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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This Week in Children's Apps: May 14, 2015

This week in children's apps, an interactive travel guide that instructs in language and cooking. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Blink apologises for Alfie app mishap

Publisher Blink has apologised for the cancellation of the Alfie Deyes “Golden Ticket” competition that was intended to run this weekend. The competition was supposed to give 10 Deyes fans the opportunity to meet him by scanning their copies of The Pointless Book 2 with the linked app to see if... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-05-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publisher blink #golden ticket


App glitch hits Deyes promo

A "Golden Ticket" competition launched by Blink and Alfie Deyes on Friday night (8th May) had to be cancelled on Sunday (10th) after a technical problem that informed hundreds of entrants that they had won. Deyes announced the competition on his YouTube channel on Friday evening. Viewers who... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-05-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #golden ticket #alfie deyes #youtube channel #friday evening


Former Ace Exec Named President & CEO of Follett

The first president and CEO of Follett Corporation from outside the Follett family in its more than 140-year history is leaving and being replaced by board member Ray Griffith. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #follett corporation


Google admits mistakes with news outlets as it announces new partnership

The Digital News Initiative is likely to be seen as an attempt for Google to improve its image after recently being accused of anti-competitive behaviourGoogle is to admit to making mistakes in working with news organisations as it announces a new digital partnership with eight European... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-04-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital partnership #news outlets #news organisations #european publishers


Using Mobile Apps to Increase Content Monetization: Digital Solutions in India 2015

Across the globe, mobile apps have become one of the most popular channels to access content for users. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #mobile apps #digital solutions #access content


Gibson 'admits cancer lie'

Blogger Belle Gibson, whose recipe book The Whole Pantry was pulled by Michael Joseph in March, has admitted that she never had cancer, the Guardian has reported. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #recipe book #michael joseph


New Freemium Model Increases In-App Sales by 48%

[Sponsored Content] Publishers are always looking for unique ways to increase mobile app subscribers—especially paid ones. The post New Freemium Model Increases In-App Sales by 48% appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2015-04-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #unique ways


Amazon brings Kindle features to its Android app

If you don't have a Kindle to read your books on then there's no worries, as apps exist on other platforms like Android. Amazon isn't standing still on this either, now offering customers on Google's mobile platform some new features already available on the stand-alone device. Included are two... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2015-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #offering customers #amazon isn #amazon claims #young kids #ve heard


Guitar World Launches Lessons App, Boosting Mobile Video Strategy

By Ellen Harvey I t's difficult to discuss the future of the publishing business without at some point mentioning the words "mobile" and "video." Mobile devices have become the medium of choice for consuming... Continue reading at Publishing Executive

[ Publishing Executive | 2015-04-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #mobile devices #ellen harvey #publishing business #consuming content


Bologna 2015: Early Impressions from a Busy, Sunny Fair

Amid its warmest weather in years, the Bologna Children’s Book Fair got off to a strong start on Monday, with most of the agents, editors, and rights managers PW spoke with finding it to be a positive, active fair, though no single title had yet risen to be a "book of the fair." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-03-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book fair #bologna children #strong start #single title


Google Rolls Out New Tools to Drive Mobile App Installs

App-install ads continue to be a lucrative business for Facebook and Twitter, and now Google wants a bigger piece of the market. Today Google is rolling out two new tools aimed at making it easier for marketers to plug mobile apps. The first change is that advertisers can extend AdMob... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2015-03-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #initial success #game developer #social networks


Medium Poaches Vox Sales Exec to Build Nascent Ad Business

Medium -- the publishing platform founded by the guys who started Twitter -- is getting more aggressive in its bid to attract brand advertising dollars. The site just raided digital publisher Vox Media, hiring Joe Purzycki, the company's head of ad sales, to lead brand partnerships at... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2015-03-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ad campaign


Tech journalists may have been wrong about Meerkat but they're right to get excited about new apps

The danger of a herd mentality in tech hack circles is real, including missing out on mainstream products, but a nose for interesting news goes beyond analyticsTechnology journalism – and US technology journalism in particular – is getting a roasting every bit as stinging as Justin Bieber’s... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-03-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book industry


UK Authors Force Clean Reader App to Stop Some Book Sales

Creators of the Clean Reader app will no longer sell books after receiving complaints from authors that their works were being altered without permission. The post UK Authors Force Clean Reader App to Stop Some Book Sales appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-03-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book sales


Bologna 2015: The ABCs of Children’s Apps

Before the opening of the Bologna Children's Book Fair, app creators and developers gathered to discuss the digital children's market, including pricing and pitfalls. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-03-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bologna children #book fair


Facebook to Help Mobile Apps Auction Off Their Ads Using Facebook Data

For years Facebook has considered itself a mobile-first company, so it's perhaps not surprising that the company's first attempt to automate the sale of ads running outside of Facebook will be limited to mobile.Mobile app publishers can now sell their in-app display and video ad inventory... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2015-03-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #facebook data


B&N Execs Tout Promise of Retail-Digital Combination

When the spin-off of its college division is completed later this year, Barnes & Noble plans to sell both print and digital books, B&N Inc. CEO Mike Huseby told analysts during a conference call last week to discuss third-quarter results. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-03-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital books #conference call


New Anonymous-Sharing App Wants to Apply the Netflix Algorithm to Content

With so much content being produced online, it's hard to stand out as a digital publisher to your target crowd. Heard, a new anonymous social sharing app, believes it has solved the discovery problem. The platform applies the Netflix algorithm for films and TV shows to online content, ideally... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2015-03-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #online media #single person #institutional knowledge #desktop version #interesting things


Best Windows apps this week

One-hundred and twenty one in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps and games released for Windows in the past seven days. If you are interested in the development of Windows 10, you may be interested in screenshot leaks of build 10031 and build 10022 which allow you to... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2015-03-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #improved features