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In May, HBO launched an app to extend popular content streaming service HBO Go to mobile devices such as the iPhone and iPod touch.
With exclusive content released to HBO Go (I recall crowding around a tiny screen after a True Blood viewing party with three friends to catch the early release of the next week’s episode after the June premiere) and a well-stocked library of content, it’s not surprising that use of the app has skyrocketed to over three million subscribers- a handy percentage of the 28 million total subscribers to the premium cable network. One million users downloaded the app in its first week of availability alone.
HBO has chosen to follow up the success of HBO Go with a similar app for sister premium cable network Cinemax. Cinemax is not nearly as big as HBO with viewers, particularly in the area of sticky original content like HBO’s massive hits The Sopranos, Sex and the City, and Curb Your Enthusiasm as wel as the vampire drama True Blood mentioned earlier. Without a built-in rabid fanbase, it’s unlikely the app will see nearly the same traffic HBO Go, but integration of new technologies may very well build the network’s number of viewers overall.
Also, the launch of the MAX Go app is timed to coincide with the debut of Cinemax’s first primetime series Strike Back. As of Friday, MAX Go is available for download on iPhone, iPad, the iPod touch and several Android devices, and is accessible to subscribers on Charter, Cox, Verizon FiOS, AT&T U-Verse, Suddenlink, DIRECTV and DISH Network- Cablevision/Optimum Online and Comcast subscribers are currently out of luck.
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