2011 – 2020retired
Angry Birds Rio
“The birds flew home to Rio, and honestly, who could blame them.”
“It cut the cord so we didn't have to. Rest easy, pioneer.”
Launched on April 7, 2015, HBO Now was the streaming service that finally let cord cutters get HBO without a cable subscription — just the library of original programs and films, on phones, tablets, and media players. At a time when Netflix and Hulu ruled the living room, HBO Now was the network's declaration that its shows alone were worth paying for. By February 2018, five million subscribers had agreed.
On May 27, 2020, HBO Max arrived, folding in content from Warner Bros. and the rest of WarnerMedia, and HBO Now — briefly renamed simply HBO — was retired on December 17, 2020. The transition wasn't entirely smooth; Roku didn't come to terms until mid-December, making fans wait for the handoff. But it went out as a predecessor, not a casualty, its subscribers carried over at no extra cost.
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“The birds flew home to Rio, and honestly, who could blame them.”
“It kept 50,000 of your songs safe, then quietly handed the aux cable to YouTube Music”
“The login worked everywhere except the reason you got it.”