History of HBO

http://play.hbonow.com

The HBO Now website, which launched in 2015 and was made unnecessary by the 2020 launch of HBO Max, has finally been closed down. It now redirects to HBO Max.

In a few hours, as of May 23, HBO will become a brand name subsidiary of Max. I know there’s really very little that changes for now, but it feels like a big deal. For decades, it was the special channel you could pay a significant amount of money to your cable company for no commercials, a hit movie every Saturday (remember that long intro?), top quality programs, no worries about commercials or ratings or bleeped words. Now, it’ll be “HBO presents…” on a few shows surrounded by lesser Max shows and cable offshoots and whatever Discovery provides.

Less noticed but almost as significant, Showtime becomes a subsidiary brand of Paramount+, and its offerings will shrink as Yellowjackets and Dexter run their course.

Cable TV may not be dead, but that cable box is looking an awful lot like the answering machine next to your landline in 1998. I hope there will still be room for another Succession, Sopranos, The Wire, and other unforgettable shows that got everybody talking about that special cable channel you had to pay for.