HBO Max is preparing to revamp its smart TV apps in a bid to fix issues that have plagued the platform.
HBO Max has quickly become a powerhouse in the streaming TV industry, but that hasn’t translated into a reliable experience for customers. The service has been plagued with issues, from glitchy playback controls to broken subtitles to sluggish performance.
According to Vulture, a WarnerMedia exec has said the problems are partly the result of rapid expansion, combined with adding an ad-supported tier. As any programmer will attest, adding a major new layer to any platform inevitably opens the door to new bugs and issues creeping in. Add in international expansion to 39 new markets, and the problem gets worse.
As Vulture points out, the biggest blame, however, lies with the origins of the app itself. Rather than being built from the ground up, HBO Max is essentially a reworked, heavily modified version of older HBO apps, such as HBO Go and HBO Now. The legacy code has contributed significantly to the existing problems.
The WarnerMedia exec said the company is looking to rectify these issues by rolling out a completely new app, one built from the ground up. It’s a safe bet that’s just what is needed to address the issues and ensure the user experience matches the platform’s impressive content offerings.