Amber Neely
HBO has inched back the choice to pull HBO Now and HBO Go apps from older Apple TV products in late April to give users more time to make updates while dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.
HBO had initially planned on removing its streaming services from second- and third-generation Apple TVs on April 30, but has changed the date for removal due to the outbreak of COVID-19.
HBO Now will remain on the older devices until May 15, and HBO Go app will remain available for "a few additional months," according to an HBO spokesperson.
A spokesperson from HBO had said that the company decided to pull the streaming apps before the pandemic had caused massive lockdowns and stay-at-home orders to be issued in the U.S. The choice to remove the app was cited as business-as-usual.
"We are always working with distribution partners to add new devices and retire devices when needed to make sure we're providing the best streaming experience possible," the spokesperson told Engadget.
If a user isn't in the market for upgrading their Apple TV just yet, there is a workaround for the problem. AppleInsider provides a helpful guide on using your iPhone and AirPlay to stream the content to your older Apple TV.
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4 Comments
So retiring a device so it no longer can stream is the best streaming experience possible?
That is what they said.
What is the rationale for terminating support? Does it cost them significant $$? Security vulnerability/DRM? Why?
Well if HBO Now stops streaming on my AppleTV the solution is easy. I cancel HBO and delete the app. There are plenty of things to watch and do with my Apple TV and $15 I don’t need to spend.
My Apple TV is now officially retired FWIW. In setting up a new master suite TV, and thus moving around connected stuff we have, we decided it was not going to add to anything we did not already use. Shield, yes that stays, Tivo stays too simply for the OTA stuff, Chromecasts no longer needed so they went along with a second-gen Apple TV (my son has no interest in either), and a Roku box we long stopped using.
On a slightly related note I just finished a very lengthy survey for Apple concerning their Apple TV+ service. Very detailed with several pages including my experiences with other streaming services, so kudos to Apple for wanting to figure out why it's not worth subscribing to as is.