HBO Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! == Channels == ===Background=== To reduce subscriber [[churn rate|churn]] by offering extra programming choices to subscribers, on May 8, 1991, Home Box Office Inc. announced plans to launch two additional channels of HBO and Cinemax, becoming the first subscription television services to launch "[[multiplex (television)|multiplexed]]" companion channels (a term coined by then-CEO Michael Fuchs to equate the programming choices that would be provided to subscribers of the channel tier to that offered by [[Multiplex (movie theater)|multi-screen movie theaters]]), each available at no extra charge to subscribers of one or both networks. (The three prior premium services that HBO launched between 1979 and 1987, Cinemax and the now-defunct Take 2 and Festival, were developed as standalone services that could be purchased separately from and optionally packaged with HBO.) On August 1, 1991, through a test launch of the three channels over those systems, TeleCable customers in [[Overland Park, Kansas]], [[Racine, Wisconsin]] and suburban [[Dallas]] ([[Richardson, Texas|Richardson]] and [[Plano, Texas]]) that subscribed to either service began receiving two additional HBO channels or a secondary channel of Cinemax. HBO2 (later renamed HBO Plus, then reverted to its original name), HBO3 (now HBO Signature), and Cinemax 2 (now MoreMax) each offered distinct schedules of programs culled from HBO and Cinemax's movie and original programming libraries separate from offerings shown concurrently on their respective parent primary channels. (Cinemax was originally scheduled to launch a tertiary channel, Cinemax 3, on November 1, 1991, but these plans were shelved until 1996.)<ref>{{cite news|title=THE MEDIA BUSINESS; HBO Planning to Add New Movie Channels|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/05/09/business/the-media-business-hbo-planning-to-add-new-movie-channels.html|author=Bill Carter|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|date=May 9, 1991|access-date=February 8, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=HBO, Cinemax to Split Services into Three Channels Each |periodical=Broadcasting |page=33 |date=May 13, 1991}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=HBO Releases Multiplex Schedule |periodical=Broadcasting |page=40 |date=August 5, 1991}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=HBO: three channels are better than one|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-10807607.html|author=Jane Greenstein|periodical=Multichannel News|date=May 13, 1991|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511211758/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-10807607.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 11, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=HBO TO PACK IN MORE PROGRAMMING|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1991-05-09-9102110030-story.html|author=Kenneth R. Clark|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=May 9, 1991|access-date=May 15, 2020}}</ref> While most cable providers collectively offered the HBO and Cinemax multiplex channels in individual tiers, some providers had sold their secondary or tertiary channels as optional add-ons to expanded basic subscribers; this practice was discontinued when HBO and Cinemax began migrating to [[digital cable]] in the early 2000s, as the respective multiplex channels were being packaged in each tier mandatorily. In February 1996, in anticipation of the adoption of [[MPEG-2]] digital compression codecs that would allow cable providers to offer digital cable service, Home Box Office, Inc. announced plans to expand its multiplex services across HBO and Cinemax to twelve channels (counting [[time zone]]-based feeds), encompassing a fourth HBO channel and two additional Cinemax channels, originally projected for a Spring 1997 launch.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=HBO divides to conquer |author=Rich Brown |periodical=Broadcasting & Cable |page=49 |date=February 5, 1996}}<br />{{cite magazine |title=HBO divides to conquer |author=Rich Brown |periodical=Broadcasting & Cable |page=50 |date=February 5, 1996}}</ref> The HBO multiplex expanded to include a fourth channel on December 1, 1996, with the launch of HBO Family, focusing on family-oriented feature films and television series aimed at younger children. (HBO Family's launch coincided with the launch of [[Mountain Time Zone]] feeds of HBO, HBO2, Cinemax, and Cinemax 2, which were the first sub-feeds ever offered by a subscription television service to specifically serve that time zone.)<ref name="HBO Family" /><ref>{{cite magazine |title=Pay services add value with multiplexing |periodical=Broadcasting & Cable |page=70 |date=September 30, 1996}}</ref> Home Box Office, Inc. began marketing the HBO channel suite and related coastal feeds under the umbrella brand "MultiChannel HBO" in September 1994; the package was [[rebranding|rebranded]] as "HBO The Works", now exclusively classified to the four HBO multiplex channels (and later applied to the three thematic channels that were launched afterward), in April 1998. (The Cinemax tier was accordingly marketed as "MultiChannel Cinemax" and then "MultiMax" at the respective times.) Concurrent with the adoption of "The Works" package brand, two of the channels changed their names and formats: HBO2 was rebranded as HBO Plus, and HBO3 was relaunched as HBO Signatureāincorporating content catering toward a female audience, alongside theatrical films aimed at broader audiences and content from HBO's original made-for-cable movie and documentary libraries. (HBO Plus would revert to the "HBO2" moniker in September 2002. The "HBO Plus" brandāmodified in 2019 to "HBO+"ā{{as of|2021|alt=remains in use}} on a multiplex channel of [[HBO Latin America]] featuring mainly theatrical movies previously carried on its parent feed; HBO Latin America also operates a separate channel sharing the "HBO2" name with the shared U.S. namesake of both services.)<ref name="HBO digital networks">{{cite magazine |title=HBO sets new digital networks |author=John M. Higgins |periodical=Broadcasting & Cable |page=12 |date=April 13, 1998 |author-link=John M. Higgins}} {{subscription required |date=March 2015}}</ref> On May 6, 1999, the HBO multiplex expanded to include two new thematic channels: HBO Comedyāfeaturing comedic feature films, comedy series from HBO's original programming library, and recent and archived HBO comedy specialsāand HBO Zoneāaimed at young adults between the ages of 18 and 34, offering theatrical movies; comedy and alternative series, and documentaries from HBO's original programming library; and music videos.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Hooked Up: HBO courts Gen X with laughs |author=Nolan Marchand |periodical=Broadcasting & Cable |page=39 |date=May 3, 1999}}</ref> Rounding out the HBO multiplex expansion was HBO Latino, a Spanish language network launched on November 1, 2000, featuring a mix of dubbed simulcasts of programming from the primary HBO channel as well as exclusive Spanish-originated programs.<ref name="tw-hbolatinolaunch">{{cite press release|title=HBO to Launch New Spanish-Language Channel|url=https://www.warnermediagroup.com/newsroom/press-releases/2000/09/07/hbo-to-launch-new-spanish-language-channel|website=Time Warner|via=WarnerMedia Pressroom|date=September 7, 2000|access-date=June 30, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=HBO Latino Launch Is Pushed Back|url=https://www.multichannel.com/news/hbo-latino-launch-pushed-back-159061|periodical=Multichannel News|date=September 17, 2000|access-date=June 30, 2020}}</ref> ===List of HBO channels=== Depending on the service provider, HBO provides up to seven 24-hour multiplex channelsāall of which are simulcast in both [[standard-definition television|standard definition]] and [[high-definition television|high definition]], and available as time zone-based regional feedsāas well as a [[video on demand|subscription video-on-demand]] service (HBO On Demand). Off-the-air maintenance periods of anywhere from a half-hour up to two hours occur at varied overnight/early morning time slots (usually preceding the 6:00 a.m. ET/PT start of the defined broadcast day) once per month on each channel. HBO transmits feeds of its primary and multiplex channels on both Eastern and Pacific Time Zone schedules. The respective coastal feeds of each channel are usually packaged together, resulting in the [[Effects of time zones on North American broadcasting|difference in local airtimes]] for a particular movie or program between two geographic locations being three hours at most; the opposite-region feed (i.e., the Pacific Time feeds in the Eastern and Central Time Zones, and the Eastern Time feeds in the Pacific, Mountain and [[Alaska Time Zone]]s) serves as a [[timeshift channel]], allowing viewers who may have missed a particular program at its original local airtime to watch it three hours after its initial airing or allowing them to watch a program up to four hours, depending on the applicable time zone, in advance of their local airtime on their corresponding primary coastal feed. (Most cable, satellite, and IPTV providers, as well as its Amazon Prime Video and Roku OTT channels, only offer the East and West Coast feeds of the main HBO channel; some conventional television providers may include coastal feeds of HBO2 in certain areas, while wider availability of coastal feeds for the other five multiplex channels is limited to subscribers of [[DirecTV]], [[YouTube TV]] and the [[Hulu]] live TV service.) HBO maintains a separate feed for the [[HawaiiāAleutian Time Zone]]āthe only American cable-originated television network to offer a timeshift feed for Hawaii viewersāoperating a three-hour-delayed version of the primary channel's Pacific Time feed for subscribers of [[Charter Spectrum|Oceanic Spectrum]], which otherwise transmits Pacific Time feeds for the six other HBO multiplex channels. (The state's other major cable provider, [[Hawaiian Telcom]], offers the Pacific Time Zone feed of all seven channels.) {| class="wikitable" width="100%" style="background-color: #FFFFFF; text-align: center;" |- style="color:white;" ! style="background-color: #8B0000"| Channel ! style="background-color: #8B0000"| Description and programming |- | style="text-align:center; width:130pt;"|[[File:HBO logo.svg|125px]]<br />'''HBO''' || style="text-align: left;"|HBO, the [[Flagship (broadcasting)|flagship]] channel, airs first-run and blockbuster feature films, original series, and made-for-cable movies, sports-focused magazine and documentary series, comedy and occasional concert specials, and documentaries. (Newer episodes of the channel's original series are mainly shown on Sunday and Monday evenings as well as on Fridays during the late prime time and late-access periods.) It also airs premieres of recent theatrical or new HBO original movies, marketed as the "HBO Movie Premiere", on selected Saturday nights (usually at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time). The main HBO channel mainly airs R-rated films after 5:00 p.m. (or sometimes as early as 2:30 p.m.) Eastern and Pacific, and TV-MA-rated programs (usually edited for daytime airings to limit scenes of graphic violence, excluding sexual content and nudity included in original versions shown on the main channel only at night) after 1:00 p.m. ET/PT. |- | style="text-align: center; width:130pt;"|[[File: HBO 2 (2014).svg|125px]]<br />'''HBO2''' || style="text-align: left;"|HBO's secondary channel; HBO2 offers a separate schedule of theatrical and original made-for-cable movies (including daytime airings of R-rated films that the main HBO channel is usually restricted from airing in the morning, early- and mid-afternoon hours), series and specials, as well as same-week, rebroadcasts of newer films, and recent episodes and occasional complete-season "catch-up" [[marathon (media)|marathons]] of original series first aired on the primary HBO channel. Launched on August 1, 1991, HBO2 originally used a channel-specific version of the main HBO channel's then-current on-air look; by 1993, this was replaced with a spartan "program grid" layout during promotional breaks, similar to the visual appearance then used by the [[History of Pop (American TV channel)|Prevue Channel]] (and subsequently applied by HBO 3 [now HBO Signature], Cinemax 2 [now MoreMax] and Cinemax 3 [now ActionMax]). The channel was rebranded as '''HBO Plus''' on October 1, 1998, concurrently adopting a distinct on-air look from the primary channel.<ref name="man-premiums">{{cite web|title=Premium Nets: More Screens Mean More Value|url=https://www.multichannel.com/news/premium-nets-more-screens-mean-more-value-156907|author=Ray Richmond|periodical=Multichannel News|date=December 6, 1998|access-date=May 13, 2020}}</ref> Since reversing the "HBO2" brand in September 2002, the channel has used minor variations of the main HBO channel's on-air identity. |- | style="text-align: center; width:130pt;"|[[File: HBO Comedy (2014).svg|125px]]<br />'''HBO Comedy''' || style="text-align: left;"|Launched on May 6, 1999,<ref name="HBO Laughs">{{cite web|title=HBO courts Gen X with laughs|url=http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/1888985/hbo-courts-gen-x-laughs|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131230232700/http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/1888985/hbo-courts-gen-x-laughs|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 30, 2013|author=Nolan Marchand|periodical=Broadcasting & Cable|via=EBSCO|date=May 3, 1999|access-date=March 11, 2013}}</ref> HBO Comedy features comedic films, as well as rebroadcasts of HBO's original comedy series and stand-up specials; although the channel broadcasts R-rated films during the daytime hours, HBO Comedy only airs adult comedy specials at night. |- | style="text-align: center; width:130pt;"|[[File: HBO Family (2014).svg|125px]]<br />'''HBO Family''' || style="text-align: left;"|Launched on December 1, 1996,<ref name="HBO Family">{{cite news|title=Channel's Success Breeds Suitors, Imitators While Tim Robertson Has Helped Turn Family Values into Big Business, His Family Connections Are Impeding His Ambitious Plans|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-73151944.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130508070918/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-73151944.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 8, 2013|author=Mark Robichaux|newspaper=[[The Virginian-Pilot]]|date=September 1, 1996}}</ref> HBO Family features movies and series aimed at children, as well as feature films intended for a broader family audience. A [[block programming|block]] of children's series aimed at the 2ā11 age demographic, "[[HBO Kids]]" (formerly known as "Jam" from August 2001 to January 2016), consisting of programs rated TV-Y and TV-Y7, is also offered weekdays from 6:00 to (approximately) 8:00 am; movies and family-oriented original specials occupy the remainder of the channel's daily schedule.<ref>'' HBO Family'' channel on-air</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=HBO Family Schedule: Grid View|url=http://www.hbofamily.com/apps/schedule/ScheduleServlet|website=HBO Family|publisher=Home Box Office, Inc.|date=September 11, 2001|access-date=October 5, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016035343/http://www.hbofamily.com/apps/schedule/ScheduleServlet|archive-date=October 16, 2012}}</ref> Movie presentations on HBO Family are restricted to encompass films rated G, PG, or PG-13 (or the [[TV Parental Guidelines|equivalent]] TV-G, TV-PG, or TV-14), and as such, it is the only HBO channel that does not air R, NC-17, or TV-MA rated program content. Originally intended as a secondary service for HBO's family-oriented programming, HBO Family assumed exclusivity over the children's programs (which formerly aired in a daily morning block on the main channel) and family-oriented specials (previously shown on HBO in late afternoon or early evening timeslots) when HBO stopped running these programs on its primary channel in 2001. HBO currently offers no children's programming on its main channel, since WarnerMedia's shift of the production contract to HBO Max resulted in the July 2020 discontinuance of a Saturday morning block of series produced by Sesame Workshop added to the primary channel in 2017. |- | style="text-align: center; width:130pt;"|[[File: HBO Latino (2014).svg|125px]]<br />'''HBO Latino''' || style="text-align: left;"|Launched on November 1, 2000 (although originally slated to debut on September 18 of that year),<ref name="tw-hbolatinolaunch"/><ref>{{cite news|title=HBO Latino set to debut on Monday|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4559692.html|newspaper=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|date=September 15, 2000|access-date=March 2, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130507082535/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4559692.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 7, 2013}}</ref> HBO Latino offers programming catering to [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic and Latino American]] audiences, including HBO original productions, Spanish and Portuguese series sourced from HBO Latin America, dubbed versions of American theatrical releases, and domestic and imported Spanish-language films. Outside of breakaways for exclusive original and acquired programs, and separate promotional advertising between programs, HBO Latino largely acts as a de facto Spanish language simulcast of the primary HBO channel. (All other HBO multiplex channels provide alternate Spanish audio tracks of most of their programming via second audio program feeds.) HBO Latino is the indirect successor to HBO en EspaƱol (originally named Selecciones en EspaƱol de HBO y Cinemax), which launched in 1989. |- | style="text-align: center; width:130pt;"|[[File: HBO Signature (2014).svg|125px]]<br />'''HBO Signature''' || style="text-align: left;"|HBO Signature features high-quality films, HBO original series, and specials. Launched on August 1, 1991, the channel was originally known as "''' HBO 3'''" until September 30, 1998, maintaining a genericized format similar to HBO and HBO2; it rebranded as HBO Signature the following day (October 1), when its programming shifted focus around movies, series and specials targeted at a female audience and retransmits HBO productions.<ref name="man-premiums"/><ref name="HBO digital networks"/> |- | style="text-align: center; width:130pt;"|[[File: HBO Zone (2014).svg|125px]]<br />'''HBO Zone''' || style="text-align: left;"|Launched on May 6, 1999,<ref name="HBO Laughs"/> HBO Zone airs movies and HBO original programs aimed at young adults between the ages of 18 and 34. Until Home Box Office, Inc. removed sister network Cinemax's [[Cinemax#Max After Dark|Max After Dark]] adult programming block and all associated programming from its other television and streaming platforms in 2018, HBO Zone also carried [[softcore pornography|softcore pornographic]] films acquired for the Cinemax block in late-night, dependent on their inclusion on each day's program schedule; as such, it is the only HBO channel that has aired adult-oriented pornographic movies on its regular schedule.<ref name="wrap-hbodropsadultprog">{{cite web|title=No More 'Taxicab Confessions': HBO Removes All of Its Adult Entertainment Programming|url=https://www.thewrap.com/hbo-quietly-removed-all-of-its-adult-entertainment/|author=Tim Baysinger|website=[[TheWrap]]|date=August 28, 2018|access-date=May 13, 2020}}</ref> |} ===Current sister channels=== ====Cinemax==== {{main|Cinemax}} [[File:Cinemax 2016.svg|thumb|Cinemax logo]] Cinemax is an American pay television network owned by the Home Box Office, Inc. subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. Originally developed as a companion service to HBO, the channel's programming consists of recent and some older theatrically released feature films, original [[action fiction|action drama]] series, documentaries, and special [[wikt: behind the scenes|behind-the-scenes]] featurettes. While Cinemax and HBO operate as separate premium services, their respective channel tiers are very frequently sold as a combined package by many multichannel television providers; however, customers have the option of subscribing to HBO and Cinemax's corresponding channel packages individually. On August 1, 1980, HBO launched Cinemax, a companion movie-based premium channel created as a direct competitor to two existing movie-focused premium channels: [[The Movie Channel]], then a smaller, standalone pay movie service owned by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment (then part-owned by Warner Bros. Discovery predecessor Warner Communications), and [[Home Theater Network]] (HTN), a now-defunct service owned by [[Westinghouse Broadcasting|Group W Satellite Communications]] that focused on G- and PG-rated films.<ref>{{cite news|title=2d Cable Movie Service From Home Box Office|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1980/07/31/archives/2d-cable-movie-service-from-home-box-office.html|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|date=July 31, 1980|access-date=March 29, 2009}}</ref> Cinemax succeeded in its early years partly because it relied on classic movie releases from the 1950s to the 1970sāwith some more recent films mixed into its scheduleāthat it presented uncut and without commercial interruption, at a time when limited [[cable television headend|headend]] channel capacity resulted in cable subscribers only being able to receive as many as three dozen channels (up to half of which were reserved for local and out-of-market broadcast stations, and public access channels). In most cases, cable operators tended to sell Cinemax and HBO as a singular premium bundle, usually offered at a discount for customers that decided to subscribe to both channels. Cinemax, unlike HBO, also maintained a 24-hour schedule from its launch, one of the first pay cable services to transmit around the clock. Even early in its existence, Cinemax tried to diversify its programming beyond movies. Beginning in 1984, it incorporated music specials and some limited original programming (among them, ''[[Second City Television|SCTV Channel]]'' and ''[[Max Headroom (TV series)|Max Headroom]]'') into the channel's schedule. Around this time, Cinemax also began airing adult-oriented [[softcore pornography|softcore pornographic films and series]]ācontaining [[sexual intercourse|strong sexual content]] and nudityāin varying late-night timeslots (usually no earlier than 11:30 p.m. Eastern and Pacific); this programming block, originally airing under the "Friday After Dark" banner (renamed "Max After Dark" in 2008 to better reflect its prior expansion to a nightly block), would become strongly associated with the channel among its subscribers and in [[pop culture]]. The channel began gradually scaling back its adult programming offerings in 2011, in an effort to shift focus towards its mainstream films and original programs, culminating in the removal of "Max After Dark" content from its linear and on-demand platforms in 2018, as part of a broader exit from the genre across Home Box Office, Inc.'s platforms.<ref>{{cite web|title=Little brother Cinemax gets extensive makeover|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-13619333.html|author=Rod Granger|periodical=Multichannel News|date=November 2, 1992|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105130753/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-13619333.html|archive-date=November 5, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Skinemax">{{cite news|title=HBO's stealth plan to kill off 'Skinemax'|url=http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/tv/guns_poses_05H3v5lnOgLrvPyjcJWoGL|author=Michael Shain|newspaper=[[New York Post]]|date=February 14, 2011}}</ref><ref name="wrap-hbodropsadultprog"/> In terms of mainstream programming, Cinemax began premiering original action series in the early 2010s, beginning with the August 2011 debut of ''[[Strike Back (TV series)|Strike Back]]'' (which has since become the channel's longest-running original program). As a consequence of WarnerMedia reallocating its programming resources toward the HBO Max streaming service, Cinemax eliminated scripted programming after the last of its remaining slate of action series ended in early 2021, shifting the channel back to its original structure as a movie-exclusive premium service.<ref name="Skinemax"/> The linear Cinemax multiplex service, {{As of|2021|lc=y}}, consists of the primary feed and seven thematic channels: MoreMax (launched in April 1991 as Cinemax 2, in conjunction with HBO2's rollout); ActionMax (originally launched as Cinemax 3 in 1995); ThrillerMax (launched in 1998);<ref name="HBO digital networks"/> MovieMax (originally launched as the female-targeted WMax in May 2001); CinemĆ”x (a Spanish language simulcast feed, which originally launched as the young adult-focused @Max in 2001), 5StarMax (launched in May 2001) and OuterMax (launched in May 2001).<ref>{{cite web|title=Cinemax Branches Out with Four Plexes|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-69279493.html|author=Linda Moss|periodical=Multichannel News|date=January 15, 2001|access-date=March 13, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140611030159/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-69279493.html|archive-date=June 11, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release|title=Rebrand Advisory|url=http://www.homeboxoffice.com/to/Recently_Updated/Rebrand_Advisory.pdf|publisher=Home Box Office, Inc.|date=May 23, 2013|access-date=March 23, 2015|archive-date=April 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402092140/http://www.homeboxoffice.com/to/Recently_Updated/Rebrand_Advisory.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Cinemax changing @MAX to Spanish-language MAX Latino|url=http://hd-report.com/2013/05/24/cinemax-changing-max-to-spanish-language-max-latino/|website=HD Report|date=May 24, 2013}}</ref> ==== Magnolia Network ==== {{main|Magnolia Network}} [[File:Magnolia Network Logo - Wide Stacked.svg|thumb|A horizontal version of Magnolia Network logo]] Magnolia Network is an American multinational [[basic cable]] network owned by [[Warner Bros. Discovery]] and [[Chip and Joanna Gaines]], formerly known as DIY Network. In April 2019, Discovery officially announced its new venture, and that its linear television component would launch sometime in 2020, replacing DIY Network, though it was delayed until 2022 due to the [[Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on television|COVID-19 pandemic]] impacting the ability to produce the network's launch programming and ending up launching several months before the closing of the Warner Bros. and Discovery Inc. merger.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gelman |first=Vlada |date=21 April 2020 |title=TVLine Items: Chip & Joanna's Network Delayed, NOS4A2's New Date and More |publisher=TVLine |url=https://tvline.com/2020/04/21/chip-joanna-gaines-magnolia-network-launch-delayed/ |access-date=22 April 2020}}</ref> Due to the delay in production, some Magnolia Network programming debuted as part of the January 4, 2021 launch of the [[Discovery+]] streaming service. The transition of the linear DIY Network to the Magnolia Network occurred on January 5, 2022.<ref name="Andreeva">{{cite news |last=Andreeva |first=Nellie |date=11 February 2021 |title=Chip & Joanna Gaines' Magnolia Network To Launch Slate On App & Discovery+ First, DIY Takeover To Follow |publisher=Deadline.com |url=https://deadline.com/2021/02/chip-joanna-gaines-magnolia-network-launch-date-app-discovery-plus-diy-linear-1234691876/ |access-date=12 February 2021}}</ref><ref name="Hayes">{{cite web |last=Hayes |first=Dade |date=September 28, 2021 |title=Chip And Joanna Gaines's Magnolia Network Reveals Linear Launch Date, Rebrand Of DIY To Kick Off With 'Fixer Upper: Welcome Home' |url=https://deadline.com/2021/09/chip-joanna-gaines-magnolia-network-launch-2022-fixer-upper-1234845244/ |work=[[Deadline Hollywood]]}}</ref> In April 2022, Discovery Inc. merged with WarnerMedia to form [[Warner Bros. Discovery]]. On April 7, 2022, it was reported that after the completion of the merger, Magnolia Network leadership would report to HBO and [[HBO Max]]'s chief content officer Casey Bloys rather than directly to Zaslav, nor Kathleen Finch (who previously oversaw Discovery's lifestyle brands, and now oversees most of Warner Bros. Discovery's U.S. cable networks); ''Deadline'' suggested the possibility that Magnolia Network could contribute content (such as library programs or original series) to HBO Maxānoting that some of the service's scripted series have appealed to a similar adult female demographic to Magnolia Network, HBO Max's own [[List of HBO Max original programming#Unscripted|forays into unscripted content]], and reports that the Gaines had shown interest in working on scripted projects.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Maas |first=Jennifer |date=2022-04-07 |title=Chip and Joanna Gaines' Magnolia Network to Move Under HBO at Warner Bros. Discovery (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/chip-jo-gaines-magnolia-network-hbo-warner-bros-discovery-casey-bloys-1235227484/ |access-date=2022-04-09 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Andreeva |first=Nellie |date=2022-04-07 |title=WarnerMedia-Discovery Deal To Forge Deeper Ties Between OWN, Warner Bros. TV & HBO Max |url=https://deadline.com/2022/04/warnermedia-discovery-merger-own-warner-bros-tv-hbo-max-1234996738/ |access-date=2022-04-09 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":02">{{Cite web |last=Andreeva |first=Nellie |date=2022-04-09 |title=Chip & Joanna Gaines' Road From HGTV To HBO As 'Fixer Upper' Stars Switch Sides Post-WB/Discovery Merger |url=https://deadline.com/2022/04/chip-joanna-gaines-hgtv-hbo-fixer-upper-warner-bros-discovery-merger-1234997644/ |access-date=2022-04-09 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}</ref> {{Infobox television channel | name = Take 2 | logo = | launch_date = {{Start date and age|1979|04|01}} | closed_date = {{Start date and age|1981|01|31}} | owner = Home Box Office, Inc.<br />([[Time-Life]]/[[Time Inc.]]) | language = English | area = Nationwide<br />(in select markets) }} === Former sister channels === * Take 2 (informally referred to as "HBO Take 2") was an American premium cable television network that was owned by Home Box Office, Inc., then a subsidiary of the Time-Life division of Time Inc., and which operated from April 1979 to January 1981. Marketed to a family audience and the first attempt at a companion pay service by the corporate HBO entity, the channel's programming consisted of recent and older theatrically released motion pictures. Take 2 was the first of three efforts by HBO to maintain a family-oriented pay service, predating the similarly formatted and short-lived mini-pay service Festival (launched in 1986) and the present-day multiplex channel HBO Family (launched in 1996). On September 21, 1978, Home Box Office Inc. announced it would launch a family-oriented companion "mini-pay" premium service (a channel marketed as a lower-priced pay add-on to cable operators, often sold in a tier with co-owned or competing premium services), which would be transmitted via a fourth Satcom I transponder leased to HBO.<ref name="b&c-take2">{{cite magazine |title=In Brief |periodical=Broadcasting |page=10 |date=September 25, 1978}}</ref> Originally planned to launch around January 1, Take 2 launched on April 1, 1979; developed at the request of HBO's affiliate cable providers to meet consumer demand for an additional pay television offering, Take 2 was designed to cater to family audiences and, like HBO's later family programming services (Festival and HBO Family), structured its theatrical inventory to exclude R-rated films. The service's format was intended to cater to prospective customers who were reluctant to pay for an HBO subscription because of its cost and the potentially objectionable content in some of its programming.<ref name="b&c-take2" /> The network maintained distinct showcase blocks that aired at various times throughout its schedule: "''Movie of the Week''" (a weekly prime-time presentation of network-premiere theatrical films), "''Center Stage''" (featuring movies and specials with leading entertainers), "''Family Theater''" (a showcase of G-rated films for family viewing), "''Passport''" (an anthology block featuring programs ranging from "popular entertainment to cultural events") and "''Merry-Go-Round''" (a showcase of children's movies, specials, and short films). G- and PG-rated movies shown on Take 2 usually made their debut on the service no less than 60 days after their initial telecast on HBO.<ref name="Movie Duels" /><ref name="b&c-take2" /> Slow subscriber growth and difficulties leveraging HBO's increasingly wide cable carriage to ensure supportable distribution forced the shutdown of Take 2 on January 31, 1981.<ref name="Movie Duels" /> At the time of its shutdown, HBO was already placing resources to grow its secondary, lower-cost "maxi-pay" service, Cinemax, which launched in August 1980 and, in its first four years of operation, experienced comparatively greater success than Take 2 did in its briefer existence with its mix of recent and older movies (including unedited, commercial-free broadcasts of movies released during the [[Classical Hollywood cinema|"Golden Age" of Hollywood film]]). (Cinemax replaced Take 2 as an add-on to HBO on many cable systems that carried the latter.)[[File:hbosfestival.png|200px|right|Festival logo]] * [[Festival (TV channel)|Festival]] was an American premium cable television network that was owned by Home Box Office, Inc., then a subsidiary of Time Inc., which operated from 1986 to 1988. The channel's programming consisted of uncut and [[Re-edited film|re-edited]] versions of recent and older theatrically released motion pictures, along with original music, comedy, and [[nature]] specials sourced from the parent HBO channel aimed at a family audience. On April 1, 1986, HBO began test-marketing Festival on six cable systems owned by then-sister company American Television and Communications Corporation.<ref name="nyt-festival">{{cite news|title=HBO TO TEST A NEW SERVICE, FESTIVAL|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/02/13/arts/hbo-to-test-a-new-service-festival.html|author=Thomas Morgan|newspaper=The New York Times|date=February 13, 1986|access-date=July 7, 2020}}</ref><ref name="Festival program guide 1987">{{citation|title=Festival program guide|publisher=Home Box Office, Inc.|year=1987}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=Burgeoning world of cable programing |periodical=Broadcasting |page=10 |date=June 16, 1986}}<br />{{cite magazine |title=Burgeoning world of cable programing |periodical=Broadcasting |page=11 |date=June 16, 1986}}</ref><ref name="b&c-festivallaunch">{{cite magazine |title=Cablecastings: Festival expansion |periodical=Broadcasting |page=10 |date=April 7, 1986}}</ref> It was aimed at older audiences who objected to programming containing violence and sexual situations on other premium services, television viewers that did not already have cable service, and basic cable subscribers with no existing subscription to a premium service, focusing classic and recent hit movies, documentaries, and HBO's original stand-up comedy, concert, nature and [[ice skating]] specials. Notably for a premium service, Festival aired re-edited R-rated movies intended to fit a PG rating.<ref name="festival-011988">{{citation|title=Festival program guide|publisher=Home Box Office Inc.|page=Front cover|date=January 1988}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=HBO Launching Service To Attract Older Audience|url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1986-02-17/features/8601100851_1_hbo-festival-new-channel|author=Thomas Morgan|newspaper=[[Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel]]|date=February 17, 1986|access-date=October 12, 2012|archive-date=May 27, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130527091253/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1986-02-17/features/8601100851_1_hbo-festival-new-channel|url-status=dead}}</ref> Festival ceased operations on December 31, 1988; Home Box Office, Inc. cited the inability to expand distribution because of channel capacity limitations at most cable company headends for the closure of the channel. At the time of its shutdown, Festival had an estimated 30,000 subscribers, far below HBO's reach of 15.9 million subscribers and a distant last place in subscriber count among the eight American premium cable services in operation at the time.<ref name="HBO Expanding the Brand" /><ref name="Festival program guide 1987" /><ref>{{cite magazine |title=HBO changes marketing plan for Festival |periodical=Broadcasting |date=June 20, 1988}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=The Cable Network Programming Universe |periodical=Broadcasting |page=41 |date=May 30, 1988}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=HBO's Festival to go dark |periodical=Broadcasting |page=61 |date=July 18, 1988}}</ref> * Selecciones en EspaƱol de HBO y Cinemax (later renamed HBO en EspaƱol in September 1993) was an American Spanish language premium cable television service that was owned by Home Box Office, Inc., then a subsidiary of Time Warner, which operated from 1989 to 2000. The service's programming consisted of Spanish-dubbed versions of recent and older theatrically released motion pictures, and select HBO original and event programming aimed at a Hispanic and Latino audience. The service is a predecessor to HBO Latino, which replaced HBO en EspaƱol in November 2000. On January 2, 1989, Selecciones en EspaƱol de HBO y Cinemax ("''Spanish Selections from HBO and Cinemax''"), a Spanish-language audio feed transmitted through, depending on the cable system affiliate, either an auxiliary [[second audio program]] channel (accessible through built-in and external multichannel audio decoders) or [[Cable radio|audio simulcasts via FM radio]], launched. The serviceāwhich initially launched on 20 cable systems in [[media market|markets]] with significant Hispanic and Latino populations, and aimed specifically at Spanish-dominant and first-language Spanish speakersā<ref>{{cite news|title=HBO-Cinemax Experiment in Bilingual TV|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-05-01-ca-2337-story.html|author=Victor Valle|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=May 1, 1989|access-date=June 30, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=Cablecastings: Second language |periodical=Broadcasting |page=76 |date=September 19, 1988}}</ref><ref name="HBO Expanding the Brand">{{cite web|title=It's Not TV: HBO, The Company That Changed Television: Expanding The Brand (Part 1)|url=http://www.soundonsight.org/its-not-tv-hbo-the-company-that-changed-television-expanding-the-brand-part-1/|author=Bill Mesce|work=Sound on Sight|date=November 6, 2013|access-date=February 1, 2014|archive-date=February 2, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202215756/http://www.soundonsight.org/its-not-tv-hbo-the-company-that-changed-television-expanding-the-brand-part-1/|url-status=dead}}</ref> originally provided Spanish-dubbed versions of recent feature film releases from HBO and Cinemax's movie suppliers. By that Spring, Selecciones's offerings expanded to include Spanish audio simulcasts of HBO's live boxing matches (except for certain events broadcast exclusively in Spanish on networks such as [[GalavisiĆ³n (USA)|GalavisiĆ³n]]). Selecciones en EspaƱol de HBO y Cinemaxāreplaced by two dedicated channel feeds, HBO en EspaƱol and Cinemax en EspaƱol, on September 27, 1993, effectively acting as part-time simulcast feeds with added first-run Spanish-language movies (mostly from Mexico, [[Argentina]] and Spain), and Spanish dubs of HBO's non-sports-event original programmingāquickly gained interest from providers, expanding to an additional 35 cable systems in various U.S. markets in the weeks following its debut.<ref name="HBO Expanding the Brand" /><ref>{{cite magazine |title=HBO to offer Spanish version |author=Rich Brown |periodical=Broadcasting |page=19 |date=May 31, 1993}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=More choices for cable subscribers |periodical=Broadcasting & Cable |page=32 |date=October 4, 1993}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=HBO reaches out to Hispanics; Home Box Office, Inc. forms HBO En Espanol|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-14041790.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511211754/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-14041790.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 11, 2011|author=Kim Mitchell|periodical=Multichannel News|date=May 31, 1993|access-date=February 23, 2011}}</ref> ===Other services=== ====HBO HD==== [[File:HBO HD.png|right|220x220px]] HBO HD (originally called HBO HDTV from March 1999 until April 2006) is a [[High-definition television|high definition]] simulcast feed of HBO that broadcasts in the [[1080i]] resolution format.<ref name="hbohd">{{cite web|title=HBO: About: Frequently Asked Questions: HBO HD|url=http://www.hbo.com/about/faqs/products/hbo-hd.html|website=HBO|publisher=Home Box Office, Inc. (Time Warner)|access-date=April 3, 2016}}</ref> HBO maintains high definition simulcast feeds of its main channel and all six multiplex channels. HBO HD is available on all major cable television providers including, among others, Charter Communications (including systems once owned by former HBO sister company Time Warner Cable); Comcast Xfinity (which, in 2016, began downconverting HBO, Cinemax and other cable channels transmitting in 1080i to [[720p]]60);<ref>{{cite web|title=1080i Channels are Being Changed to 720p60 Channels|url=http://forums.xfinity.com/t5/Non-X1-Service/1080i-channels-are-being-changed-to-720p60-channels/m-p/2783308#M183323|access-date=April 1, 2018|archive-date=December 17, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171217014057/http://forums.xfinity.com/t5/Non-X1-Service/1080i-channels-are-being-changed-to-720p60-channels/m-p/2783308#M183323|url-status=dead}}</ref> Cox Communications and [[Optimum]]; as well as [[DirecTV]]; [[AT&T U-verse]]; and [[Verizon FiOS]]. From the 2008 rollout of HD simulcasts for the HBO multiplex feeds until the mid-2010s, the majority of pay television providers that carried HBO HD generally offered only the main channel in high definition, with HD carriage of the multiplex channels varying by market. {{As of|2020}}, most providers transmit all seven HBO multiplex channels in HD, either on a dedicated HD channel tier separate from their SD assignments or as hybrid SD/HD feeds. Home Box Office, Inc. announced plans to launch a high-definition simulcast feed on June 12, 1997, with initial plans for a rollout to television providers as early as the Summer of 1998, when electronics manufacturers planned to begin retailing their initial line of HD-capable television sets.<ref name="vty-hbohdsetslaunch">{{cite web|title=HBO plans high-def startup by 1998|url=https://variety.com/1997/tv/news/hbo-plans-high-def-startup-by-1998-1116680165/|author=John Dempsey|periodical=Variety|date=June 12, 1997|access-date=May 11, 2020}}</ref> HBO began transmitting a high definition simulcast feed on March 6, 1999, becoming the first American cable television network to begin simulcast their programming in the format. For the first 23 months of its existence, the HD feed only transmitted theatrical films from the network's programming suppliers (initially accounting for about 45% of its available feature film output, expanding to around 60% by early 2001) and HBO's in-house original movies in the format, as existing widescreen prints of those films were already scalable in the 16:9 widescreen [[Aspect ratio (image)|aspect ratio]] and could readily be upconverted to HD resolution.<ref name="vty-hbohdsetslaunch"/><ref name="HBO HD">{{cite web|title=HBO ready to go with HDTV|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-53675563.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130508063136/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-53675563.html|periodical=Broadcasting & Cable|date=January 25, 1999|access-date=March 2, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 8, 2013}}</ref> Original programming began to be made available in HD on January 14, 2001, when the network commenced a 13-week Sunday "encore" presentation of the second season of ''[[The Sopranos]]'' in remastered 1080i HD. (HBO had been requiring the producers of its original series to film their episodes in widescreenāsubsequently downconverted for the standard definition feedāto fit [[Aspect ratio (image)#4:3 stamdard|4:3]] television screens since 1996, to future-proof them for remastering in HD.) The third-season premiere of the mob drama, "[[Mr. Ruggerio's Neighborhood]]", on March 4 was the first first-run episode of an HBO series to be transmitted in high-definition from its initial telecast, with all subsequent episodes being delivered to HBO exclusively on HD videotape (and downconverted for the main standard-definition feed). Bob Zitter, then the network's Senior Vice President of Technology Operations, disclosed to ''[[Multichannel News]]'' in January 2001 that HBO elected to delay offering its original series in high definition until there was both sustainable consumer penetration of high-definition television sets and wide accessibility of HDTV equipment on the retail market.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Sopranos Hit Hi-Def|url=https://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/sopranos-hit-hi-def-95869|periodical=Broadcasting & Cable|date=January 7, 2001|access-date=May 11, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=HBOs Sopranos Goes High-Definition|url=https://www.multichannel.com/news/hbos-sopranos-goes-high-definition-133506|author=Monica Hogan|periodical=Multichannel News|date=January 7, 2001|access-date=May 11, 2020}}</ref> Sports telecasts were upgraded to HD on September 25, 2004, with an ''HBO World Championship Boxing'' fight card headlined by [[Roy Jones Jr.]] and [[Glen Johnson (boxer)|Glen Johnson]].<ref>{{cite web|title=HBO Going All-HD for Boxing|url=https://www.multichannel.com/news/hbo-going-all-hd-boxing-337708|author=R. Thomas Umstead|periodical=Multichannel News|date=September 12, 2004|access-date=May 11, 2020}}</ref> HD programming can also be broadcast in [[Dolby Digital|Dolby Digital 5.1]]. The network began transmitting its six multiplex channels in high definition on September 1, 2008, when DirecTV began offering HD simulcast feeds of HBO2, HBO Family, HBO Signature, and HBO Latino.<ref>{{cite web|title=All HBO, Cinemax channels to be in HD|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/all-hbo-cinemax-channels-be-138691|author=Kimberly Nordyke|agency=Associated Press| periodical=The Hollywood Reporter|date=June 13, 2007|access-date=May 12, 2020}}</ref> ====HBO on Demand==== HBO on Demand is HBO's companion [[video on demand|subscription video-on-demand]] (SVOD) service that is available at no additional cost to subscribers of the linear television service, who regularly pay a premium fee to pay television providers to receive access to the channel. VOD content from the network is also available on select virtual MVPD services (including [[DirecTV Stream]], [[YouTube TV]] and [[Hulu]]), and through HBO's dedicated [[Roku#The Roku Channel|Roku]] video channel. HBO on Demand offers theatrical feature films from HBO's distribution partners and original programming previously seen on the network (including weekly series, documentaries, sports magazine and documentary programs, and concert and stand-up comedy specials). The service's rotating program selection incorporates newer film titles and episodes that are added to the platform following their debut on the linear feed, as well as library content (including complete seasons of the network's past and present original programs).<ref>{{cite book|title=The Television Will Be Revolutionized|author=Amanda D. Lotz|publisher=New York University Press|location=New York City|page=132|year=2007|author-link=Amanda D. Lotz}}</ref> HBO on Demand, the first SVOD service to be offered by an American premium service, launched on July 1, 2001, over then sister company Time Warner Cable's [[Columbia, South Carolina]], system.<ref name="HBO On Demand">{{cite news|title=Time Warner to Add HBO Video-On-Demand to Digital Cable in Columbia, South Carolina|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-75710982.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130507135455/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-75710982.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 7, 2013|agency=Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News|date=June 21, 2001|access-date=March 4, 2013}}</ref> The service was developed to allow HBO subscribers access to the channel's programming at their choosing, thereby reducing the frequency in which viewers were unable to find a program they prefer to watch and limiting cancellations to the service because of that issue. On January 3, 2011, HBO became the first pay television network to offer VOD content in [[3DTV|3D]]; initially available to linear HBO subscribers signed with Time Warner Cable, Comcast, and Verizon FiOS, 3D content consisted of theatrical feature films available in the format.<ref>{{cite web|title=HBO Pops Cork on 3D Video-On-Demand|url=http://www.multichannel.com/news/cable-operators/hbo-pops-cork-3d-video-demand/328081|author=Todd Spangler|periodical=Multichannel News|date=January 3, 2011}}</ref> In the United Kingdom, a domestic version of HBO on Demand was launched in 2015 to subscribers of [[IPTV]] provider [[TalkTalk TV]], which provides HBO's program offerings through the provider's [[YouView]] set-top boxes via a standalone VOD subscription. {{Citation needed|date=January 2018}} ====HBO Go==== {{Main|HBO Go}} [[File:HBOGO.svg|HBO Go logo|right|220x220px]] HBO Go is an international [[TV Everywhere]] streaming service for broadband subscribers of the linear HBO television service. It was accessible through play.hbogo.com, and through apps for [[iOS (Apple)|Apple iOS]] and [[Apple TV]] devices;<ref name="gigaom.com">{{cite web|title=HBO Go Now Available on iPad, iPhone and Android|url=https://gigaom.com/2011/04/29/hbo-go-ipad-iphone-android/|author=Ryan Lawler|website=[[Gigaom]]|publisher=GigaOmniMedia, Inc.|date=April 29, 2011|access-date=May 11, 2020|archive-date=October 23, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141023114236/https://gigaom.com/2011/04/29/hbo-go-ipad-iphone-android/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=HBO GO Finally Arrives on Apple TV|url=https://www.wired.com/2013/06/hbo-go-finally-on-apple-tv/|author=Roberto Baldwin|magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]|date=June 19, 2013|access-date=May 11, 2020}}</ref> [[Android (operating system)|Android]] devices and [[Android TV]];<ref name="gigaom.com"/> [[Amazon Fire TV]];<ref>{{cite web|title=HBO Go Hits Amazon Fire TV, May Bring Cord-Cutting Service Too|url=http://readwrite.com/2014/12/16/hbo-go-amazon-fire-tv-maybe-cord-cutting|author=Adriana Lee|website=[[ReadWrite]]|publisher=[[SAY Media]]|date=December 16, 2014|access-date=May 11, 2020}}</ref> [[Chromecast]];<ref>{{cite web|title=HBO Go Launches on Chromecast as Mobile Video Mainstreams|url=http://www.ooyala.com/videomind/blog/hbo-go-launches-chromecast-mobile-video-mainstreams|author1=Jim O'Neill|website=[[Ooyala]]|publisher=[[Telstra]]|date=November 22, 2013|access-date=May 11, 2020}}</ref> [[PlayStation]] consoles ([[PlayStation 3]] and [[PlayStation 4]]);<ref>{{cite web|title=HBO Go Available on PS4 Later Today|url=http://blog.us.playstation.com/2015/03/03/hbo-go-available-on-ps4-later-today/#sf7775869|website=[[PlayStation]]|publisher=[[Sony Interactive]]|date=March 3, 2015|access-date=May 12, 2020}}</ref> [[Xbox One]] consoles;<ref>{{cite web|title=HBO Go, Twitter, Vine Coming to Xbox One By End of 2014|url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/hbo-go-twitter-vine-coming-to-xbox-one-by-end-of-2014/1100-6420087/|author=Eddie Makuch|website=[[GameSpot]]|publisher=[[CBS Interactive]]|date=June 4, 2014|access-date=May 12, 2020}}</ref> [[Roku]] devices;<ref>{{cite web|title=Introducing Roku LT and a Sneak Peek at HBO GO|url=http://blog.roku.com/blog/2011/10/11/introducing-roku-lt-and-a-sneak-peek-at-hbo-go/|website=[[Roku]]|date=October 11, 2011|access-date=May 12, 2020|archive-date=October 20, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020182330/http://blog.roku.com/blog/2011/10/11/introducing-roku-lt-and-a-sneak-peek-at-hbo-go/|url-status=dead}}</ref> and most [[Samsung]] Smart TV models.<ref>{{cite web|title=HBO Go now available on select Samsung Smart TVs|url=https://www.theverge.com/2012/2/17/2804413/hbo-go-samsung-smart-tv|author=Andrew Webster|website=[[The Verge]]|publisher=[[Vox Media]]|date=February 17, 2012|access-date=May 11, 2020}}</ref> Content available on HBO Go included theatrically released films (sourced from the network's pay television contractual windows for recent studio releases and from library content agreements with film distributors) and HBO original programming (including scripted series, made-for-cable movies, comedy specials, documentaries, and sports documentary and magazine programs).<ref>{{cite web|title=Eyes-on with HBO GO|url=http://hd.engadget.com/2010/02/17/eyes-on-with-hbo-go/|author=Ben Drawbaugh|website=[[Engadget]]|publisher=[[AOL]]|date=February 17, 2010|access-date=October 5, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120925090432/http://hd.engadget.com/2010/02/17/eyes-on-with-hbo-go/|archive-date=September 25, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> HBO Go, along with companion service HBO Now and HBO Max, did not provide live simulcasts of the seven linear HBO channels. (HBO and Cinemax are the only American premium television services not to include live network feeds in their proprietary streaming VOD platforms.) Based on the prototype HBO on Broadband service that was originally launched in January 2008 to linear HBO subscribers of Time Warner Cable's [[Green Bay, Wisconsin|Green Bay]] and [[Milwaukee|Milwaukee, Wisconsin]] systems, HBO Go launched nationwide on February 18, 2010, initially available to existing HBO subscribers signed with [[Verizon FiOS]].<ref>{{cite web|title=HBO GO heads to FiOS|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hbo-go-heads-fios-20758|author=Georg Szalai|periodical=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=February 17, 2010|access-date=October 5, 2012}}</ref> Initially carrying 1,000 hours of program content available for streaming in standard or high definition, the on-demand streaming service was conceived as a TV Everywhere platform marketed exclusively to existing subscribers of the linear HBO television service. (The HBO Go website and mobile apps, including its apps for streaming devices such as Roku and Apple TV, and some [[video game console]]s, required a password accompanying a linear HBO subscription by a participating television provider to access content on the service.) On June 12, 2020, WarnerMedia announced that HBO Go's mobile and [[digital media player]] apps would be discontinued in the U.S. on July 31, as most traditional and virtual MVPDs have secured distribution deals for HBO Max. Those providers that have not yet made an HBO Max deal continue to allow customer access to HBO Go (mainly [[Altice USA]]'s brands, [[Mediacom]], smaller cable providers, and closed-circuit university television systems which had not had personnel available during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] to contractually transfer their credentials to HBO Max), though only through the HBO Go desktop website. The "HBO Go" moniker remains in use as the brand for HBO's streaming platforms in select Asian markets until it would be also rebranded directly into [[Max (streaming service)|Max]] in fall-2024.<ref name="cnet-bookending">{{cite web|title=HBO is getting rid of HBO Go, renaming HBO Now since HBO Max is live|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/hbo-max-is-getting-rid-of-hbo-go-renaming-hbo-now-since-hbo-max-is-live/|author=Joan E. Solsman|website=CNET|publisher=CBS Interactive|date=June 12, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Maas |first=Jennifer |date=April 12, 2023 |title=Warner Bros. Discovery Unveils 'Max': Everything Revealed at Combined HBO Max-Discovery+ Streaming Presentation |url=https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/max-streaming-service-hbo-warner-discovery-1235579785/ |website=Variety |language=en-US |access-date=April 24, 2023}}</ref> ====HBO Now==== {{main|HBO Now}} [[File:HBONOW-logo.svg|thumb|Former HBO Now logo, used from April 7, 2015, until July 31, 2020.]] HBO Now (formally named HBO from August to December 2020) was an [[Over-the-top media service|over-the-top (OTT)]] subscription streaming service that provided on-demand access to HBO's library of original programming and theatrical films, and was marketed independent of a pay television subscription to the linear HBO service as a standalone platform targeting [[Cord-cutting|cord cutters]].<ref name=verge-hbonow>{{cite web|title=HBO Now coming in April for $14.99 per month, Apple TV price cut to $69|url=https://www.theverge.com/2015/3/9/8175619/hbo-now-announced|author=Chris Welch|website=[[The Verge]]|publisher=[[Vox Media]]|date=March 9, 2015|access-date=May 11, 2020}}</ref> HBO Now was available online and as apps for Apple iOS and Apple TV devices;<ref name="gigaom-hbonow">{{cite web |author=Janko Roettgers |date=March 9, 2015 |title=HBO officially announces April launch of HBO Now at Apple event |url=https://gigaom.com/2015/03/09/hbo-officially-announces-launch-of-hbo-now-at-apple-event/ |access-date=May 12, 2020 |website=[[Gigaom]] |archive-date=March 9, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150309231040/https://gigaom.com/2015/03/09/hbo-officially-announces-launch-of-hbo-now-at-apple-event/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Android tablets, phones and Android TV devices; Amazon Fire TV;<ref>{{cite web|title=HBO Now moves beyond Apple, arrives on Android and Amazon devices|url=https://www.theverge.com/2015/7/16/8911801/hbo-now-arrives-on-amazon-devices|website=The Verge|date=July 16, 2015|access-date=May 12, 2020}}</ref> [[Roku]] devices;<ref name="cr-waystowatchhbo">{{cite web|title=All the Ways You Can Watch HBO|url=https://www.consumerreports.org/movies-tv/ways-to-watch-hbo/|author=James K. Willcox|periodical=[[Consumer Reports]]|date=May 11, 2020|access-date=May 12, 2020}}</ref> Xbox consoles ([[Xbox 360]] and [[Xbox One]]);<ref>{{cite web|title=HBO Now launches on Xbox One, 360, ending winter for Game of Thrones fans|url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/04/hbo-now-launches-on-xbox-one-360-ending-winter-for-game-of-thrones-fans/|website=Ars Technica|date=April 22, 2016|access-date=May 12, 2020}}</ref> PlayStation consoles ([[PlayStation 3]] and later);<ref>{{cite web|title=HBO and Cinemax Coming to PS Vue, HBO NOW Launching Soon on PS4, PS3|url=http://blog.us.playstation.com/2016/09/15/hbo-and-cinemax-coming-to-ps-vue-hbo-now-launching-soon-on-ps4-ps3/|website=PlayStation.Blog|publisher=[[Sony Computer Entertainment]]|date=September 15, 2016|access-date=May 12, 2020}}</ref> and select TiVo devices;<ref>{{cite web|title=TiVo DVRs will lose HBO app at the end of August|url=https://www.fiercevideo.com/video/tivo-dvrs-will-lose-hbo-app-at-end-august|author=Ben Munson|website=Fierce Video|publisher=Questex LLC|date=August 27, 2020|access-date=December 16, 2020|archive-date=January 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123140329/https://www.fiercevideo.com/video/tivo-dvrs-will-lose-hbo-app-at-end-august|url-status=dead}}</ref> and as a premium add-on through Amazon Prime Video, [[Sling TV]],<ref>{{cite news|title=HBO is coming to Sling TV this month|url=https://www.theverge.com/2015/4/1/8326089/hbo-coming-to-sling-tv|author=Chris Welch|website=The Verge|date=April 1, 2015|access-date=May 12, 2020}}</ref> AT&T TV and [[Hulu]].<ref name="cr-waystowatchhbo"/> On October 15, 2014, HBO announced plans to launch an OTT subscription streaming service in 2015, which would be distributed as a standalone offering that does not require an existing television subscription to access the content.<ref>{{cite news|title=HBO to offer its programming over the Internet|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-hbo-time-warner-internet-online-program-20141016-story.html|author=Meg James|author2=Ryan Faughnder|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=October 16, 2014|access-date=October 16, 2014}}</ref><ref name="deadline-hbogoitalone">{{cite news|title=HBO To Launch Stand-Alone Online Service, Without Cable, In 2015: Time Warner Investor Day|url=https://deadline.com/2014/10/richard-plepler-time-warner-investor-day-hbo-ceo-presentation-851815/|author=David Lieberman|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|date=October 15, 2014|access-date=October 16, 2014}}</ref><ref name="atlantic-goitalone">{{cite magazine|title=HBO Go-It-Alone: There Goes the Cable Bundle?|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/10/hbo-go-it-alone-there-goes-the-cable-bundle/381489/|author=Derek Thompson|magazine=[[The Atlantic]]|date=October 15, 2014|access-date=October 16, 2014}}</ref> The service, HBO Now, was unveiled on March 9, 2015, and officially launched one month later on April 7.<ref name="gigaom-hbonow"/><ref name="verge-hbonow"/><ref name="verge-hbonow-launched">{{cite web|title=HBO Now launches on Apple TV|url=https://www.theverge.com/2015/4/7/8362229/hbo-now-available-now-apple-tv|author=Chris Welch|website=The Verge|date=April 7, 2015}}</ref><ref name="hbonow_launch">{{cite web|title='HBO Now' Goes Live|url=http://www.multichannel.com/news/tv-apps/hbo-now-goes-live/389517#sthash.gEGufCmc.dpuf|author=Jeff Baumgartner|periodical=Multichannel News|date=April 7, 2015}}</ref> The service was initially available via Apple Inc. to Apple TV and iOS devices for a three-month exclusivity period following its formal launch, before becoming available for subscription through other participating [[Internet service provider]]s.<ref name="gigaom-hbonow"/><ref name="verge-hbonow"/> Available for $15 per month, HBO Now was identical to the former HBO Go in terms of content and features. New episodes of the HBO series were made available for streaming on the initial airdate and usually uploaded at the normal airtime, of their original broadcast on the main linear HBO channel.<ref>{{cite news|title=Tech Test: There are plenty of options for HBO online, not enough time|url=http://www.columbian.com/news/2015/apr/26/there-are-plenty-of-options-for-hbo-online-not-eno/|author=Anick Jesdanun|agency=Associated Press|newspaper=[[The Columbian]]|date=April 26, 2015}}</ref> By February 2019, subscribership of HBO Now subscribers had reached over 8 million customers.<ref>{{cite web|title=Number of HBO Now subscribers 2019|url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/539290/hbo-now-subscribers/|website=Statista|access-date=February 26, 2020}}</ref> On June 12, 2020, WarnerMedia announced that HBO Now would be rebranded solely as HBO on August 1. Following HBO Max's launch, the HBO streaming service had served as the network's default OTT platform for Roku customers, as WarnerMedia has not yet signed deals to distribute HBO Max on that platform; until its replacement by HBO Max on those platforms in November 2020, it also served as a default HBO OTT service for Amazon Fire and Fire TV customers.<ref name="cnet-bookending"/> As a consequence of an agreement with WarnerMedia announced the day before offering HBO Max on Roku devices starting the following day, the HBO streaming service was discontinued on December 17, 2020.<ref name="wrap-hbomaxroku">{{cite web|title=HBO Max Finally Agrees to Deal With Roku Ahead of 'Wonder Woman 1984' Debut|url=https://www.thewrap.com/hbo-max-finally-agrees-to-deal-with-roku-ahead-of-wonder-woman-1984-debut/|author=Tim Baysinger|website=The Wrap|date=December 16, 2020}}</ref> ====Max==== {{main|Max (streaming service)}} [[File:Max logo.svg|thumb|Max logo|alt=Max logo.svg]] Max (formerly known as HBO Max) is an over-the-top subscription streaming service operated by Warner Bros. Discovery Global Streaming and Interactive Entertainment built mainly around HBO's programming and other Warner Bros. Discovery assets. Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page