HBOMax Explained and Streaming Service 2022 Year End Review!

[Rabulias]

They might be thinking that some other streaming service will want to carry some of those shows and pay a licensing fee. I especially hope for The Nevers to get picked up somewhere so we can see the last six episodes.

 

[GreyLord]

They might be thinking that some other streaming service will want to carry some of those shows and pay a licensing fee. I especially hope for The Nevers to get picked up somewhere so we can see the last six episodes.

According to a report I heard over the radio today, they are thinking about licensing out shows that they have removed from HBO and letting others run them with ads on their streaming sites. The Focus of the discussion seemed to center around Westworld, but there were a few others tossed into the discussion as well.

Also a LITTLE bit on contracting out the creation of shows (or even more seasons of certain shows if I understood right) by other companies to then stream with revenue in some fashion from that going to DiscoveryWB and such

 

[trappedslider]

Well there goes that HBO Max Removing Several Beloved DC Cartoons

 

[Mercurius]

One service you never mention, that is worth checking out, is AMC+. On its own it isn't great, but it is cheap ($1.99 promo, and I think $4.99 after that), and also includes the Sundance Channel (if you like high-brow and/or obscure stuff) and Shudder (if you like shlocky horror). So you end up getting a lot of bang for your buck.

Anyhow, Netflix and Amazon Prime are the only services that I pay for and don't occasionally cancel and then renew, though I feel some guilt at keeping Prime due to Amazon's shoddy business practices. Hulu would be a step down, but with a solid catalogue. HBO Max still has some good stuff coming out, despite its problems - but certainly isn't what it was a few years ago.

I'm completely exhausted with all things MCU and Star Wars, so only had Disney+ for the promo. I watched a season and a half of the Mandalorian, and then realized, "I'm really tired of Star Wars" and cancelled without finishing it, or watching Andor. Similarly with Paramount+: I got it to catch up on Trek, watched two and a half seasons of Discovery before becoming disenchanted, never touched Picard. I enjoyed the few episodes of Strange New Worlds but didn't finish it before cancelling...will probably go back to it.

Starz is cheap, but reminds me a bit of cable tv of the 80s and 90s (and presumably now): lots of movies, but never the ones you want to see (though I subscribed to it for the cheap promo so we could watch Love Actually).

Finally, Apple+. Definitely takes the cake on "quality over quantity"...but this also makes it a streaming service to, well, stream - like fantasy baseball pitchers. So I've got it now, watched and enjoyed Slow Horses, have a few more series I want to check out--and await the second season of the under-appreciated Invasion (I love slow-burn alien invasion stuff) with some anticipation, as well as the upcoming Wool and other series. Oh yeah, Severance was probably the best show I've seen in awhile. In other words, Apple+ plus is sort of like a trimmed down HBO circa 2015. But until they develop a catalogue, I can see going on an alternating three-months-on, three-months-off cycle.

If there could only be two, I'd probably go with Netflix and Apple+, at least for a few months before swapping it for something else.

So for me, the power rankings would be:

1. Netflix: Hard to beat its catalogue, plus has a fair amount of European/Nordic dramas, which I like. There's enough new stuff that comes out, though the downside of the large catalogue is that there's a lot of dreck to sort through.
2. Apple+: Best quality, wish they had a bit more back catalogue and/or select films.
3. Amazon Prime: Second to Netflix in catalogue, with enough unique content to spice things up. Like Netflix, a lot of dreck - but some of that is pleasantly indy stuff...I'm pretty sure you can just post your own film, like Kindle.
4. HBO Max: Would have been #1 a few years ago, and still worth holding onto, but slipping. And now we have cooking and reality shows to wade through. Urgh.
5. Hulu: One of the Big Three in terms of catalogue, a few original gems, but a solid step down from NF/AP.
6. AMC+: Great bang for buck, though somewhat limited. Definitely one that I'll have for a few months and then cancel.
7. Paramount+: First of the Mehs. Trek just isn't enough, especially the new stuff.
8. Starz: Would be good to have if you were home sick for a week, but otherwise...
9. Disney+: Maybe if I wanted to re-and-re-and-re-watch MCU and still loved Star Wars, plus my kids are teens now, so no cigar.

Other services I might "stream in" for a time are Showtime (gotta finish up Ray Donovan) and Peacock (might as well give it a shot at some point).