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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Facebook Admits Organic Reach Is Falling Short, Urges Marketers to Buy Ads

Facebook is being more blunt about the fact that marketers are going to have to pay for reach.If they haven't already, many marketers will soon see the organic reach of their posts on the social network drop off, and this time Facebook is acknowledging it. In a sales deck obtained by Ad Age that... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2013-12-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #big shift #buy ads #falling short


Penguin teams up with Readmill on booksharing app

Free app allows ebook readers to share highlights and update to social media websitesPenguin UK has teamed up with the Berlin-based ebook app developer Readmill to bolster direct ebook sales.The app allows readers to share ebook highlights and to talk to each other while they're reading,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2013-11-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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CNN Nabs Bloomberg Video Exec

CNN has snatched up Bloomberg's digital video czar. Starting on Dec. 2, Chris Berend lands at CNN as the company's new vp of digital video development. Berend was most recently head of video for the Bloomberg Media Group, where he helped guide the company as it looked to significantly ramp up... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2013-11-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google Play update showcases big-screen optimized apps on tablets

As promised a month or so ago, Google Play is implementing a few changes today that'll push tablet-optimized apps to the forefront. That is, if you're using a device not quite small enough to be considered a phone (though we admit there are certain handhelds that bridge the gap). Indeed, tablet... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2013-11-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #tablet users #google play #android tablets


Former Kate Spade Art Director Develops An Adorbs Book App For Kids

My Monster, by Julianna Goodman, bridges the divide between slick digital storytelling and homemade visuals.It's rare to see and "touch" things on the iPad screen that evoke the texture, color, and unpolished feel of real life. Fortunately, a new children's book app corrects that shortcoming,... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2013-11-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In 'Mister Max,' an endearing boy faces a family mystery

Cynthia Voigt's tale presents a youngster who must find out about his missing parents while working as a problem solver for others. Readers who wish their families were more interesting will be hooked, as I was, on Cynthia Voigt's "Mister Max: The Book of Lost Things," the first of a planned... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-11-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ross Levinsohn Among Leading Execs to Speak at Digital Entertainment World

Ross Levinsohn, CEO of Guggenheim Digital Media, publisher of Adweek, The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard, is on the growing list of industry executives set to speak at the inaugural 2014 Digital Entertainment World conference in Los Angeles. The global marketplace and conference, which is... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2013-11-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Wheelbarrow produces Shaun Tan app

An app has been produced for author-illustrator Shaun Tan’s latest title, Rules of Summer (... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-11-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pitchfork Launches “Weekly Magazine” App

Most successful content sites are monetizing with sheer volume now, but Pitchfork is betting there's still a place for lean-back engagement. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2013-11-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #sheer volume


Polaroid Kids Tablet 2 comes loaded with apps from Cartoon Network, Disney and Marvel

A kid-friendly tablet often isn't enough by itself to keep little tykes happy -- you have to get the content they want, too. Polaroid is counting on this formula to lure parents to its newly available Kids Tablet 2. The 7-inch slate comes preloaded with the full versions of 70-plus apps and... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2013-11-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Show Notes : Editors & Mag Execs Evolve With The Times

By Lynn Rosen It was a powerhouse session at our magazine keynote presentation this year at the Publishing Business Conference. We asked four top execs to speak to the topic of Facing the Future, and to share some... Continue reading at Publishing Executive

[ Publishing Executive | 2013-11-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Kindle First provides early access to unreleased books

When it comes to reading, I use a Kindle PaperWhite. I hate paper books with a passion -- they take up space and are obsolete. The Kindle is wonderful because it allows me to easily bookmark pages, look up definitions, and scan the book for certain words with the x-ray feature. An Amazon Prime... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2013-11-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon's top NY publishing exec to depart

Amazon Publishing, which launched a general-interest book publishing operation in New York two and a half years ago, is losing its top executive here.Seattle-based Amazon announced Friday that the head of its general-interest publishing division, Larry Kirshbaum, would leave the company Jan. 17... Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2013-10-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #ebook format #scaling back #joint venture #barnes noble #big advances #scaled back


Official Facebook app (finally!) available for Windows 8.1 users

For all the improvements Microsoft has made in bolstering the Windows Store's app selection, one insistent question has held back the company's dreams of grandeur: "Yeah, but where's Facebook?" Indeed, the largest social network in the land has been a conspicuous no-show in Microsoft app... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2013-10-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Erie Times-News Releases iPad, iPhone, Android Apps and Mobile Web Powered by Whiz Technologies

Erie Times-News and www.GoErie.com, based in Erie, PA, owned by Times Publishing Company, announced that it has released new tablet apps for the iPad and Kindle Fire, new smartphone apps for iPhone and Android, and HTML5 mobile web to its readers. Th ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-10-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A Year of Lessons from Korea’s Book App Developer Moglue

TaeWoo Kim, CEO of Moglue — the Korean platform for book app development — reflects on the first year in business after launching his publishing-related startup. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-10-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook's new mobile ad format keeps users coming back to familiar apps

Ads for mobile apps are frequently ineffective after the first viewing -- once users install a given app, they rarely have incentives to try the software again. Facebook may have found a way to sustain customers' interest through its new deep linking ad format, however. The approach takes... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2013-10-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PEN Urges Gov't to Admit Trojanov Into U.S.

In a letter it issued Tuesday, the PEN American Center is asking the government to revisit its decision to block Bulgarian-German author Ilija Trojanov from entering the country. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lucidpress: drop-and-drag publishing app simplifies document design

For professional looking design, Adobe Creative Suite products such as InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop are feature-rich tools you can use to create stunning projects. But using them isn’t cheap. Creative Cloud, which gives you Web access to these software offerings  is $50 a month, and even... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2013-10-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Page Turners: The Best Smartphone Apps for Serious Readers

Bookworms are always seeking new text to devour. These apps will help procure ebooks, stories from the web, audiobooks, and even dusty analog tomes.     Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2013-09-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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