Hollywood news banter: HBO Max launch disappoints

HBO’s new streaming service, HBO Max, added 4 million subscribers last quarter. The number may have suffered due to confusion over what the service offers, as well as a lack of support from Amazon and Roku devices.

HBO Max is free for customers who subscribe to HBO through their cable company, but the majority of the network’s 26 million subscribers have yet to sign up for the streaming service. Roku and Amazon Fire have not added support for HBO Max.

HBO Max includes content from HBO and other networks. The company also offers similar services: HBO Go, which allows subscribers to watch HBO content on demand; and HBO Now, a standalone on-demand subscription service.

In other entertainment news, Major League Baseball officially returned on Thursday night, as the New York Yankees defeated the Washington Nationals in a game that ended early due to inclement weather. Fans were not allowed to attend the game, but Fox added computer-animated fans to the broadcast.

Fox is hoping to capitalize on sports fans who have been eagerly awaiting the return of MLB to sell more ads. The network has sold out its advertising inventory for the three games it is broadcasting on Saturday, and 90% of its inventory for the remainder of the regular baseball season is already sold.