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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Stephen Fry lends voice to Edtech app series

Edtech startup KalamTech has created an app series about great thinkers from history, voiced by Stephen Fry. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-12-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #great thinkers #stephen fry


PrestoPhoto photo book review: Affordable but seriously flawed

PrestoPhoto isn’t just a photo book service. It’s also an online marketplace for selling your creations—though there’s no obligation to put your work up for sale. It’s a great idea, but sadly PrestoPhoto just doesn’t deliver. The book creation editor is slow, dated-looking and lacks essential... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2018-12-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #online marketplace #great idea #positive side #lay flat


Rakuten Kobo Forma e-reader review: Refined experience, flawed package

The Rakuten Kobo Forma is a poster child for the tug-of-war behind the design of every device you own. Companies strive to find the right balance of size, weight and features based on market research and what’s worked well for them in the past. Sometimes it works out. Sometimes things go... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2018-12-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #kobo aura #rakuten kobo #market research


‘There is no dialogue’: Confessions of a publisher product development exec

An advertising and product development executive at a traditional news publisher discusses the internal tug of war. The post ‘There is no dialogue’: Confessions of a publisher product development exec appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-12-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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My Brilliant Friend director talks about bringing Elena Ferrante’s beloved novel to life for HBO

Italian director Saverio Costanzo spoke with Fast Company about the challenge of adapting the first novel in the Neapolitan series (as a man, no less). In 2007, Italian director Saverio Costanzo wrote to the publisher of Elena Ferrante’s novella The Lost Daughter and asked if he could option the... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2018-11-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #film rights #young girl #big screen


Google unveils holiday season savings on games, apps, books and movies

It can't have escaped your attention that -- in the US at least -- holiday season is just around the corner. With Thanksgiving comes Black Friday and other sales, and Google is getting in on the action with a series of discounts in the Play Store. There are great savings to be made on games and... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2018-11-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #black friday #play store


Unit Sales Dropped 5.3% in Early November

Unit sales of print books fell 5.3% in the week ended Nov. 10, 2018, compared to the similar week in 2017, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-11-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #early november


Peter Rabbit brought to life on augmented reality app Bookful

Peter Rabbit is to be brought to virtual life via augmented reality app Bookful, launched by Israeli immersive content company Inception. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-11-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #peter rabbit


Max Boot’s ‘Corrosion of Conservatism’: Big Book for WW Norton at Frankfurt

'It's hard to keep up with Trump's outrages,' says Max Boot, the conservative author and historian who sounds the alarm about the GOP in his new release. The post Max Boot’s ‘Corrosion of Conservatism’: Big Book for WW Norton at Frankfurt appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #frankfurt appeared #big book #conservative author


Indies express dismay as Waterstones starts selling Super Thursday titles early

Independent booksellers have expressed concerns that Waterstones is selling Super Thursday titles ahead of their publication date. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-10-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #independent booksellers #expressed concerns


Three Lee Enterprises Execs Tender Resignations

[caption id="attachment_137733" align="alignright" width="234"] Mike Gulledge[/caption] Longtime Billings Gazette publisher Mike Gulledge—who also serves VP of publishing at Lee Enterprises and regional publisher of the Missoulian and the Ravalli Republic—has announced his resignation from the... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2018-09-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #local newspapers #berkshire hathaway


Juvenile Categories Drive 5% Unit Gain in Early September

Unit sales of print books rose 5% in the week ended Sept. 9, 2018, over the comparable week in 2017, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-09-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #early september


August Religion Bestsellers: Max Lucado Takes #3, Wanda Brunstetter Returns

'Unshakable Hope,' the newest inspirational title by Max Lucado, comes in third in Religion Nonfiction; Wanda Brunstetter’s The Daughters of Lancaster County trilogy breaks the top 10 in Religion Fiction following its musical adaptation. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-09-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #max lucado #religion nonfiction #wanda brunstetter #religion fiction #musical adaptation


Ex-Netflix exec and producer launch database for book adaptations

A US producer and former Netflix executive are embarking on a joint venture, 'TaleFlick', which offers a library of searchable books for adaptation across film, TV and digital media. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-08-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book adaptations #joint venture


The Atlantic Taps Facebook Exec as Chief Business and Product Officer | People on the Move

[caption id="attachment_134577" align="alignright" width="150"] Alex Hardiman[/caption] The Atlantic continued its ongoing expansion this week with the hire of Facebook’s head of news products, Alex Hardiman, as its new chief business and product officer. Starting this fall, Hardiman will be... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2018-08-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ve learned #religious studies #middle east #previously worked


HBO is out of the adult entertainment business

HBO’s popular drama series “The Deuce” is set in Times Square in the 1970s before the New York neighborhood was purged of its X-rated movie houses and adult book stores. But the cleanup of the cable network’s own red light district is already complete. Earlier this summer, HBO quietly removed... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-08-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #times square #cable network


Former U.S. Ambassador and CNET Exec Buys Louisville Magazine

Louisville Magazine and its website Louisville.com have been purchased by former U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom, Matthew Barzun, for an undisclosed amount. The monthly publication, which is known in its community for shedding light on often-ignored neighborhoods and stories, will be under... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2018-08-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #barack obama #caption id=


Government slams CIPFA library data as 'flawed' and 'unusable'

The government-appointed Libraries Taskforce has criticised the body responsible for publishing annual statistics on libraries, saying its "flawed" data reveals the sector to be in a worse state than it really is. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-08-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #data reveals


Fatherly Taps Condé Nast Exec as VP of Marketing | People on the Move

[caption id="attachment_134125" align="alignright" width="150"] Kelley Gudahl[/caption] Kelley Gudahl was tapped as Fatherly’s first VP of marketing this week. In her new position, Gudahl will be tasked with leading the pre-sale RFP process, generating multi-purpose franchise ideas with the... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2018-08-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #staff memo #working alongside #current president