HBO Added to 'Apple TV Channels' in Latest iOS 12.3 and tvOS 12.3 Betas

I guess I still don't really understand the need for the "TV" app on the Apple TV. It seems redundant. Why wouldn't I just got to the HBO Now app?

I understand it aggregates content across apps/channels, but that seems like a mess to me. I guess it just isn't the way I watch TV/video content... maybe it's just me; I guess I am getting a little old.

quick, someone test to see how good Game of Thrones looks vs. HBO Go/Now vs. Amazon Prime streaming! I've had terrible luck streaming HBO (Game of Thrones) via DirecTV Now so I'd be curious to see how this looks and if episodes will be available 9pm EST.

Was testing this a bit last night. Tv app had much better looking picture. Bitrate peaks about 2mb higher and is much more stable throughout.

Initial impression is quite good.

I guess I still don't really understand the need for the "TV" app on the Apple TV. It seems redundant. Why wouldn't I just got to the HBO Now app?

I understand it aggregates content across apps/channels, but that seems like a mess to me. I guess it just isn't the way I watch TV/video content... maybe it's just me; I guess I am getting a little old.

let me explain:

imagine you watch 100 different channels. in a future world, where every channel will be an app, you would have 100 different apps only for TV.
now imagine this apps: some good but some poorly developed and maintained. this and the mess of 100 different apps in every device you have, only for watching tv...

now imagine this scenario:

you have ONE app, one native appp well developed by Apple. and inside all your subscriptions, like normal channels in a tv.
it is a much cleaner and simpler idea and concept.

i hope this becomes a huge success. i love apple's simpler way of doing things.

HBO are a joke. I have DirectTV Now and they jacked the price from $4.99/month up to $14.99/month right before GOT started on all platforms. They are going to lose so many subscribers once the season is over.

It's AT&T that's a joke. They own both.

Netflix, stop trying to produce as many originals as possible. Produce fewer high quality shows and lower the price.

Absolutely not. Making original content is literally a matter of survival for Netflix.

Many years ago Netflix was getting great content for pennies on the dollar. Netflix could afford to be cheap, so they were. Then the content owners wised up to streaming, and starting charging Netflix appropriate rates. Netflix had to raise rates. This is part of the higher price.

But here's the important bit.

The content owners started to refuse to put their premium content on Netflix. Why let someone else make money off of your content when you can make that money yourself? We see this with HBO, Showtime, AMC, Hulu, even CBS.

Some content owners are keeping not just premium content, but all content for themselves. Disney for example is planning on doing exactly this whenever and wherever their contracts expire.

So once all content owners are keeping their best content (or all content) for their own exclusive channels, what exactly is Netflix supposed to show? Without their own content, Netflix would be relegated to leftovers that all the content owners don't care about. Netflix would be screwed and become the next Blockbuster.

Netflix, of course, is well aware of this trend. Their plan, started many years ago, was to become the next HBO. In other words, make their own original content that would attract and keep subscribers, and then bulk up the catalog with whatever revolving third party offerings they can get at the moment.

Why would I pay Apple to subscribe to HBO when I can just subscribe to HBO directly via HBO Now and let them have all the money instead of Apple taking a cut?

I like Apple products and all but would rather the company producing the content I watch to get all my money.

Actually that is better for some people because you can load up iTunes gift cards at 20% off most of the time. Where do you get HBO Now for 20% off?