HBO Max

More than one year since HBO launched HBO Max, it’s now following an Apple TV+ strategy. The streaming service will start to offer free episodes of its best TV shows for non-subscribers. According to a blog post by WarnerMedia, starting now, “potential new subscribers in the US” are offered “the opportunity to watch select episodes of some of the platform’s most popular programming in-app before they sign up.”

When WarnerMedia launched its new expanded streaming service, HBO Max, earlier this year, HBO simultaneously stopped participating in Apple TV Channels. This meant that new subscribers could not sign up for HBO through Apple TV Channels, but existing subscribers could continue to access their subscriptions.

HBO appears to have flipped a switch today, however, that completely shuts off access to HBO via Apple TV Channels, including the ability to sign in using your Apple TV Channels subscription information.

Following the HBO Max launch, HBO has decided to leave Apple TV Channels — which let users subscribe to and watch HBO content directly in the Apple TV app. Unfortunately, it seems that the experience with its own app has been disappointing users, as a recent report notes that the latest version of the HBO Max app for tvOS “breaks several key features.”