Another day, another streaming service. It's hard to keep track of them anymore. Disney has one. Apple has one. And now, HBO has entered the fray. It wasn't too many years ago that Netflix was the only game in town.
The premium cable company has a new product out with its own shows and movies. It's called HBO Max. Here's more from Variety:
"It seems like every other week brings a new streaming service with it, but the May 27 launch of HBO Max is, indeed, a potential watershed moment. While presented as a branch of the existing HBO brand, it's more accurately a WarnerMedia behemoth effort that unites the conglomerate's many properties (plus a few original efforts) in one convenient place."
The service costs $15 a month, which is a little more steep than its competitors. All these streaming services are starting to look like cable reinvented for the Web, aren't they?
How long will it be before we start seeing bundles or packages of streaming services to save a couple bucks? Disney is already doing that with an ESPN, Hulu and Disney+ bundle. Now all these services need are commercials and contracts, and cord cutters will be right back where they started.
So what do you get for your money? Movies. All of those classic HBO series folks talked about at the water cooler for years--from The Sopranos to Game of Thrones. The new service doesn't look like it has tons of original programming to offer just yet. New shows are usually a good lure for customers. But to be fair, we are in a pandemic, and studio shooting schedules have all but frozen.
Welcome to the arena, HBO Max. Guess we'll see how many customers are eager to pay $15 to watch Friends reruns.
You know, somebody recently said that soon enough, Americans will be able to bundle all these services and pay one fee every month. When that happens, it should be called "cable TV."
Editorial on 05/29/2020