Apple refunding HBO subscribers, offers HBO Max discount

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited July 2021
Following the death of HBO's Apple TV Channel, Apple on Thursday offered customers a refund for any unused portion of their subscription and a discount for HBO Max.

HBO Max


HBO officially shuttered its Apple TV Channels for all users earlier today, urging existing subscribers to migrate to its standalone HBO Max app. Apple subsequently informed users of the situation and began to issue refunds.

In an email to subscribers, Apple said HBO customers are eligible to receive a refund or credit for the unused portion of their subscription period. Credit can be used to purchase a subscription to the ad-free version of HBO Max, access to which is being offered at a discounted rate of $9.99 per month for the first three months.

Apple notes the offer is available for a limited time and ends on Sept. 5, 2021.

Redeeming Apple's discount offer directs to an App Store download of HBO Max. User accounts are automatically migrated, complete with saved viewing profiles and watch histories.

HBO was among the first cable providers to integrate with Apple TV Channels when Apple introduced the streaming video product in 2019. At the time, it was the only place HBO users were able to download content for offline viewing.

The cable company pulled out of Apple TV Channels when it debuted its own premium app, HBO Max, on a variety of platforms in 2020. Existing subscribers were allowed to retain access to the service through the Apple TV app until today.

Read on AppleInsider

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 9
    mr lizardmr lizard Posts: 354member
    The refund part I get. 

    Apple plugging a discount offer for HBO I don’t get. 
    byronlwatto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 9
    mknelsonmknelson Posts: 1,120member
    mr lizard said:
    The refund part I get. 

    Apple plugging a discount offer for HBO I don’t get. 
    "Surprise and delight"™
    edited July 2021 byronlFileMakerFellerwatto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 9
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,844member
    mr lizard said:
    The refund part I get. 

    Apple plugging a discount offer for HBO I don’t get. 
    Because it’s lame that we now have to pay the same monthly about (14.99) for less value (no family sharing). Channels were a better product for that reason. So to keep people happy and increase the chance of customers retaining the subscription (and Apple getting a percentage) they offered the promo. 

    It worked - I was annoyed this dropped on me seemingly with no notice, but signed up using the offer. 
    BeatsJapheybyronlFileMakerFellerwatto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 9
    sdw2001sdw2001 Posts: 18,015member
    I’ve never used the channels method anyway.  I’ve used the app since it debuted.  
    byronl
  • Reply 5 of 9
    BeatsBeats Posts: 3,073member
    What harm does supporting the Channels app have? Is it pure jealousy?

    I would have offered a free year of Apple TV+ for the inconvenience. Imagine that? It would have helped a small percentage of people to drop HBO. I really miss Steve Jobs playing hard ball and killing entire rival products for fu**ing with Apple. 
    byronl
  • Reply 6 of 9
    Steve HumistonSteve Humiston Posts: 14unconfirmed, member
    Beats said:
    What harm does supporting the Channels app have? Is it pure jealousy?

    I would have offered a free year of Apple TV+ for the inconvenience. Imagine that? It would have helped a small percentage of people to drop HBO. I really miss Steve Jobs playing hard ball and killing entire rival products for fu**ing with Apple. 

    Hbo wants you to see all the stuff available on HBO MAX and give them your money directly... not sharing money with apple. It's not really that hard to understand what att did.
  • Reply 7 of 9
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,844member
    Beats said:
    What harm does supporting the Channels app have? Is it pure jealousy?

    I would have offered a free year of Apple TV+ for the inconvenience. Imagine that? It would have helped a small percentage of people to drop HBO. I really miss Steve Jobs playing hard ball and killing entire rival products for fu**ing with Apple. 

    Hbo wants you to see all the stuff available on HBO MAX and give them your money directly... not sharing money with apple. It's not really that hard to understand what att did.
    But it still supports in-app purchasing — my new replacement subscription is via my iCloud account, which shades money with Apple. 

    It’s probably about control. Tighter control over user usage data, which they can collect via their app, instead of the native tvOS player used by channels.
    edited July 2021 watto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 9
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,844member
    HBO Max screwed up again — yesterday after the channels shutoff, and after I redeemed the offer to re-subscribe to Max, my Max account failed. I can’t stream, or sign in, or reset the password. Spent an hour and a half on the phone with them before they said tier 3 is aware of the linked accounts issue and working to resolve. The subscription is via iCloud, the app is HBO Max, but the two aren’t talking properly for some users. 

    I was perfectly happy with channels (which supports family sharing) and the tvOS native player. 

    “Our team is currently investigating your in-app purchase issue and hope to have you streaming again soon. We’ve received similar reports of this and are working with Apple to come to a resolution. We currently don’t have an ETA on when this fix will be available, but I’ll reach out with an update when we have new information to share. 

    If you have any additional questions in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to ask. ^CD”
    edited July 2021 watto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 9
    yoyo2222yoyo2222 Posts: 144member
    I recently needed to switch to an AT&T Unlimited cell plan (from an old grandfathered 12GB/mo plan) to get a discounted iPhone to replace a broken one. The plan is a little more expensive but includes free HBOmax that I was paying for via Apple subscription. With that $15/mo the price is nearly a wash compared to my old plan. 
    watto_cobra
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