Adverts on HBO Max

[paulcollard1]

I have the EE TV package with an EE box and TNT Sports Premium including Ultimate. When on Discovery the highlight clips of football matches could be accessed advert free as it was a premium package. Now on HBO Max you have only negotiated a basic package which means there are adverts to trawl through before accessing these highlight clips and I regard this as a downgrade of my TV package half way through my 24 month contract which you haven't informed me about. What can you do about this?

[Minkey1]

@paulcollard1 

You didn’t have HBO Max when you contacted.

HBOM with ads has just been added free of charge.

Don’t like it? Don’t use it 🤷🏼

[zulu17]

As far as I am aware TNT Sports  content on HBO Max is the same as TNT Sports content previously supplied to discovery + and is not directly related to any other HBO subscription for other content you may have , ie the TNT Sports content would be the same irrespective as to whether you have HBO Max Basic/Standard/premium or  indeed no other HBO Max subscription. 

[DarrenDev]

@paulcollard1 there's no such thing as a "Sport with ads" subscription - TNT Sports content shouldn't be showing any ads.

Could you please give an example of a specific video you're watching that is forcing an advert? Also confirm what device you're using to watch it?

[zulu17]

HI @DarrenDev  I suspect @paulcollard1  is referring to to the Items like the 3 minute football Premier League highlights which seem on HBO Max app on Box Pro  and iPad etc  to have between zero , one or two   (Ten second)  ads  playing .

iPad example of content in image

iPad HBO Max app 28March26

[DarrenDev · Accepted solution]

Thanks @zulu17 - I stand corrected.  The HBO announcement does specifically state the following:

Channels, live events and replays (where included in your plan) and all sports contain ads. All plans may include sponsorship and Cross-Promotional Content.

[Steweylewey]

I have TNT Sports as an included add-on on a mobile contract.

I am pretty sure there were no adverts on Discovery+, but there are on HBO Max.

I too consider this a downgrade and I want it sorted ASAP.

[paulcollard1]

Thanks Steweylewey for confirming the same experience as I'm having. The HBO announcement isn't a solution, it just confirms the ads are there. The point is we didn't have ads preceding highlight sports clips when TNT was on Discovery+ in the Premium package and the service has changed to be ad supported on HBO Max, because the contract with HBO Max is for the basic package, not the ad free Premium package. This is a downgrade of the TNT package Im getting mid way through my contract.

[Matt_124]

@Steweylewey 

As you have this as an Inclusive Extra on a mobile plan, your issue is not the same as those committed to an EE TV Package.  Please see the below extract from the T&Cs.

"We may at any time change the range of Inclusive Extras available, the content of Inclusive Extras or the minimum length of time each must be active for. We will try to notify active users of the affected Inclusive Extra if we do this but are not obliged to."

https://ee.co.uk/help/terms-and-conditions/add-ons/inclusive-extras

EE can make changes at any time to the offered Inclusive Extras, including removal of them. There is no contract clause against a "downgrade" and EE has no obligation to "sort" anything in this case.

[zulu17]

I don't think the issue that HBO Max is streaming  adds ahead of its sports content including its  short 3 mins typical football highlights is related to any EE action  but rather it is being applied to all customers . They are adopting a different approach to how discovery+ were operating. It is also very difficult for customer to raise issue with HBO Max as their AI driven website seems to reroute you around in circles (or figures of eight) and is a very frustrating experience.

Whilst HBO Max may be entitled to broadcast adds the volume/duration of adds relative to provided content is where currently the balance does not seem appropriate. It would be good to provide feedback to them and for them to adopt a more commonsense approach that doesn't alienate viewers.

Streaming of live channels and the replays of those live broadcasts would typically have had adverts embedded and programme sponsorship announcements are commonplace. Streaming arbitrary adverts ahead of the sport programming streaming was not previously typically. I wonder whether these are considered HBO adverts rather than TNT Sports adverts.