!)
Not an insurmountable problem by any means, but it’s ironic that at a time when we’re supposed to have a tremendous amount of choice in what we watch, we’re still hampered by bureaucratic stalemates. Remember when you wanted to watch, say, Doctor Who, but your cable company didn’t offer BBC America? Some things don’t change.
Yes, now there are ways around it: Get a new TV or streaming device, watch your program on a smaller screen like a tablet or phone, but they can be complicated and costly for people who want their TV-watching experience to be one of the easier aspects of their day.
How will you be watching HBO once Go goes? Or will you simply stop watching? Sound off below.
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You can also download the HBO Max app to your phone and tablet and if you have AppleTV, you can use the AirPlay feature. Not sure about Roku.
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I have HBOMax app on my phone and while visiting a friend was able to “cast” what I was playing to their amazon fire stick and we could watch it on tv.
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HBO Max has a lot of DC comic and other good content coming.
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I was all excited to subscribe to HBO Max, but I have an Amazon Fire smart tv, so I'm not able to watch HBO Max on my tv. I don't like watching shows on a smaller screen, so I didn't subscribe. Way to lose a potential customer, HBO!
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You can actually get HBO Max on your Fire smart TV, albeit by using a trick called side-loading (download an Android APK on your Fire device). It's not the best way to get it, but it works very well.
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I'm technologically inept, so I don't even know what that sentence means! But thanks anyways.
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I think there are many who feel as you do. The incompetence of this launch is mind boggling.
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A botched launch to be sure. As HBO Go sunsets, those who have to pay to subscribe likely will drop the service.
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If you have a smart TV that happens to have Chromecast or AirPlay capabilities (which is generally most of them), take advantage of that opportunity.
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Got a chromecast
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