HBO Max exec admits to the app’s early flaws

Viewers have long complained about the early HBO Max app’s tendency to crash, and its lack of discoverability features. There have been a number of overhauls and fixes since then. Now we know why. Turns out that HBO Max launched its apps before they were ready in order to keep up with its competitors. The app was “never intended to go global” or to suit the needs of a direct-to-consumer market, according to an interview that Sarah Lyons, HBO Max’s head of product experience, gave Protocol. The network wanted to build an audience first, and then fix the app’s flaws as the service scaled up.While Lyons admits that the early days of HBO Max were rocky, she thinks the company made the right decision. We’ve been changing out the engine of the plane while we’re flying the plane,” she said. “I do think it was the right decision to try to balance both,” said Lyons.HBO Max first released its app in May 2020, to join an already saturated streaming ecosystem that included Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Apple TV+ and others. At the time, both HBO Go (the network’s on-demand app for cable subscribers) and HBO Now (the standalone app for cord-cutters) were still available, a fact that confused many subscribers. The network has since retired both apps.Viewers have flocked to Reddit since the app’s initial launch with complaints that spanned platforms and devices. “We’ve been trying to watch the Harry Potter movies and literally every 15 min or so we get an ERROR message and have to force close... Continue reading at 'Engadget'

[ Engadget | 2022-04-14 23:32:58 UTC ]
News tagged with: #apple tv+ #streaming platforms #home page #biggest change #harry potter

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Finding Liberation in the Early Years of the Women’s Royal Naval Service

At the training college for the Women’s Royal Naval Service (also called the Wrens) in Greenwich, Madge Barnes joined a cohort of other young recruits to learn not only nautical terms and naval traditions, but also, in that nobly stifling British way, the rules of civility and decorum. In the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-02-07 09:49:43 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #early years


2 top execs leaving newspaper publisher Tribune amid turmoil

Two top executives at newspaper publisher Tribune are stepping down as the company deals with its largest shareholder, a hedge fund known for cutting newsroom jobs, and navigates the ongoing shift to online media Continue reading at ABC News

[ ABC News | 2020-02-03 23:48:57 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #top executives #company deals #largest shareholder #hedge fund #online media


An ‘app whisperer’ teams up with time travelers in William Gibson’s ‘Agency’

The sequel to “The Peripheral” is full of cultural commentary, plus imagination and suspense. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-01-16 19:59:44 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #william gibson


How CollegeHumor lost its early lead

The managers of the pioneering digital media company will take the next six months to figure out a new direction. The post How CollegeHumor lost its early lead appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2020-01-15 05:01:41 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #early lead #digital media


HMH Exec Buys Venerable Bookstore

Hannah Harlow, executive director of marketing of general interest books at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, has bought the Book Shop of Beverly Farms in Beverly, Mass., together with her brother. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-01-14 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book shop


Hearst Hires Former Snapchat, Warner Exec for Top Sales Role | People on the Move

[caption id="attachment_175627" align="alignright" width="150"] Kristen O'Hara[/caption] Hearst Magazines has named Kristen O’Hara senior vice president and chief business officer, a new position created as part of a succession plan for longtime president, marketing and publishing director,... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2019-12-19 19:09:52 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #mother jones #american life #staff writer #hearst


Hearst Names Former WarnerMedia and Snap Exec Kristen O’Hara as SVP and Chief Business Officer

Hearst Magazines announced today that former WarnerMedia and Snap executive Kristen O'Hara will be assuming the role of svp and chief business officer, effective Jan. 6. In the newly created position, O'Hara will oversee U.S. advertising sales and marketing for Hearst brands, as well as... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2019-12-17 17:58:13 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #advertising sales #hearst brands #corporate sales #hearst


Amazon Reports Record Early Holiday Sales

Led by such categories and toys and fashion, Amazon had record sales between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday. One book managed to make it onto the company's top-selling items over the period. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-12-03 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #record sales #cyber monday


HarperCollins scoops book from social media stars Irving and dog Max

HarperCollins has acquired “a heartwarming tale” of the friendship between car crash survivor Kerry Irving and Max the Springer Spaniel after their story proved a social media hit. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-11-25 11:02:19 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #harpercollins


'It's never too early to share a book', says Paul Howard-Jones at Annual BookTrust lecture

Educational neuroscientist and Channel 4’s "The Secret Lives of Five Year Olds" expert Paul Howard-Jones has urged parents to read to their children to boost youngsters’ maths skills, in the Annual BookTrust Lecture. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-11-20 12:52:17 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #secret lives


Print Units Post Solid Sales Gain in Early November

With both juvenile categories posting double-digit increases and a strong gain in adult nonfiction, unit sales of print books rose 5.9% in the week ended Nov. 9, 2019, over the comparable week in 2018 at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-11-15 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #early november #adult nonfiction


Media Execs Talk New Revenue Streams and Building on Loyal Audiences at the Folio: Show

Day two of the Folio: Show opened with another panel of industry veterans sharing insights on leveraging content for revenue, moderated by Christa Carone, president of Group Nine Media.  Eric Schurenberg, CEO of Mansueto Ventures, the parent company of Inc. and Fast Company, shared intel on how... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2019-10-31 21:34:33 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #yankee publishing #general manager #editorial teams #cookbook #hearst #bonnier


The inherently, intrinsically and inevitably flawed case for American nationalism

Review of 'The Case for Nationalism: How It Made Us Powerful, United, and Free' by Rich Lowry Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2019-10-31 14:00:07 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #american nationalism #rich lowry


The inherently, intrinsically and inevitably flawed case for American nationalism

Review of 'The Case for Nationalism: How It Made Us Powerful, United, and Free' by Rich Lowry Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2019-10-31 14:00:07 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #american nationalism #rich lowry


The inherently, intrinsically and inevitably flawed case for American nationalism

Review of 'The Case for Nationalism: How It Made Us Powerful, United, and Free' by Rich Lowry Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2019-10-31 14:00:07 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #american nationalism #rich lowry


Duolingo adds short stories to its language-learning iPhone app

Duolingo's library of interactive short stories is finally available for mobile, particularly for iPhones. The language-learning portal's Stories feature, which offers over 100 fully voiced bite-sized stories designed to test your reading and listeni... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2019-10-29 11:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #short stories


Interactive storybook app Pickatale launches in UK

Pickatale, a mobile audiobook and storybook app for children aged 0–12, has launched in the UK. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-23 08:27:37 UTC ]
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'It gets late early out there': Sports Media Brief

Welcome to a special calamity edition of Ad Age Sports Media Brief, a weekly roundup of news from every zone of the sports media spray chart, including the latest on broadcast / cable / streaming, sponsorships, endorsements, gambling and tech. Welp Perhaps the primary function of sports, that... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-10-18 21:21:01 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bad luck #air travel #commercial break #social disease #nielsen


Advertising lessons learned and reaffirmed by HBO’s ‘Succession’

As an abashed former News Corp employee (thankfully at HarperCollins, one of the Murdoch portfolio’s least-offensive holdings), HBO’s "Succession" is my straight shot of Sunday-night dopamine. The show’s great even if you aren’t attuned to the devastating, thinly veiled media and publishing... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-10-11 11:22:17 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #nice reminder #parent brand #airtight positioning #ridiculous glut #streaming platforms #batting average #deliver non-stop #t-miss products #toughest test #warnermedia umbrella #three-dimensional chess-plotting #adland-relevant lessons #ad guy #hat tip #standout lines #publishing world #news corp


What HBO’s ‘Succession’ can teach us about advertising

As an abashed former News Corp employee (thankfully at HarperCollins, one of the Murdoch portfolio’s least-offensive holdings), HBO’s "Succession" is my straight shot of Sunday-night dopamine. The show’s great even if you aren’t attuned to the devastating, thinly veiled media and publishing... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-10-11 11:22:17 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #nice reminder #parent brand #airtight positioning #ridiculous glut #streaming platforms #batting average #deliver non-stop #t-miss products #toughest test #warnermedia umbrella #three-dimensional chess-plotting #adland-relevant lessons #ad guy #hat tip #standout lines #publishing world #news corp