It's odd that the HBO Max app doesn't include a live stream of at least the original HBO linear channel. But then I thought it was odd that the old HBO Now app didn't either.
The Showtime (standalone OTT) and Showtime Anytime (cable authenticated) apps have always included live streams of the east and west feeds of the original Showtime linear channel. I currently subscribe to the Epix Now (standalone OTT) app and it has live streams of all four Epix channels (Epix, Epix 2, Epix Hits and Epix Drive-In). I assume that their Epix (cable authenticated) app does too.
Maybe HBO didn't want to step on their MVPD partners' toes too much when they launched HBO Now as a direct-to-consumer standalone service. "This new HBO Now thing is purely an on-demand service -- we're leaving distribution of the actual HBO channels as something for just our cable partners." Except that they also allow Prime Video, which isn't an MVPD at all, to distribute the HBO linear channels as part of the HBO add-on. Or maybe it was just that HBO didn't want to bother with the incremental cost of including live streams in their own apps? But I can't imagine it costs much.
At any rate, before HBO Max was launched last spring, AT&T leaders were talking about it eventually absorbing the AT&T TV Now service, i.e. offering a contract-free bundle of live cable channels that could be added to the base on-demand service, much like Hulu has been doing for years now. Sounded like that feature might be added in 2021. It would definitely be odd for the HBO Max app to offer live channels like ABC, NBC, CNN, TBS, USA, Discovery, ESPN, and Nickelodeon but not HBO, HBO 2, HBO Family, etc.
But now that AT&T TV Now has essentially been folded into the flagship AT&T TV service, I'd say it's up in the air whether HBO Max ever offers a live cable bundle add-on. But aside from the concept of an add-on live channel package, there was
separate talk from AT&T about HBO Max hosting select live programming, such as Turner sports and CNN news, as part of the app/service. But all that talk was before Kilar (former Hulu CEO) came on board at AT&T to run their streaming operations.
So, who knows, it's still possible that we see the app's UI rejiggered a bit in the coming months to include a Live section that might include one or more of the HBO linear channels. I really can't see what the downside would be for them to do it. IMO, it could only increase the average time spent inside the app.
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