Hitz replacing Cinemax? Really?

Add me to the list of long-time (at least 20 years) Comcast customers that are completely disapointed at this change, and mad at the total lack of honesty about doing it. 

“While Cinemax is being removed from these packages, we believe the new lineup offers a better value,” Comcast said on the site. “Most of the movies on Cinemax have also aired on HBO. By offering Hitz instead, we’ll be delivering a better variety of content.”  <---This is a Lie, plain & simple. 

Where is Strikeback? Warrior? Jett? 

In reality Hitz is a second or third tier channel (Yes, one channel. Check the ondemand for Hitz1, Hitz2, and Hitz3...the same 254 movies.) There are less than 10 movies from THIS DECADE in this sub-par lineup. It is not even CLOSE to what Cinemax offered, hence the word "Premium" before the word "Channel" in describing Cinemax. Shame on Comcast for lying to their customers that "Hitz" is a comparable replacement.

This is from Comcast's "Customer Experience" page:

"Putting the Customer at the Center of Everything We Do

We are committed to respecting our customers’ time, simplifying their experience, and making things right if we fall short." <--Another Lie.

I called Comcast customer Support when I could no longer access Cinemax. I was hoping something could be done to compensate for having content I pay for removed. Although the CS person ADMITTED the change was not fair, and apologized at least a dozen times, NOTHING was able to be done in regards to "making things right".

My bill was just shy of $300 with internet & phone included. I spent HOURS on the phone 2 months ago negotiating things in order to reduce my bill down to $270. After all that, Comcast just decides to yank a service I'm paying for away? I am convinced they think they have a chokehold on their customers, but today there are plenty of alternatives to cable. I already own almost 3000 movies on Vudu, I also subscribe to Hulu and Netflix. Comcast is now working to force my hand in abandoning their overpriced cable service by their use of these deceptive & unethical means.

I would like Cinemax back in my lineup, or my bill reduced by the $12 this services costs. It is only fair that I get what I agreed to pay for, and Comcast agreed to provide.

Thanks for the info on FiOS, looks like that is where I have to go also, bad enough they swapped Hitz for Max, but for me it does not work, my cable box says it is not working and on my cable card (Ceton) it does not show up in the TV guide at all.

when I called last night the rep said if I wanted cinemax I could get it for $12.99 a month ! Time to change providers again 

I usually stick up for Comcast, but I am having a hard time doing that here. Was checking my favorites and I had two movies saved from Cinemax OD, "The Star Chamber" and "Bad Boys" (Sean Penn version) Those are gone now. Never much liked their shows, but you could usually pull a movie off OD in a pinch. Hitz is beyond lame. Not a very fair trade. I still have a pretty good deal so I'll live with it, but I am disapointed that Comcast would do this. My two movies certainly aren't on HBO OD so I don't know what they mean by saying HBO has all their stuff. C'mon Comcast, stop this nonsense, bring back The Max

I agree - just got off the phone - pay more for less!!

Obviously, nobody is falling for the company line of “better value.”  Bring back Banshee, Warrior, Strike Force!

So even with the X1 Premier Quad Play, I have lost 4 Cinemax channels and received 3 HITZ channels instead? When I click on any of the 3 HITZ channels, it takes me to what looks like an OnDemand menu, it that working correctly? I wanted to watch the movie listed but I had to go search for it on the menu?

"Guys, we have great news. We're going to remove 175 of your 200 channels because we're like totally awesome like that. We're going to instead offer you 25 of the bestest channels ever known to mankind. With our new and totally improved 25 channel lineup you'll be able to see some of the greatest movies to ever hit the screen such as Battlefield Earth and Troll 2. Sure you'll still be paying the same contract price of $250.00/month but come on, Troll 2!!! Because we're like totally awesome and love and respect all of our customers we're still going to offer a few of the lesser quality channels like HBO with that really low grade show about dragons for the low bargain of only $30.00/month. But who are we kidding. No one is going to want channels like that when you see our super cool lineup. Did I mention we'll have Troll 2? We hope you love our totally cool and awesome changes and we can't wait to eventually cut those down for you to make your service even BETTER!!!!"

How is replacing 6 channels of Cinemax that feature CURRENT movies and series with Hitz that has only 200 movies and no series is a compromise for my hard earned money? The newest movie Hitz has to offer is 3 years old. I understand Comcast could not come to an agreement with Cinemax but why is my dollar held captive? Why dont I have an option to DECREASE my monthly charges in return for you keeping your UNWANTED hatz on demand channel. Funny how if I didnt have HBO or Stars or TMC you wouldnt hesitate to charge the extra $10 + per month, but take away a network that was INCLUDED in my CONTRACT and I have NO RIGHTS?

Why are you doing this?
Most of the movies on Cinemax have also aired on HBO. By offering Hitz instead, we’ll be delivering customers a better variety of content. 

No, you're not doing this for the variety of content. You're doing this because Cinemax is owned by AT&T/Time Warner and Hitz is owned by Comcast. You're favoring your own service and lowering your costs. Pretty much anybody who's spent a few minutes to understand the cable TV industry knows this to be the plain truth.

Having looked at the Hitz content, I consider its value to be indistinguishable from zero. I'd never pay for it and wouldn't care if it were in my bundle. Cinemax, on the other hand, had a movie on Friday night that hadn't shown on HBO or elsewhere ("Hunter/Killer", and, please, I know I have terrible taste in movies).

It's one thing to work to maximize profits. It's another to lie about it when everyone who reads it knows it's a lie. That just shows how little respect you have for your customers. 

Hello.  I was saddened to see Cinemax go.  What would be good is to substitute another premiumn channel, for example the Disney streaming that will come on line later this year.  Other folks have written about the poor substitute HITZ is.   Series have been lost (eg I was watching the newly started JETT and now that is gone).   I feel that we should have been given a choice to get HITZ or have our bill reduced once Cinemax was lost as part of our package. 

I have added several emails to this thread since June when I got my bill announcing this change.  So it didn't catch me by surprise on July 17 when it took effect as it seems to have done to most of the  writers the past couple days.  In no way am I going to defend Comcast for forcing this change ("bullying" as one writer put it) upon us.  Totally unfair.  Hitz is not a comparable swap for Cinemax at all in the minds of any sane individual forced to hand over the ransome money of $200 plus that Comcast demands of us each and every month.  However, at great personal risk here, I do have to say something in defense of Hitz.  After browsing through it, it seems to be more of a cross between Turner Classic Movies and StarzEncore.  If you're only interested in current content and original programming then you're not going to like Hitz at all.  Understood.  And Comcast should never have made the assumption that any of us would - and by making the comparisons to HBO that they are.  But then why would they care anyway?  But there is also no need to trash Hitz in the sense that it has "zero" value as one writer put it - and others saying basically the same thing.  There are plenty of classics from the past on Hitz - a library of Hitchcock movies - which most real movie buffs appreciating film from the silent era to today would agree that these are not trash.  West Side Story and Funny Girl - musical classics from the 50s and 60s - and other genres - they won't be appreciated by the Marvel and DC crowd - but you can still be a true "movie buff" of any age from 16 to 106 to appreciate timeless movies from any era of film making.  I know, this defense will fall with blind silence on the eyes and ears of those who use their big honkin' 80 inch 4K ultra HD screens and surround sound for the sole purpose of watching fake CGI movies all day long in your media room basement.   But let's not insult the great film makers and movie stars of the past that so many of the rest of us appreciate and just because they were made before you were born.  There is some merit in some of you  maybe taking the time to see one or two of these old classic movies instead of showing chosen ignorance about them.   My biggest problem with Hitz right now (and no I wouldn't have traded Cinemax for Hitz either - but it's a done deal for now) is that I've seen so many of the movies being offered on Hitz - which I've already watched on Turner Classic Movies and other Premium channels.  And there are only about 4 movies on Hitz right now that I haven't seen that I'm planning on watching.  And yes, there is a fair amount of "B" movie content on Hitz which I'd never waste my time watching - but that's the same with HBO-MAX-SHO-TMC-STZ-Netflix-PrimeVideo - where most of the content is just manure filling to support the claim that they are offering thousands and thousands of movies for your hard earned money.  Even Turner "Classic" Movies is guilty of showing "sub-B" content.  They're showing that 1967 "classic" -  "Hillbillys in a Haunted House" tonight (in the wee hours).  Anyone going to stay up for that or DVR it?  There might be one or two since there also seems to be a big audience for Madea and The Klumps these days judging by the content on Showtime and The Movie Channel.  Speaking of TMC, who would (better question, who is) paying the extra $12.00 a month to receive this Showtime knock-off if you don't already have a package deal like Premium?  5.99 a month for Streampix anyone - where currently as of today not a single movie I've seen or want to see?  I would gladly give up TMC and Streampix for a $17.99 value to Comcast in order to get back Cinemax.  And since I've seen most of what Hitz has to offer and probably will have in the future - I'll give back Hitz (for $12.00) for total net savings in Comcast's favor of $17.99!!  But then Comcast already knows that these two "premium" channels (Streampix  and TMC)  are not worth what they are extorting their non-package subscribers individually for.   Guess it's time to reevaluate the "Premium" package.  Maybe just rent the movies from On-Demand for 3.99/4.99/5.99 and then pay for one of the Premium channels for a month and binge-watch the original content I want to see and then cancel.  Or wait for the free week and binge watch then.  Bottom line, yes I too just want Comcast to leave me alone and give me back what I had before July 17 and let me be the one to decide if I want to make "trades", add or deletes in the future.  Don't tell me I'm going to like something better before I've had a chance to see it.  And one other thing, they probably should just rename "Hitz" to something like  "Comcast Cinema" since the "Hitz" moniker is open to so much ridicule.  They kind of opened themselves up to that one too.

 I can’t believe Comcast delivered a small print notice of Hitz  replacing Cinemax at the bottom of the last page of the bill in June.  Cinemax provided original content. The last thing we need are more channels to watch old movies.  I’ve had this HD Complete XF bundle  for about nine years and never dreamt Comcast would be removing one of the premium channels.

Will I get a credit on my bill each month for losing premium channel (Cinemax) for which was included in my recent 2 year contract?