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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Orion to extend early reader coverage for 2012

Orion is to extend its early reader series after achieving sales of 1.3 million units for the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-12-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Paddington Bear app launched, ebooks to follow

HarperCollins Children's Books has produced a new app for classic picturebook Paddington,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-12-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Financial Times Web App Gains One Million Registrants

Financial Times reaches yet another milestone, now boasting one million registrants for its native web app. Apps.FT.com launched in June, after FT decided to go without Apple for its subscription-based app offering. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-11-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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HTML 5 Vs. App: Where Should Publishers Focus?

New York - At the MinDay Digital Summit today (presented by FOLIO: sister publication min), publishers and technology providers are on hand to commiserate about trials and victories in the digital space. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-11-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sales fall at WH Smith in early autumn

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Thu, 10/11/2011 - 09:44 Total group sales at W H Smith have dropped by 3% in the last 10 weeks, with like-for-like sales down by 6% in comparison to last year. This morning (10th November) the company reported in its interim financial results for the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-11-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Browser, Not Apps, Still Biggest News Channel on Tablets

While consuming news has become one of the more popular activities for tablet users, access to it is still largely conducted through a browser, not specialized apps, says a new study released by the Pew Research Center and The Economist Group Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-10-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #economist group #study released #tablet users


Pearson adds free learning management tools to Google Apps for Education

Publishing and educational tools company Pearson on Thursday launched the beta version of OpenClass, a free, cloud-based learning management system (LMS) that is integrated with Google Apps for Education, and will be available in the Google Apps Marketplace. Earlier today, techie Ryan Tyler... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2011-10-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #big part #earlier today #beta version


Publishers Flocking to Apple's iOS 5 Newsstand App

The highly anticipated launch of Apple's new iOS 5 is now here and with the new functionality comes new features--including one that publishers may find particularly valuable. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-10-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Time Inc.’s Real Simple App Launches First on NOOK

The NOOK Newsstand is getting another addition, Time Inc. has announced that Real Simple magazine will be exclusively sold on the digital platform for the month of November and will begin a full digital integration with the December issue. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-10-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With New Apple iOS 5 Comes Newsstand App

The highly anticipated launch of Apple's new iOS 5 is now here and with the new functionality comes new features--including one that publishers may find particularly valuable. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-10-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Steve Jobs Biography Arrives in October, a Month Early

Steve Jobs's death has prompted Simon & Schuster to move up the publication date for his much-anticipated biography by Walter Issacson. The CBS-owned publishing unit has moved up the release date for "Steve Jobs" from Nov. 21 to Oct. 24. Not surprisingly, preorders for the book are... Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2011-10-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Don't write off physical too early, trade warned

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Fri, 30/09/2011 - 08:55 Publishers should not be too quick to write off physical products and should encourage competition between a number of digital players to avoid the mistakes the record industry made, the director general of the Entertainment... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Another Rodale Exec’s Exit Points to Changes at Publisher

Gregg Michaelson, the integrated marketing president and chief marketing office with Rodale, has left the company. Michaelson was with the publisher since 2001, beginning his tenure with Rodale’s book division. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-09-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin launches Oliver app

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Tue, 27/09/2011 - 09:15 Penguin has released Jamie Oliver's Food Guide app for Apple's iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch, with the guide now available for £2.99 from the App store. The app accompanies Oliver's latest title, Jamie's Great Britain,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Dennis Publishing Ramps Up App Production

The Week publisher Dennis Publishing has teamed up with app developer Toura to begin plugging content from its magazines into a wider array of apps. The first, called How To Add Value To Your Car, is a 99-cent spin-off of the publisher's Auto Express brand. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-09-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #wider array


Ratings for App Functionality: Who Made the Top Grade?

Nothing turns a tech user off faster than system malfunctions. In the arms race the app market has shaped up to be, publishers are debuting their offerings as quickly as they can produce them. Unfortunately, this often does not leave time to work out the final kinks of download issues, faulty... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-09-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Shortfire launches Papercut app

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Thu, 15/09/2011 - 15:23 Digital short story publishing house Shortfire Press has launched a new app which presents sound and video content when a reader reaches a certain point in the text. The Papercut app was produced in conjunction with digital... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hargreaves "flawed", PA tells MPs

Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Wed, 14/09/2011 - 09:50 The Publishers Association has told MPs that economic analysis contained in the Hargreaves Review was "fundamentally flawed" and that it does not support the review's proposals to weaken copyright with new exceptions. The... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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FT Releases Free “How To Spend It” iPad App

Financial Times is making its newest iPad offering free, with the luxury lifestyle magazine How To Spend It app available without charge for users. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-09-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Thirty-Four Percent of Content Apps Downloaded in Last 30 Days Were Paid

As publishers spend more time and money on developing apps to deliver their digital content, audience demographics detailing app interaction are beginning to show how these efforts are panning out. According to a recent study from Gfk MRI, app users who install fewer apps are more likely to... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-09-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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