HBO Go, HBO Now and HBO Max: What's the Difference, Anyway?
You're a 21st-century television viewer. You have dispensed with a cable box, and you're subscribing to HBO for $15 per month, instead (or you're using your friend's brother-in-law's cable login for HBO). Good for you.
But, strangely, there are now three different HBO channels that you could use to rewatch "The Wire" for the eighth time (no judgment zone): HBO Go, HBO Now, and HBO Max. What the hell is going on?
To make sense of the nonsense, here's a guide to HBO's suite of apps.
HBO Go vs. HBO Now
Simply put, HBO Go is the streaming companion to your regular old HBO cable subscription package. So, if you're already paying for HBO through your cable provider, this is the streaming channel you'll want to download onto your Amazon Fire Stick, Roku or Apple TV. You'll log in with your cable provider's credentials to access all of the content you'd ordinarily get on the TV.
Meanwhile, HBO Now is the standalone streaming service for those not paying for HBO through a cable provider, and it costs $15 per month. Both options cost money in some way, but HBO Now captures new customers, while HBO Go provides more viewing options to existing ones.
Based on information provided on HBO's Help website, it looks like both streaming channels offer the same lineup of original content, so no need to envy your dish-wielding neighbors or to get mad at those millennials without satellite: they're different services, but equal.
While this is confusing, things should slowly start to make sense as the rollout of HBO Max starts to replace the HBO Now app. According to the company's website, this should automatically begin starting on May 27.
What Is HBO Max?
HBO Max, the newest addition to the family of apps, could very well become the new streaming king. Beginning May 27, it takes the place of HBO Now—corralling digital-only users into one streaming hub for all of HBO's best content (and then some).
This beast of a streaming service is the byproduct of not only the two existing (and awfully designed) streaming apps, but also the $108.7 billion AT&T-Time Warner merger. The new HBO Max app will feature the same content on the Go and Now apps but will also be rounded out with content newly acquired under the merger, like Friends and South Park.
Diversified content from other production studios could really help boost HBO's profile in the streaming world, which is becoming increasingly crowded. Expect to see shows and movies from TimeWarner properties like CNN, TNT, TBS, and Cartoon Network as well.
The new service costs $14.99, and if you already pay for HBO Now, the company will roll over your subscription to HBO Max, automatically (just make sure auto updates are switched on). If you're still having problems, try deleting the app or channel on your streaming device of choice, and re-download.
If you get HBO through your cable subscription, you'll have to pay an additional $14.99 for HBO Max. The same goes for subscribers who have HBO as an add-on through another streaming service, like Amazon Prime. Not only will HBO Max not show up as a channel in the user interface, but you'll also have to pay the full $14.99 to get the extra content. It doesn't necessarily make sense—these users are, in a way, subsidizing HBO Max for everyone else, but that's how it goes for now.
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