Techcrunch blog!: Daily Crunch - HBO Max launches in the US

Wednesday, May 27, 2020 • By Anthony Ha

WarnerMedia unveils its new streaming service, Donald Trump is mad at Twitter and GE Lighting has a new owner.

Here’s your Daily Crunch for May 27, 2020.

HBO Max launches today, here's what you need to know

At $14.99 per month, the service — initially available to subscribers in the United States — is more expensive than competing offerings like Netflix and Disney+. But from another angle, it's still a pretty sweet deal, since you're getting HBO, plus a whole bunch of extra content, for the exact same price as an HBO subscription.

Subscribers to HBO's standalone streaming service HBO Now should be able to update their app to HBO Max today. The app is currently available for a range of devices including Android phones and tablets, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromebooks, Chromecasts, iPhones, iPads, PlayStation 4, Samsung TV and Xbox One — but not yet for Roku or Fire TV.

HBO Max launches today, here's what you need to know image

Image Credits: WarnerMedia

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After Twitter fact-check, Trump threatens to regulate or close down social media platforms

After Twitter added a fact-checking warning label to the president’s misleading tweet about mail-in ballots, Donald Trump took to the platform to denounce it. In what may be his strongest words yet against a service that has largely given him free rein, he tweeted, “Republicans feel that Social Media Platforms totally silence conservatives voices. We will strongly regulate, or close them down, before we can ever allow this to happen.”

Smart home company Savant set to acquire GE Lighting

The division has existed as part of General Electric since 1911, with its origins reaching back even further to Thomas Edison's work in the space. Today the GE Lighting portfolio still largely revolves around bulbs, but it’s also the home to C by GE, a series of smart home products.

Image Credits: GE

Google removes millions of negative TikTok reviews amid backlash in India

Hashtags such as BanTikTok, DeleteTikTok and BlockTikTok have trended on Twitter in India in the past three weeks after users unearthed recent videos that appeared to promote domestic violence, animal cruelty, racism, child abuse and objectification of women.

What should startup founders know before negotiating with corporate VCs?

For startups, taking funding from corporate venture capitalists can come with many benefits, including new opportunities for marketing, partnerships and sales channels. Still, no founder should consider a corporate investor "just another VC." CVCs come with their own set of priorities, strategic objectives and rules. (Extra Crunch membership required.)

Image Credits: todaydesign / Getty Images

How do several local news stations air virtually identical Amazon COVID-19 segments?

The company has been on the offensive in recent weeks when it comes to how it has handled the COVID-19 pandemic. Amazon's offered all sorts of blog posts, public statements and made the subject a centerpiece of its recent shareholder letter and earnings report. It also went ahead and uploaded a suggested news segment to BusinessWire, complete with warehouse footage and a script for news anchors.

YouTube Kids app is now available for Apple TV

YouTube Kids is meant to give children a safer alternative to YouTube, where even Restricted Mode can let through violent content and other things parents and caretakers don't want kids to see.