Comcast premium subscribers began seeing Cinemax dropped from their lineup this morning, replaced with Comcast’s own premium movie network Hitz.

The cable company announced back in May it was replacing AT&T/WarnerMedia-owned Cinemax with its own movie channel beginning this summer. Summer has arrived.

Hitz will save Comcast an undisclosed amount of money over what AT&T was charging the cable operator for the lesser-watched cousin of HBO. Cinemax was launched in 1980 to focus on movies, and so will Hitz. Comcast says its new movie channel will feature at least 200 major movie titles, all available on-demand, with fewer HBO also-rans. Linear TV viewers will see at least three versions of Hitz on their lineup, replacing five Cinemax networks. They are dubbed Hitz, Hitz2 and Hitz3. The new movie channel is included in XFINITY Premier, Super and certain other TV packages.

Cinemax fans who want the channel back will still be able to subscribe, but only on an a-la-carte basis for $12/month.

Comcast offers this FAQ:

What is Hitz?
Hitz is a new on-demand movie service that includes more than 200 titles from a variety of top studios. This selection will rotate over time.

Where can I find Hitz?
The easiest way to find Hitz is by saying “Hitz” into your X1 Voice Remote. Hitz can also be found in the Networks section of the On Demand menu. You can also see current Hitz movies in the On-Screen Guide – frequently near other movie services.

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

How can I watch Cinemax original content?
While Cinemax is no longer included in the adjusted packages, it is still available to purchase on its own for $12 per month.

Should I pay a different price now that I am no longer receiving Cinemax?
While Cinemax is no longer included in these packages, we believe the new lineup offers a better value. Most of the movies on Cinemax have also aired on HBO. By offering Hitz instead, we’re delivering a better variety of content.

Cinemax is under siege, after the nation’s two largest cable operators announced they have turned their backs on HBO’s sister premium movie channel.

Several months after Charter Spectrum stripped Cinemax out of its TV bundle packages, Comcast has announced it will do the same starting this July, replacing Cinemax with its own commercial-free, on-demand movie network Hitz:

We are excited to introduce Hitz, a new commercial-free on-demand movie service available as part of Xfinity Premier, Super and certain other TV packages. Hitz will feature more than 200 movies and will be included with these packages at no additional cost. It will replace Cinemax and its associated channels.

Movie lovers of all kinds will enjoy Hitz. This exciting new offering will provide even better value and variety for you. Here’s how:

• Hitz will offer a rotating list of more than 200 movie titles from a variety of top studios.
• Hitz will include an assortment of movie titles that complements the films already available to Xfinity Premier and Super TV customers on other channels and adds to the thousands of On Demand movies already available.

What is Hitz?
Hitz is a new on-demand movie service that includes more than 200 titles from a variety of top studios. This selection will rotate over time.

Where can I find Hitz?
The easiest way to find Hitz is by saying “Hitz” into your X1 voice remote. Hitz can also be found in the Networks section of the On Demand menu. You can also see current Hitz movies in the on-screen grid guide – frequently near other movie services.

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.

How can I watch Cinemax original content?
While Cinemax will no longer be included in the packages being adjusted, Cinemax will still be available to purchase on its own for $12 per month.

Should I pay a different price now that I am no longer receiving Cinemax?
While Cinemax is being removed from these packages, we believe the new lineup offers a better value. Most of the movies on Cinemax have also aired on HBO. By offering Hitz instead, we’ll be delivering a better variety of content.

The dissing of Cinemax seems to have started after AT&T acquired Time Warner (Entertainment), which also owns HBO and Cinemax. Like Comcast, Charter Spectrum customers can still subscribe to Cinemax, but only as an a-la-carte option, typically $15 a month. Verizon FiOS dropped Cinemax from its bundles starting in 2018. When cable operators drop legendary networks like Cinemax, it is almost always a matter of money. Cable operators may have been asked to accept a reduced share of the subscription fee split (usually 60% sent to the network, the remaining 40% kept by the cable company) or required to carry new services as part of a contract renewal they ultimately rejected.

Spectrum cable television customers with Silver or Gold tiers will find two premium channels have disappeared from channel lineups, with no corresponding decrease in rates.

This hidden rate increase took effect Feb. 15 after Spectrum dropped Cinemax from its Silver and Gold packages and EPIX from its Gold package, with little explanation. Customers have been notified they can acquire these channels a-la-carte, for an additional $9.99/mo for Cinemax and $5.99/mo for EPIX.

The premium network cutbacks were originally planned to be significantly worse, however, after Charter Communications notified some customers it was also planning to delete Starz and Encore from its Gold tier, potentially making the $40 add-on not worth the price. Just days before the changes were to take effect, Charter changed its mind about Starz and Encore, allowing those channels will continue to be available as part of the Gold package.

Some customers are upset about the changes.

“It’s a hidden rate hike,” complained Lois Blumenthal. “We are still paying the same price for Silver or Gold, only getting fewer channels for it.”

Spectrum customer service appeared to be sensitive to customer complaints and threats to downgrade cable TV service, which would only increase the impact of cord-cutting. So the company is offering a hidden deal to current customers who subscribed to Silver or Gold TV tiers before Feb. 15 and who call 1-855-70-SPECTRUM to share their displeasure about the changes:

• Silver Plan customers qualify for one year of Cinemax at no charge, after which the network will cost $9.99/month.
• Gold Plan customers qualify for one year of Cinemax -and- one year of EPIX at no charge, after which Cinemax will cost $9.99/mo and EPIX will cost $5.99/mo.

Customers can ask about these promotions when they call. While no expiration date was available on these offers, it makes sense to call sooner rather than later in case they disappear.

It could have been worse. Spectrum notified many of its subscribers the premium network cutbacks originally envisioned also included Starz and Encore. Charter changed its mind, but it was too late to stop notifying some subscribers about the channel deletions.

Spectrum has adjusted its advertising:

Spectrum Silver (includes TV Select — add $20 a month)

• 175+ cable channels with FREE HD
• Includes HBO, SHOWTIME & NFL Network
• On-the-go with HBO GO, SHOWTIME ANYTIME
• Enjoy thousands of On Demand choices to watch when & where you want
• Watch on your Apple TV, Samsung Smart TV, Roku, Xbox One, tablet, smartphone or visit SpectrumTV.com
• Download 80+ network apps and take on-the-go

Spectrum Gold (includes TV Select and TV Silver — add $40 a month)

• 200+ cable channels with FREE HD
• Includes HBO, SHOWTIME, STARZ, TMC, ENCORE, NFL Network & NFL Redzone
• Enjoy thousands of On Demand choices to watch when & where you want
• Watch on your Apple TV, Samsung Smart TV, Roku, Xbox One, tablet, smartphone or visit SpectrumTV.com
• Download 80+ network apps and take on-the-go

For all Spectrum customers, the cost of adding most premium add-on channels a-la-carte (without a promotion) decreased effective Feb. 15:

• HBO remains unchanged at $15/mo
• Showtime remains unchanged at $15/mo
• Starz was $15, decreasing to $9.99
• Encore was $15, decreasing to $5.99
• Cinemax was $15, decreasing to $9.99
• TMC was $15, decreasing to $9.99
• EPIX was $15, decreasing to $5.99

More than 2.5 million HBO and Cinemax customers are blacked out after AT&T cut off its biggest satellite rival Dish Networks and streaming provider Sling TV in a dispute the Department of Justice claims confirms its concerns that AT&T’s merger with Time Warner (Entertainment) would be bad for consumers.

It is the first time HBO has faced a contract renewal blackout on any platform in its 46-year history. But some groups feel it was predictable, considering AT&T owns DirecTV, Dish’s biggest rival. AT&T acquired HBO’s parent company, Time Warner (Entertainment) in 2018, changing its name to WarnerMedia. Last summer, Judge Richard J. Leon, senior district judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia gave AT&T approval of that $85 billion merger deal with no conditions, scoffing at Department of Justice claims that the merger would give AT&T undue market power that could be used to threaten competitors by depriving them access to popular cable networks and content or use of those networks in marketing materials to attract new subscribers.

As the DoJ pursues an appeal of Judge Leon’s decision, this week’s blackout seems to add ammunition to the government’s case against the merger.

“This behavior, unfortunately, is consistent with what the Department of Justice predicted would result from the merger,” a DoJ representative told Reuters. “We are hopeful the Court of Appeals will correct the errors of the District Court.”

A statement from Dish Networks harmoniously echoed the government’s position.

“Plain and simple, the merger created for AT&T immense power over consumers,” said Andy LeCuyer, senior vice president of programming at Dish, in a statement. “It seems AT&T is implementing a new strategy to shut off its recently acquired content from other distributors.”

Consumer groups like Public Knowledge also agree.

“In opposing the AT&T/Time Warner deal, opponents — including the Department of Justice — predicted that the newly combined company would have the incentive to withhold content, and would gain stronger leverage in negotiations like this one, ” said John Bergmayer, senior counsel at Public Knowledge. “AT&T stands to benefit if customers, frustrated by missing their favorite HBO shows, leave DISH to switch to DirecTV. Time Warner, as an independent company, did not have the incentive to hold out on HBO content in these situations before the merger. Now, consumers are the ones paying the price.”

Dish is accusing AT&T of demanding the satellite service pay for a guaranteed number of subscribers, regardless of how many consumers actually want to subscribe to HBO.

“AT&T is stacking the deck with free-for-life offerings to wireless customers and slashed prices on streaming services, effectively trying to force Dish to subsidize HBO on AT&T’s platforms,” said LeCuyer. “This is the exact anticompetitive behavior that critics of the AT&T-Time Warner merger warned us about. Every pay-TV company should be concerned. Rather than trying to force consumers onto their platforms, we suggest that AT&T try to achieve its financial goals through simple economics: if consumers want your product, they’ll pay for it. We hope AT&T will reconsider its demands and help us reach a swift, fair resolution.”

On its face, the nationwide blackout of HBO and Cinemax on America’s second largest satellite TV provider could be a public relations disaster for AT&T, depriving customers from accessing premium movie networks for the first time. But AT&T is fighting back in a coordinated media pushback.

In its defense, HBO is claiming Dish was not negotiating in good faith. Simon Sutton, HBO’s president and chief revenue officer: “Dish’s proposals and actions made it clear they never intended to seriously negotiate an agreement.”

“Past behavior shows that removing services from their customers is becoming all too common a negotiating tactic for them,” echoed AT&T.

“The Department of Justice collaborated closely with Dish in its unsuccessful lawsuit to block our merger,” a WarnerMedia spokesman said in a statement. “That collaboration continues to this day with Dish’s tactical decision to drop HBO – not the other way around. DoJ failed to prove its claims about HBO at trial and then abandoned them on appeal.”

As always, customers are caught in the middle. For now. AT&T and HBO are telling consumers to drop their Dish subscriptions and stream HBO and Cinemax online directly from their respective streaming platforms, or find another provider. Dish has told its satellite and Sling TV customers they will be credited on their bill for time they do not receive HBO or Cinemax. Dish is also offering customers a free preview of HDNET Movies.

Oral arguments for the DoJ’s appeal are scheduled to begin Dec. 6. Court documents revealed today the judges that will hear the appeal are: Judith W. Rogers, Robert L. Wilkins, and David B. Sentelle.

Are you still paying $15+ for HBO and $13+ for Cinemax? Stop.

Most major cable television providers are slashing the price for both premium movie channels to protect subscriber numbers from the April introduction of HBO’s standalone video streaming service, likely to be called HBO Go.

Most analysts expect the on-demand service will cost $15 a month for one or both co-owned networks. With Time Warner Cable recently raising the price of HBO to $16.99 a month, the company may have priced itself out of the market.

“Why would I waste my time with HBO from Time Warner Cable when I will be able to get HBO Go for $2 less a month and won’t have to buy their larded-up cable television package,” asks Watertown, N.Y. resident Jeff Kates. “Their greed will cost them when they lose more subscribers than they gain in revenue from the rate hike.”

Comcast has already seen the writing on the wall and this year cut its regular pricing for HBO from $18.95 to $15 — matching the likely price of standalone HBO Go.

In an effort to lock in customer loyalty and avoid accelerating cord-cutting, many major pay television providers are putting one or both Time Warner (Entertainment)-owned networks on sale for much of 2015. These prices are available to any new premium cable subscriber. If your provider will not switch your current subscription to the new promotional rate, cancel one or both channels for a few days (or threaten to cancel service altogether) and then resubscribe at the discounted price.

Here are the current offers:

• AT&T U-verse: Bundles HBO and a year of Amazon Prime service with a package of mostly local over the air channels for around $40-50 a month depending on the promotion;
• Charter Cable: Charter’s Triple Play Silver package bundles HBO, Cinemax, Showtime/Movie Channel premium channels into the television package at no extra charge;
• Comcast: Offers HBO for online sign ups at $10 a month for a year. Comcast attempts to limit the offer to customers who have not subscribed to HBO for the last 120 days, but this condition is usually waived if you threaten to cancel service and switch to a phone or satellite company;
• Cox: Stingier than others, Cox is offering discounts for just six months, but gives you quantity discounts. Buy 1 premium channel at $10/mo, two channels for $15, three for $20 or four networks for $25 a month. Your choices include HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, and Starz;
• Time Warner Cable: Now has a sale running for $9.99/mo HBO and the same rate for Cinemax, Showtime, and Starz when ordered online. Current non-premium customers can upgrade from the My Account portal. Current premium channel customers will have to call Time Warner and argue for the discount or cancel HBO and quickly resubscribe;
• Verizon: Also offers HBO and others at $9.99/mo for the first year.

Satellite services are expected to change their pricing on premium channels sometime this month.