HBO has shut down its Apple TV Channel, forcing users to embrace HBO Max instead.
Apple TV Channels is the company’s premium channel service, allowing users to subscribe to premium channels and watch them via the Apple TV app. The billing is also handled via Apple’s ecosystem, rather than paying the content channel directly.
As 9to5Mac reports, HBO had already stopped accepting new subscribers via Apple TV Channels once HBO Max launched. Now the company has even blocked existing subscribers from accessing content, forcing Apple TV users to use HBO Max instead.
Warner Media clearly sees HBO Max as the future of its streaming efforts. Unfortunately, that seems to mean promoting HBO Max exclusively, even at the expense of partnerships that benefit the end user.