A Next Level Network
There is no doubt that HBO is a premier television network with a long history of producing quality programming. Most people would agree that it's one of the best in the business.
Do you really think there is a television network that can compare to HBO in terms of consistently putting out high-quality programming? They have built a reputation for themselves over the years and everything they release usually falls within the same level of exceptional quality.
Some of you are less familiar with HBO, so I'll give a little taste of what they offer. I won't list everything because you would be here all day reading a list. But here's a small preview of what you can expect from HBO: content that is next level.
There are a lot of popular drama series on HBO. These include The Sopranos, Oz, West World, Game of Thrones, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Veep, Real Time with Bill Maher, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, The Larry Sanders Show, and Silicon Valley. In addition to these major series there are a lot of movies and sitcoms that HBO has made. Some people might not think that there is another network that comes close to HBO's content but I think they are wrong.
A televisionary network as legendary and consistent as HBO, however, does not get created overnight. In fact, HBO is the oldest and longest-running pay-based television service in the United States. It was available on the air since November 8, 1972. As of 2016, HBO was valued at a company worth nearly 2 billion dollars and had around 140 million subscribers as of 2018. It is easily one of the top media entities in the world. It's pretty wild to think that this media behemoth all started as the brainchild of one cable pioneer, Charles Dolan.
In 1965, Dolan won a franchise to build a cable TV system in the Lower Manhattan area of New York City. He did so and called it Sterling Information Services. Later it became known as Sterling Manhattan Cable. And later still, Time Warner Cable. This was the first underground cable television system ever put into place in the United States.
Sterling's company lost a lot of money in its first shaky years. Running cable under the streets of New York was far from cheap. It could cost as much as $300,000 per mile, in fact. And in 1971, Sterling's entire base of subscribers totaled 400. Not enough money was coming in to cover the costs of operation. Sterling started to believe his dream may have been doomed.
That was until Sterling collaborated with others and had a brilliant idea to survey citizens around the US on whether they might be interested in paying per channel instead of the traditional package cable network deal. An overwhelming majority of citizens expressed interest, and, so, Sterling and his partners began work on what would come to be called the Home Box Office, alluding to the broadcast of movies that it was to specialize in. And HBO's history continued on as it changed with the times and provides its subscribers a couple of different options for streaming content.
From an Underground Cable System to Wireless Streaming Giant
Today, we're going to take a look at how HBO Go site functions, design, and all that jazz!
Just below the banner, you will see a few buttons. The first one is labeled "Add Series," and this will take you to a page where you can add new shows to your watchlist. The next button, labeled "Watch This Now," takes you to a page that lists all of the currently airing shows on HBO Go. Below that, is another button labeled "DVR." If you click on this button, it will take you to a page where you can manage your DVR recordings.
From the moment you land on HBO Go?s member?s section, you will be impressed with the look and feel of the site. It is designed well - something that would probably be expected from a $2 billion dollar network like HBO, right? At the top of the page, there is a very large banner advertising upcoming content from HBO Go - different suggestions of shows to watch are cascading one after the other, giving you instant access to new content without having to search through lengthy lists. Just below the banner is a few buttons: one called ?Add Series? which enables you to add new Shows to your Watchlist; another called ?Watch This Now? which takes users directly to episodes of current airing shows; and finally another called ?DVR? which enables users to manage their DVR recordings.
Some of the options on HBO Go are even special playlists that HBO created for its users. For instance, at the time of this review, one such playlist is dedicated to HBO's 2020 Golden Globe nominees (spoiler alert: there are a lot of them!). Another, to give you a bit of a better idea, is a time capsule list of the best HBO content from the early 2000s. HBO Go gives its users plenty of different ways to enjoy its wide array of quality content.
Below the banner you will find a few categories to choose from, with thumbnails spanning the page horizontally if you've used Netflix before. You'll find a Coming Soon section, where you can view trailers for soon to be released content as well as a monthly update of what's new to the service and what's leaving. This is a truly novel feature, and I wish more streaming services would do the same. It can often be frustrating trying to anticipate which of your favorite shows are going to be leaving a streaming site. I appreciate HBO's transparency on the matter. Everybody appreciates a good heads up, right?
The best streaming service out there for all ages is HBO Go. Here, you will be able to stream Sesame Street.
HBO Go is a great site for documentaries, available movies, and standup comedy specials. It's the only place where you can find many of the best classic comedy performances. If you like comedy, HBO Go is a must-have.
One Very Annoying Flaw
Not everything about HBO Go is brilliant and perfect, though. Like every streaming site, HBO Go also has its flaws. And one of the most glaring ones is also one of the most annoying flaws of any streaming site that I have ever used. The media player automatically minimizes when something new auto-plays, so you can't really relax and watch your favorite series while binging on it. You'll have to keep your computer nearby, at the ready, to keep clicking "full-screen" over and over again, with each new episode that plays. This is extremely annoying if you ask me, but maybe I'm just really lazy.
That being said, though, there are some drawbacks to the company of so many strengths. HBO Go is a great streaming companion to any cable or satellite subscription. You can stream it on your computer or take it with you on the app. Regardless of what life throws at you, HBO Go will be ready.
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