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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Two S&S Canada Execs Depart

Simon & Schuster Canada has confirmed that Martha Sharpe, editorial director, and Alison Clark, associate publisher, have left the company. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Diversion Books Launches Romance Retail App

E-book publisher Diversion Books has launched EverAfter, a bookstore app dedicated to romance titles. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Is FlickerLab’s Animgram the Next Big Message App?

If you love animated cartoons and social media, FlickerLab, an animation and app developer, may have developed the perfect messaging software for you. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-10-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Children's BAFTA nod for Touchpress app

Digital publisher Touchpress’ Disney Animated app has been nominated for a Children’s BAFTA award in the Interactive: Adapted category.   The app was made by Touchpress in partnership with Walt Disney Animation Studios and Disney Interactive. It provides users with access to the inner workings... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-10-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple Integrates the iBooks App into iOS 8

In a move that should please publishers, the September release of iOS 8, Apple’s updated operating system for phones and tablets, included the integration of the iBooks app. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-10-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Adobe begins encrypting user data collected from Digital Editions app

Adobe Systems said Thursday it is now encrypting data it collects about certain ebooks after facing criticism earlier this month for not protecting the data.The Digital Reader blog reported on Oct. 6 that Adobe’s Digital Editions 4 software, used for downloading and reading ebooks, sent detailed... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2014-10-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Will 'King of Magazines' Spin Off Print Unit? Execs 'Not Opposed'

Media companies have been streamlining their businesses by cleaving off underperforming print units from more lucrative TV, film and digital businesses. Just this year, Time Warner spun off magazine division Time Inc., Tribune Company split apart its TV and newspaper businesses and Gannett... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2014-10-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #iowa-based company #des moines #meredith corporation #similar moves #newspaper businesses


Uber Debuts Taxi App in South Korea, but Is It Legal?

Taxi app company Uber continues to make inroads in Asian markets, signing up independent cab drivers in Seoul, South Korea, despite regulatory pushback from the country's transport ministry and local authorities. The Wall Street Journal reports that Uber is paying its contract cabbies in Seoul... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2014-10-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Issuu Releases iOS8 App, Partners with Jumpstart

Issuu, a digital distribution and reading platform, has launched a new iOS app and announced a partnership with national literacy organization Jumpstart. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-10-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pageviews aren’t perfect, but ad buyers see flaws in attention measures

Premium publishers are pushing for ads to be measured on attention minutes -- or engaged time -- but there are real limitations to its adoption. The post Pageviews aren’t perfect, but ad buyers see flaws in attention measures appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2014-10-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Game of Thrones spawns an app to help fans learn to speak Dothraki

Publisher promises it will arm you with enough vocabulary and grammar to have a complete conversation in DothrakiLanguages created for TV shows can have a powerful fascination for fans: just look at Star Treks Klingon language for proof of that. Game of Thrones Dothraki language also fits into... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-10-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook admits it screwed up, but its proposed research guidelines are meaningless

Facebook is no stranger to controversy, nor is the social network unfamiliar with upsetting its users. It seems as though Zuckerberg's baby has been hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons lately, and it's not all that long since users vented their fury after it was revealed that their... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2014-10-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Gossip Girl' Would Be a Digital-Video Series Today, Former CW Exec Says

If "Gossip Girl" premiered today, it would be a digital-video series, according to Dawn Ostroff, former president of entertainment at The CW Television Network, which aired the teenage melodrama for six seasons starting in 2007.Speaking at the Interactive Advertising Bureau's annual conference... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2014-09-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #vanity fair #video content #cw network #video game #short videos #dive deeper #digital video


Facebook Serves Up User Data to Measure Ads on Others' Sites, Apps

Google was supposed to uproot digital advertising's foundation. But Facebook may beat the search giant to the punch.Confirming what has become advertising's latest worst-kept secret, Facebook said it will begin applying its user data to ads shown outside the social network through a retooled... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2014-09-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #company plans #real-time auctions #buy ads #demand-side platform #actual ads #ad server


As Genre Shows Go Mainstream, TV Execs Are Looking to Novelists for the Next Hit

TV network options on books have exploded. Publishers Lunch, a trade that tracks book industry deals, lists an ever-increasing number of television options over the last few years, with 2013 setting the record and this year looking good. And with massive success stories like Game of Thrones... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2014-09-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Library secures early printed books

Two of the first ever books to be printed in Scotland have been bought from private ownership by the National Library of Scotland. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2014-09-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This Week in Children's Apps: September 18, 2014

This week in children's apps, we feature two apps that explore the outdoors—on safari and in the garden—and another app that helps loved ones stay connected through reading. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-09-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Android apps break out of the small screen and jump to Chromebooks

A lot of Google services have transitioned to gain the title of "apps", and the same is true of a large number of extensions for the Chrome browser. These online tools are essentially cross-platforms apps that work identically Now Google is taking another step to break out of the confines of... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2014-09-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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James Beard Launches First App

The first-ever app from the James Beard Foundation highlights vegetable recipes featured in 'The James Beard Foundation's Best of the Best,' with entries from Alice Waters, Charlie Trotter, Dan Barber, Mario Batali, and Daniel Boulud, among others. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-09-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ingram, Microgroove Ink Deal to Add Book Sales to Mobile Apps

Ingram Content Group has partnered with Microgroove, a Seattle software developer, to provide digital tools to give businesses with mobile e-commerce applications the ability to sell physical books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-09-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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