The HBO GO/MAX GO Beta Trial Starts Today « Time Warner Cable Untangled

Jan 04 2012

The HBO GO/MAX GO Beta Trial Starts Today

We’re all pretty excited to finally be delivering HBO GO/MAX GO to our customers after a short beta trial. That trial starts today and should last several days, with the HBO GO/MAX GO app available to all customers soon thereafter.

Time Warner Cable’s SignatureHome customers will comprise the test group for this beta trial. Starting a little later this afternoon, we will email all our SignatureHome customers who are also HBO/Cinemax subscribers a link that will allow them to log in and commence our beta test. The email will go to the email address that we have on record for those customers’ My Services account.

If you are a SignatureHome customer with an HBO/Cinemax subscription, all you need to do is click on the link in the email and enter your MyServices username and password. Alternately, you can go here:

HBO GO beta link
MAX GO beta link

Access to the beta test will not work UNLESS you are a SignatureHome customer with an HBO/Cinemax subscription.

I’ve gotten a lot of tweets, emails, and comments from customers volunteering to participate in our early public beta, and I really appreciate all the interest. The decision to go with SignatureHome customers for our Beta trial doesn’t rest with me, though, but the reasoning makes perfect sense:

People want this app as quickly as possible – the input that I’ve been getting from our customer base hit its peak six months ago, and it’s been at a steady, high gush ever since.

Rather than spend time aggregating a large list of volunteers across our footprint, vetting them against various eligibility requirements, and making sure that each of our markets is equally represented to arrive at a final approved master list, we’re going with all SignatureHome Customers. This will allow us to take a representative sampling from across all markets – which have varied tech infrastructures – without overloading our systems.

Many of you will be wondering why we’re conducting a beta trial, too. It’s required prior to full launch, and it makes sense. Every cable system is a little different. Comcast and Dish just work differently from one another, and from Time Warner Cable. We’d like to take a little time up front to make sure that, if there are any glitches, we iron them out before all of the people who have been eagerly waiting for the product pile on and potentially magnify a less-than optimal (and avoidable) experience.

This beta trial is currently limited to PC/Mac and laptop access. In order to conduct a limited trial, we have isolated access during this period to the HBO GO/MAX GO beta websites, accessible via PCs/Macs and laptops. Once we confirm that Time Warner Cable’s authentication systems are working properly with the HBO GO/MAX GO services, we will broaden access to all HBO/Cinemax subscribers with a Time Warner Cable username and password, and allow access from PCs/Macs, laptops, iPhones, iPads, and Android smartphones.

And, once again, we are working very hard to learn what we can and make this beta test as brief as possible so that all of our customers can finally enjoy HBO GO.

Categories: Android, Content Delivery, Cool Stuff, Customer Care, Future of the Industry, Product Launches, TV Everywhere, What's New

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16 Responses to “The HBO GO/MAX GO Beta Trial Starts Today”

Joe Siegler
Jan 04, 2012
at 2:24 pm

5Whatever happened to getting ESPN3.com working on Xbox LIVE? It’s been over a YEAR – and it’s still “coming soon”.
Matt
Jan 04, 2012
at 2:56 pm

I appreciate the openness and communication with the current status.
Last month, we were told that ‘next month’ the beta would roll out, with a quick turnaround to open the service up to everyone.

With the continued attention of TWC, they keep me as a customer.

Let the day arrive soon when all HBO subscribers are created equal!
5w30
Jan 05, 2012
at 12:43 am

Maybe if you can get basic cable service down pat, audio that goes with video, video that’s not the color black [ESPN on Wednesday for no audio, SNY for black on Wednesday] and your member-measuring fight with MSG, maybe you can try HBO. Most of the time you don’t get that right [on-demand services working 50% of the time]
Time to cut the cable and go DirecTV or FiOS if available. You’ll get more for less.
Brad White
Jan 05, 2012
at 10:20 am

What about the Roku HBOgo Channel ?

So the whole family can watch together ?
Georgina
Jan 05, 2012
at 5:15 pm

Jeff,

I appreciate the post! I have one quick question: will you define “several days”? I am so anxious to watch the third season of Entourage on the HBO GO app on my iPad 2 and have been checking the web today and yesterday to see if I could long onto HBO GO with my TWC account. It would really help calm the crowd if TWC set a specific release date for things like this.

Thanks
Jared
Jan 05, 2012
at 6:16 pm

Agreed, i want to know about espn3 on the xbox? way over a year and no mention of any update on TWC part.
Cyssie
Jan 05, 2012
at 8:43 pm

Finally!!! Glad to hear it. However, I want to watch HBO on my TV via Roku. You didn’t mention Roku. So…?
Armando
Jan 06, 2012
at 11:01 am

Jeff,

Will TWC be limiting access to HBOGo on the XBox like you do with ESPN? When will you give us customers access to ESPN on the Xbox?
Derrick Gott
Jan 06, 2012
at 11:17 am

Xbox is about to launch an HBO Go app on their new Dashboard. Will we be able to use our HBO GO with this or will we be left in the dark like with ESPN?

There is a large market being left in the dark by not allowing XBOX access.
Jonathan
Jan 08, 2012
at 1:24 pm

When are you getting Showtime Anytime?
Why don’t you have Showtime Anytime?
How is it that you don’t have Showtime Anytime?
Who is holding up a deal to offer Showtime Anytime?
What are you trying to pull, not offering Showtime Anytime?
Any updates on Showtime Anytime? Do you have it yet?
Happy
Jan 09, 2012
at 5:44 pm

I don’t buy the beta trial for TWC customers, this app has been out for some time now.
Buddy
Jan 10, 2012
at 2:43 am

Just saw a TWC commercial saying its coming in “mid-January”
Jamie
Jan 10, 2012
at 11:23 pm

MAKE HASTE. Also: Showtime Anytime? Yes, please! I renewed HBO specifically because I heard we were finally getting HBO Go. I’d do the same for a Showtime equivalent. I really hope it’s going on XBox, too. I don’t think hooking up a PC to my TV will have quite the same effect.
Cliff McDow
Jan 11, 2012
at 10:03 am

What needs to be done to get HBO via ROKU? It is available for most carrier and not our yet. It says to contact your provider to have this added? Thanks
Christy
Apr 11, 2012
at 3:19 pm

We are TWC customers who signed up for a whole new movie package JUST because we wanted HBO Go on the Roku, only to find out TWC won’t let us have it. If TWC does not allow it soon, we will cancel our cable service altogether. We mostly watch TV on our Roku anyway. The only thing we’ll miss is ESPN.
Martin
May 22, 2012
at 12:16 am

Why does TWC have to be dragged kicking and screaming to get with the times give us paying customers showtime anytime were paying plenty and want to watch how and when we want !!!!!!