HBO Go is officially dead as WarnerMedia is shutting down the streaming service along with rebranding HBO Now under HBO Max.
After 10 years, WarnerMedia is shuttering HBO Go and shutting the premium cabler’s original streaming service down in July. In May, the parent company launched the new streaming service which features HBO Go and HBO Now’s entire library, along with many new additions from Warner Bros., all 10 seasons of Friends, a rotating list of DC Extended Universe films, and even many of Studio Ghibli’s critically acclaimed children’s films.
WarnerMedia released an official statement explaining the long-running app’s closure and the company’s shift as it prioritizes its new streamer moving forward.
“Now that HBO Max has launched and is widely distributed, we can implement some significant changes to our app offering in the U.S. As part of that plan, we will be sunsetting our HBO GO service in the U.S. We intend to remove the HBO GO app from primary platforms as of July 31, 2020.”
In addition, WarnerMedia has also opted to rebrand HBO Now, the premium cabler’s streaming service which served as an answer for cable cutters who didn’t have a traditional cable account required to access its original service.
“Most customers who have traditionally used HBO GO to stream HBO programming are now able to do so via HBO Max, which offers access to all of HBO together with so much more. Additionally, the HBO NOW app and desktop experience will be rebranded to HBO. Existing HBO NOW subscribers will have access to HBO through the rebranded HBO app on platforms where it remains available and through play.hbo.com. HBO Max provides not only the robust offering of HBO but also a vast WarnerMedia library and acquired content and originals through a modern product.”
While the launch was for Max described as lackluster by analysts, the new streaming service just added over 120 new titles earlier this month. The new service is also developing several new DC-related properties including a Justice League Dark project from JJ Abrams, and a Green Lantern series from Greg Berlanti, which has been teased to have a higher level of production value compared to Berlanti’s many superhero shows featured on The CW.
WarnerMedia will also be releasing Zack Snyder’s Justice League via the new streamer sometime in 2021. Warner Bros. is expected to put another $20-30 million into the project to bring it to fruition, reassembling the original cast and post-production crew to record additional dialogue, finish the film’s visual effects, and complete the score. However, the format for how the new version of Justice League will be released has not yet been determined. It has been suggested that Snyder’s cut of the film will be dropped as one four-hour film or divided up into six episodes.
Here’s the official synopsis for Zack Snyder’s Justice League:
Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to find and recruit a team of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat. But despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes—Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash—it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.
Directed by Zack Snyder, Justice League stars Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane, Connie Nielsen, J. K. Simmons, and Ciarán Hinds.
Justice League is now available on Blu-Ray, DVD, and Digital HD. Stay tuned to Heroic Hollywood for the latest news on the director’s cut of Justice League and WarnerMedia’s new streaming service as we learn it and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content in the future!
Source: The Wrap
