Crave and HBO for Dummies (This dummy 😊)

[AlphaSet]

I don't have Crave or HBO and have never subscribed to them, but I wanted to look into that.
Many of the pages about Crave seem to be a little outdated, or don't give details, such as how to subscribe, or how it is accessed, etc.

In Manage TV, see packages that offer Crave + HBO + Super Écran for about $22/month.

Q1. What if you don't want the 4 French stations? (Are there other packages I'm not seeing?)
Q2. Why are there 4 Crave channels, and 2 HBO channels? (Is it just for time shifting?)

There are some references to an $8/month version of just Crave, but not through Manage TV, and that deal appears to have been discontinued by Crave, if I understand this correctly.

Q3. Are Crave and HBO two different things, or are they actually one service?
Q4. Is there an option to just have Crave on its own? (Is it worth getting?)

There also seems to be the option to either add channels to our package, or access them with separate apps.

Q5. Do both of these methods get you the same programming?

Thanks,
- Crave Dummy

[MattVMedia]

Hi,

It can be a little confusing with Crave, given its an OTT streaming service, that is also available through broadcast distributors like VMedia.

What if you don't want the 4 French stations? (Are there other packages I'm not seeing?)

Crave now includes Super Ecran. It is no longer possible to purchase a Crave subscription without Super Ecran content. Previously, these were treated as two discreet offerings.

Why are there 4 Crave channels, and 2 HBO channels? (Is it just for time shifting?)

HBO has two discreet linear channels, with discreet HBO programming. HBO 1 and HBO 2. Crave 1, Crave 2, Crave 3, Crave 4 offer a variety of content that is not produced or offered by HBO, although some HBO content may appear on these channels as well, typically older seasons, movies, documentaries, but this is typically in the minority of Crave programming. Crave 1, Crave 2, Crave 3, Crave 4 primarily show content Crave has licensed from entities other than HBO.

There are some references to an $8/month version of just Crave, but not through Manage TV, and that deal appears to have been discontinued by Crave, if I understand this correctly.

Crave previously offered a slimmed down, VOD only package priced between $5 and $10, for a number of years. This has since been discontinued.

Are Crave and HBO two different things, or are they actually one service?

Is there an option to just have Crave on its own? (Is it worth getting?)

I suppose that depends how you define different. Crave (Bell) own the Canadian rights to HBO programming. They have elected to package this programming with their Crave product. It is not possible to purchase Crave (or HBO for that matter) as standalone products anymore. Purchasing Crave includes access to all discreet Crave content/programming, which includes access to discreet HBO programming. There is also an option to add a Crave package which includes Starz as well, which includes two linear movie channels and a large movie VOD catalogue. Similar to HBO, Bell has secured the Canadian rights to Starz and has chosen to package and make this content available through their Crave product (albeit at an additional cost for Starz).

There also seems to be the option to either add channels to our package, or access them with separate apps.

Q5. Do both of these methods get you the same programming?

Yes, this is similar to other "GO" enabled channels we offer, like Sportsnet, TSN. If you add Crave TV through VMedia, you can of course access all content through VMedia TV, but you can also register and use your WTVE credentials to watch online on the crave website, or using the discreet Crave TV app. This is helpful when you're outside your residence and without access to VMedia Internet. Content wise, it's the same. Both VMedia TV and Crave (directly) offer access to the same linear channels and on demand content.

[AlphaSet]

Thanks Matt, for that detailed breakdown of Crave!

My wife was asking me about it, and I honestly didn't know the story. After throwing Bell under the bus quite some time ago, I really wasn't interested in supporting anything Bell was doing.

While investigating the app, I found out that Bell never really put any effort into getting it working on all devices. It apparently doesn't even work on the Shield, (which we're using). And the complaints from users of other android boxes and phones are surprisingly endless. So, adding it as a channel package seems to be the only functional way to watch it.

[MattVMedia]

No problem!

Ultimately, I think what it boils down to is how much you value HBO. Access to HBO's original programming is really what makes Crave enticing and drives subscriptions.

[AlphaSet]

...it boils down to is how much you value HBO.

That's exactly where my mind is at right now.
Not sure how much I do.