Hitz replacing Cinemax? Really?

Comcast offers a products at various prices.  I wouldn't say they are better or worse than alternatives.  I pay Xfinity something like $205 per month primarily because of their internet product and it gets most of what my family wants on TV.

The problem is that even thought my family has an Xfinity account, Netflix and Amazon Prime - they are still using other accounts they borrow from their friends for things like Acorn TV and British Channel 4 and even more obtuse things I have never heard of.  And most if it can only be accessed at home and not remotely - and most of it will not let you miracast from ab iPhone to a TV.  It all really, really bad-word-you-cant-use-on-this-forum-that-begins-with-s.

I can't blame Comcast for dropping Cinemax.  Seriously - do they have a choice?

The situation is completely out of hand.

I remember when I was a teenager in Midland Texas and we had ABC, NBC, CBS and PBS and that was it.  And then we got a TV with UHF and got a couple of more over the air local channels.  It was all free and somehow life was simplier and better.  But, I don't think anyone wants to go back to that.

Totally agree with you.  Our Comcast bill is similar to yours - with the TV and internet - and we also have Netflix and Prime Video as well.  We were living large and happy with our "X1 Premier Double Play"  and just finally wanted to be left alone for awhile.  We live in - and I more or less grew up in - the Sacramento TV market.  Just 4 channels like you had - although if we turned our aerial antenna in the right direction we could get SF Bay Area stations too.  Cable TV came along and with it we could get HBO, The Movie Channel (when it was still a good channel) and Showtime.  With those three you could pretty much count on being able to see all the recent movies of the past year - delayed by about six months.  And then the VCR - it finally freed you up to leave the house and not have to miss your favorite TV program.  That's the point in time I would go back to - enough choices without being to complicated.  Although, today's HD is pretty good to have around to.   And Fox News.

---

@SM95350 wrote:

When I say "Hitz" on my voice remote right now, something called "Hits" comes up which is totally different.  What do we do when "Hitz" goes live in mid July?  Is Comcast going to address that - or do we need to get a lesson in proper pronunciation between "Hitz" and "Hits". 

---

That's hilarious

I tried "Hitz Channel" and "Hitz network"...  they didn't work.

I spelled "H - I -T - Z" and got some On-Demand gangster-rap-movie called "Hitz".

One problem is - I don't think Hitz is actually in Xfinity, yet.

The other problem is going to be, that there are scores of things with Hits and Hitz in the name - so, we are probably going to have to say "Hitz network"

Think of it in terms of realistate and Cinimax is prime realistate location. Cinimax has millions of subscribers. How long would it take for a new subscription service to get that many subscribers?

Solution. Replace an existing subscription channel (MAX) with new subcription channel(Hitz). Hitz instantly has millions of subscibers on day #1. 

Why Max and not Starz, or HBO, or SHO? Probably because Hitz is most like Max than others and most likely to retain the Max subscribers. If Hitz had replaced HBO, 50% of subscribers probably would have dropped Hitz along with massive subscriber revolt to bring back HBO. Also, there is likely an existing long term contracts in place with HBO, Starz, and SHO. I would guess the MAX contract expired or comcast simply paid off the contract early. 

---

@nrnoble wrote:

Think of it in terms of realistate and Cinimax is prime realistate location. Cinimax has millions of subscribers. How long would it take for a new subscription service to get that many subscribers?

 

Solution. Replace an existing subscription channel (MAX) with new subcription channel(Hitz). Hitz instantly has millions of subscibers on day #1. 

 

Why Max and not Starz, or HBO, or SHO? Probably because Hitz is most like Max than others and most likely to retain the Max subscribers. If Hitz had replaced HBO, 50% of subscribers probably would have dropped Hitz along with massive subscriber revolt to bring back HBO. Also, there is likely an existing long term contracts in place with HBO, Starz, and SHO. I would guess the MAX contract expired or Comcast simply paid off the contract early. 

 

---

Well, I think you are trying to take this like it is something in the existing cable-TV-package model that needs to be patched.

I just don't see it that way.  I see it as a systemic problem existing in the consumer entertainment industry.  Life for consumers is going to get more complex and more expensive and less satisfying - and, Comcast really can't fix it when you have situations like AT&T buying Cinemax.

A better Comcast strategy is their Flex streaming product which has a $5 per month base entry fee.  Unfortunately you have to also rent the $13 per month Comcast internet router.  So that makes the whole thing a moronic product.  Flex could be Comcast's long-term solution - but, not if it has a stupid Comcast internet router.  Comcast probably is thinking most people do not even know what an internet router is and they can sneek that technical issue past their customers - but, at $13 per month - that isn't going to happen.

---

@truerock2 wrote:

---

@nrnoble wrote:

Think of it in terms of realistate and Cinimax is prime realistate location. Cinimax has millions of subscribers. How long would it take for a new subscription service to get that many subscribers?

 

Solution. Replace an existing subscription channel (MAX) with new subcription channel(Hitz). Hitz instantly has millions of subscibers on day #1. 

 

Why Max and not Starz, or HBO, or SHO? Probably because Hitz is most like Max than others and most likely to retain the Max subscribers. If Hitz had replaced HBO, 50% of subscribers probably would have dropped Hitz along with massive subscriber revolt to bring back HBO. Also, there is likely an existing long term contracts in place with HBO, Starz, and SHO. I would guess the MAX contract expired or Comcast simply paid off the contract early. 

 

---

Well, I think you are trying to take this like it is something in the existing cable-TV-package model that needs to be patched.

 

I just don't see it that way.  I see it as a systemic problem existing in the consumer entertainment industry.  Life for consumers is going to get more complex and more expensive and less satisfying - and, Comcast really can't fix it when you have situations like AT&T buying Cinemax.

 

A better Comcast strategy is their Flex streaming product which has a $5 per month base entry fee.  Unfortunately you have to also rent the $13 per month Comcast internet router.  So that makes the whole thing a moronic product.  Flex could be Comcast's long-term solution - but, not if it has a stupid Comcast internet router.  Comcast probably is thinking most people do not even know what an internet router is and they can sneek that technical issue past their customers - but, at $13 per month - that isn't going to happen.

 

---

I am not suggesting its a good idea or that I even like it. Just explaining that by switching out Max For Hitz is quick way for them to get an instant subscriber base of several million. My personal choice is to keep Max, but I am not all that attached to it. Seems like Hitz is like Starz that plays a lot movies.

It does seem like VOD streaming is becoming more dominate. Nearly all that I watch is either streaming or play back from a DVR. Even when watching live sporting events its often on a 15-20 minute DVR delay so that I can FF past comercials and do my own instant replays. It very rare that I watching Live TV anymore.

Hi megdrex, thank you for reaching back out to our forums and I understand you concern with Cinemax being replaced by Hitz. Every contract includes a certain package of channels and services at a fixed price for a certain period of time. But during the term of the contract, specific channels may be added, changed or removed for a variety of reasons including the launch of popular new channels or changes in the popularity of existing channels. In this case we think Hitz, the new on-demand movie package, offers a better value. Most of the movies on Cinemax have also aired on HBO, which creates a duplication since your TV package also includes HBO. By adding Hitz to your package for no additional charge, we’re offering a comparable number of movie titles to Cinemax.
 

Thank you 

Thank you for posting here our forums and please reach back out if you still need assistance.

Thank you 

Today is July 17, 2019 this is when Hitz is supposed to start. So when I tune into the Hitz channels I have to subscribe for $12.00 a month? I thought I was already subscribed automatically, being Cinemax was  longer available with my package. I am still getting Cinemax for now, so when do these changes actually take place?

I checked the channel lineup for my account online early this morning and there was no sign of Hitz and Cinemax was still listed as "included."  Now Cinemax is nowhere to be found and Hitz is listed as "included." There is no sign of the advertised $12/month Cinemax premium add-on.  I chatted online with a Comcast rep who sent me to the page at which I was already staring.  No help whatsoever.  I'm sure Comcast will work this out eventually, but how hard could it be to get it right out of the gate?

Thank you for answering. Does Comcast know anything? No they surely do not.

Still no sign today of the $12/month Cinemax add-on today in the My Account -> Manage Plan area, but on the plus side, I still seem to have access to Cinemax channels and OnDemand content.  This page offers the option to add Cinemax to your plan for $12/month:

https://www.xfinity.com/learn/digital-cable-tv/premium-channels/cinemax

However, attemping to add it to my cart landed me on a page indicating that I'd need to call Comcast for help completing my order.

I watch Comcast via a cablecard and a Tivo.

Within the last month, Comcast removed the ability watch OnDemand content on a Tivo.

Today, Comcast removed Cinemax from the bundle I have and replaced it with their own OnDemand service they've dubbed HITZ.

To access HITZ, the instructions are to say "HITZ" into the X1 remote which I don't have, or go to the OnDemand menus, which I also don't have.

As far as I can tell, the only way to see what movies HITZ has is to actually start to watch it, which I can't, so I have no idea whether I actually care about any of this. What I do know is that, today, I have less programming available to me than yesterday, at the same cost.

Now, I know that I can access HITZ via the streaming app and because I have an Apple TV I can Airplay it over to my large screen. 

I've always been reluctant to cut the cord because cobbling together a package that meets my family's needs would be a pain in the butt. But when Comcast says: "We have excellent news. We're enhanced your bundle by replacing that worthless CineMax which happens to be owned by someone else with our own Hitz, which you can't easily watch" it's time to reassess. Great job!