Now Introducing HBO Max Classic

[Primal Slayer]

Ultimate Ad-free? What the hell is this now?

Edit: Googled it.

"This third tier will allow four concurrent streams in 4k Ultra HD resolution and allows up to 100 offline downloads. HBO Max subscribers who fall in the second tier (currently the top tier) have access to these Ultimate Ad-Free features and will continue to have them for six months after Max’s implementation. After the six months, subscribers will be asked to upgrade to Ultimate Ad-Free or lose those features."

This really pisses me off. It's one thing to have ads or no ads but now you're intentionally downgrading quality unless you pay more....it's ridiculous how every minute thing is being monetized

 

[MagnarTheGreat]

Yeah, and 4K in its current form has been around for about 10 years and HDR a few less years and they don't even have a new 8K+ format and content to upsell people on while 8K TVs are already out; entertainment's been asleep at the wheel for a long time in lagging behind big time.

 

[CaptainWagner]

This really pisses me off. It's one thing to have ads or no ads but now you're intentionally downgrading quality unless you pay more....it's ridiculous how every minute thing is being monetized

This is what happens when you let a bunch of "Line-Goes-Up" brained MBA empty suits who have neither knowledge of the industry nor respect for art sweep in and take over the studios. We've seen these types of vultures kill countless companies and entire fields before. Now they've moved on to the movies. It's such a broken model it ought to be hilarious that anyone is stupid enough to keep repeating the same mistake, but our economy is set up so that as long as the right people keep making money, nothing else matters. Everything is just scrap to be tossed on the fire to make gains. In the end, streaming will collapse, but no one will blame them and the cycle will start all over.

 

[psylockolussus]

Inevitable fact? Gross generalization? Velma?

Helpful tip: relax and get a grip. I jokingly said “I know ya’ll will be watching…” to the people in this thread and didn’t mean to trigger you into some kind of frenzy, nor am I assuming every person in the world will be watching the new Harry Potter series. However, many people will watch it (including plenty who are critical of it now) and there is always the chance that public perception of the series skews positive once there is more info on it.

I’ll see you here in a few years and we can see how it all ends turns out.

Eh. At this point there's too many shows in too many different platforms to keep up with.

Theaterical movies are easier to follow. As someone who have seen every Star Wars film, the last 3 Star Trek movies, every DC film since 2004 and every Middle Earth film - I haven't watched any of those streaming shows eXcept for the first season of The Mandalorian.

The idea of a reboot series doesn't appeal to me and is probably the worst compare to other franchises I've mentioned.

 

[Kane52630]

Warner Bros. Discovery Stock Falls [6%] After Max Presentation - Variety

The Nasdaq composite was down 1% for the day.

View attachment 64078

From what I heard from The Town pod a while back, this is actually what Zaslav wanted. So the sell price for the company is appealing for another company to potentially buy it.

 

[Kane52630]

Ultimate Ad-free? What the hell is this now?

Edit: Googled it.

"This third tier will allow four concurrent streams in 4k Ultra HD resolution and allows up to 100 offline downloads. HBO Max subscribers who fall in the second tier (currently the top tier) have access to these Ultimate Ad-Free features and will continue to have them for six months after Max’s implementation. After the six months, subscribers will be asked to upgrade to Ultimate Ad-Free or lose those features."

This really pisses me off. It's one thing to have ads or no ads but now you're intentionally downgrading quality unless you pay more....it's ridiculous how every minute thing is being monetized

It's the same thing Netflix has been doing for a while. I wouldn't be surprised if the other major streamers follow this same price model.

 

[Kane52630]

I will say that shade of blue for Max is kinda irritating to watch. It's like watching the end of those infomercials from the 90s.

 

[Gothamsknight]

you can tell WB is just trying to get things back to the way they were in the 2000's. The is whole Harry Potter with a new cast thing is a desperate attempt by them to bring those years back, while still using the familiar themes. Same reason why they are trying to get Jackson to helm another lord of the rings universe movie.

 

[-Arya-]

It feels like every studio with a streaming service is getting more pathetic by the day.

 

[MagnarTheGreat]

It's not talked about often enough but also interest rates reverting back to historical average (and could still go higher to reduce demand) instead of near-zero is going to make all of entertainment even more risk-averse than they already were.

2023 Deals: Hollywood Studios That Could Eye M&A – The Hollywood Reporter

Spoiler: charts

 

[Kane52630]

 

[Primal Slayer]

Love how they ignored the premium tier

 

[Slick]

AT&T Customers Will Get to Keep Free HBO Max After the MAX Rebrand, But With Some Catches | Cord Cutters News

 

[Ninjablade]

From what I heard from The Town pod a while back, this is actually what Zaslav wanted. So the sell price for the company is appealing for another company to potentially buy it.

Yeah, that sounds about right. Whole thing is just a damn shame.

 

[Bran The Man]

So if I'm understanding this right, now there's gonna be a third tier, which offers the same quality you currently have. Once MAX kicks in you will eventually have to pay $20 to keep that quality.

I kind of figured something was up when they first announced raising prices. It's almost as if you're being penalized for not wanting to give them MORE money.

The sad thing is this probably won't be the last time we see a price hike.

 

[Snow Queen]

 

[Arachnerd]

 

[Dave McFly]

I am ticked I just resigned up for HBO Max and wanted to watch the last 2 seasons of Westworld and I just find out that it has been removed and not able to be streamed anywhere they say some of the shows will show up on free streaming sites like Tubi and Roku but no word yet I was really hoping to pick up where I left off. I do not understand why they would remove shows even after they ended their runs older shows on HBO are still on the service, why remove newer ones like Westworld?

 

[Prison Mike]

I’m guessing nobody was watching Westworld…at least not enough to keep it around.

 

[Pfeiffer-Pfan]

There is something thoroughly unpleasant about this man.

 

[squeekness]

I’m guessing nobody was watching Westworld…at least not enough to keep it around.

To me it just makes no sense to sell off HBO original programming like that. I don't get it.

 

[samsnee]

There’s more money in licensing it to someone else

 

[Kane52630]

It's rare for HBO to do it but every network has done it to some show that was really popular.

 

[Prison Mike]

To me it just makes no sense to sell off HBO original programming like that. I don't get it.

The answer is money. It’s always money.

 

[Lily Adler]

Still not sure about Max as the new name. Why not Discovery Max or Warner Bros. Plus?