Why You Can’t Get HBO on DISH and How To Get Around It

When you flip through the channels on DISH, you expect to see what you’ve paid for and what the company has advertised that you would get.

There have been a few issues with licensing since October 2018 that many customers are accustomed to but have been hoping that would be worked out. At&T purchased WarnerMedia, which also meant that HBO was included in the package.

Even though it’s been over a year since the purchase was made, there’s still a blackout on DISH. This means that customers are unable to watch movies and shows on HBO.

What Happened

For the past 10 years, AT&T has been buying several media outlets. One of the most successful in 2015 was DIRECTV. This was before the purchase of WarnerMedia. After the purchase, DISH knew that it would likely have to battle AT&T for HBO. When customers were unable to watch Game of Thrones in 2019, they realized that a stronger front would need to be played in order for DISH to have access to HBO. AT&T hoped to gain more customers for DIRECTV by offering HBO and other channels along with internet and phone services so that customers wouldn’t need to have separate bills for each element. It’s possible that AT&T could part ways with DIRECTV because the company hasn’t grown as well as expected.

How Customers Are Impacted

DISH isn’t the only party that has been impacted by the HBO blackout. Customers want to have access to the channel and know that they are paying for movie services, especially if they are paying for the additional movie channels that are offered. Some customers have decided to change to DIRECTV, but loyal customers have tried to stick with DISH until the issue is resolved. When HBO was taken off of DISH, the company did see a drastic decrease in new customers. However, the company has rebounded over the past two years with more customers looking for DVR services and TV streaming options.

There have been over 10 million viewers who have been impacted by not being able to view HBO on DISH. HBO Max is an option that is available for customers and is similar to Netflix, which is how the company hopes that it can rise to the top once again.

Ways to Watch

Even though there’s an HBO blackout through DISH, customers should know that there are a few ways to watch the shows that they love. HBO Now is the easiest option for customers. This is the online service that is available as well as the on-demand feature. You can subscribe to HBO without dealing with other services. There’s a free trial for seven days before you pay a monthly fee of $15. There are no restrictions when you sign up for the service, and you can watch just about anything that HBO offers. You do need to watch through an app that’s downloaded on your phone, computer, or smart TV. The overall process to sign up and watch movies and shows is fairly easy.

Some televisions already have the app as a default on the home screen. This means that you would simply enter your personal information to subscribe. If you don’t want to go this route, you could wait until HBO Max is released. However, it might not have as many options as HBO Now and could result in paying more for added shows and movies that you want to watch.