Next Year You Won't Need Cable to Watch HBO

[roseofbattle]

Next Year You Won't Need Cable to Watch HBO

In 2015 you'll be able to watch HBO shows without a cable subscription through a stand-alone service HBO plans to launch.

Variety reports. [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/tag/view/hbo]

Plepler was unable to answer questions about the service due to proprietary concerns.

"This will be transformative for our company," Plepler said. "It is time to remove all barriers to those who want HBO."

Approximately 10 million households in the U.S. rely on broadband service rather than a cable subscription, he noted. In addition, 80 million homes do not currently have HBO.

"We will use all means at our disposal to go after them," he said.

A Pew Internet Project examined this year the trend of broadband internet access in the U.S. and found that 70% of adults are broadband internet users at home. [http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheets/broadband-technology-fact-sheet/]

Plepler said the company plans to "work with current partners and explore models with new partners."

HBO's online service, Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes indicated the company was interested in offering HBO Go without a cable subscription. [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/tag/view/hbo%20go]

HBO launched the streaming service HBO Go in 2010. HBO requires login information from a person with cable service and a subscription to HBO in order to use the service for streaming HBO shows on computers, game consoles, tablets, and smartphones.

"We will go beyond the wall and launch a stand-alone over-the-top service with the potential to produce hundred [sic] of millions of dollar in revenue," Plepler said at Time Warner's Investor Day conference. "The international revenue possibilities could be just as large if not larger (with OTT [over-the-top content]). We have huge opportunity [sic] in front of us. We will use all means at our disposal to go after it."

Source: Variety [http://www.timewarner.com/newsroom/press-releases/2014/10/15/hbo-chairman-and-ceo-richard-plepler-announces-hbo-to-offer-a]


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[Mike Hoffman]

Remember when HBO said streaming was a passing fad? What, like 8, 10 years ago?

 

[Fappy]

Remember when HBO said streaming was a passing fad? What, like 8, 10 years ago?

Took them long enough to get with the times!

OT: Oh man, I am sure some of their partners are pissed off. Premium cable packages may be going the way of Blockbuster pretty soon :O

 

[tippy2k2]

It's about God damn time.

These shows are all going to kill themselves keeping so much of their audience out of the loop (I'm not paying $65 a month for the priveledge of paying HBO $20 a month to watch a handful of shows).

It's not quite there but having cable is heading towards having a LAN line; virtually unnecessary for anyone under the age of 60...

 

[thanatos388]

So they finally realized that streaming won out over Blu-ray. Or is it more that they finally realized that premium cable has been dying for years?

 

[Roxas1359]

Premium cable packages may be going the way of Blockbuster pretty soon :O

And then the cable companies, which also run the majority of the ISP services in the US, decide to throttle the speeds to streaming services and charge you to use their "fast lanes." XP
Still, HBO's decision on this just makes me laugh considering how they considered streaming services to be a fad. I'm sure the music industry saw .MP3s that way too, and look at how that turned out.

 

[Something Amyss]

Remember when HBO said streaming was a passing fad? What, like 8, 10 years ago?

Well, they held out longer than EA....

Seriously, this is good news. I wish they'd done this years ago.

 

[gigastar]

Now they only need to realise that they have an international audience and then ill be ready to venerate them.

 

[AgentCooper]

So they finally realized that streaming won out over Blu-ray. Or is it more that they finally realized that premium cable has been dying for years?

Streaming never really won over Blu-Ray. Studios still see it as a valuable option as a means to release catalog titles and special anniversary editions. Most studios release combo packs now that have the Blu-ray, DVD, and the digital copy. No real reason not to jump on the combo pack.

 

[Something Amyss]

And then the cable companies, which also run the majority of the ISP services in the US, decide to throttle the speeds to streaming services and charge you to use their "fast lanes." XP

You mean like what they already did? I mean, sure, they whacked Netflix (and I think Amazon?) instead of the customer, but it's the same basic idea. And we're going to get the costs passed on to us in all probability.

But it'll be interesting watching them cut off their noses to spite their faces.

 

[Kuredan]

Oh, hi there HBO! Where have you been? We've been waiting for you for like 7 years. You're a little late to the party, but let me introduce you to some friends of mine. Here's Netflix, he's always a great guy to have around if you're not too picky. Have you met Hulu? You look like you two would get along; she's all about what's hip and modern and on TV. Oh there I see Amazon Prime. He's something of an oddball. I think he's trying to copy Netflix but every now and again he comes up with something new and original. What's that? You didn't bring much to the party? You need me to spot you 40 buck this month and you'll need almost twice that six months from now? Not cool bro. I thought you wanted to join us at this party but you're the same jerk you were when you partied with the cable companies. We left you behind because y'all were way to greedy and it looks like you haven't changed at all. Later man.

-end scene-

 

[fangedfuzzball]

In other news it turns out Digital Piracy works as a force for commercial change against those companies to stupid or stubborn to get with the program.

I'm sure this decision has absolutely nothing to do with HBO's standing records as having the most pirated shows because their anachronistic business model broke the cardinal rule of the digital age: If it's harder or less convenient to buy it than to download it, then people will and should just download it.

It looks like they may have learned that lesson that sending storm troopers to terrorize their potential customers with lawsuits and jail time might be less productive than providing a reasonable way for people to actually buy their product.

I only hope our pirate friends continue to teach the recalcitrant corporations out there the lesson that the consumer dollar is in fact the goal to be wooed not something to be taken for granted and the market place will change for the better. This is a very good and high profile step but still way too expensive, so keep on downloading until they get the message.

 

[Roxas1359]

You mean like what they already did? I mean, sure, they whacked Netflix (and I think Amazon?) instead of the customer, but it's the same basic idea. And we're going to get the costs passed on to us in all probability.

But it'll be interesting watching them cut off their noses to spite their faces.

To my knowledge, it's mainly been Netflix that's been throttled the most, which makes sense because that's the most popular streaming service. I've not noticed it when I use my Amazon on, but then again I usually have other things going on in the background while I wait for it to buffer before playing it all. Don't know if Hulu has been targeted yet, but I can only assume it has. So let's just add HBO Go to this list now.

 

[Something Amyss]

To my knowledge, it's mainly been Netflix that's been throttled the most, which makes sense because that's the most popular streaming service. I've not noticed it when I use my Amazon on, but then again I usually have other things going on in the background while I wait for it to buffer before playing it all. Don't know if Hulu has been targeted yet, but I can only assume it has. So let's just add HBO Go to this list now.

A bunch of streaming sites have been targeted.

 

[gardian06]

wait so a representative from Time-Warner (who just agreed to a merger with Comcast) said in no certain words 'screw those cable providers we're going to do it ourselves, and not care about them'

so my question is: if this Time-Warner + Comcast merge does happen then how long until this new online service is pulled back to requiring a cable sub.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

Fuckin' finally. It takes these cable guys years to figure out that what people want can be extremely profitable.

 

[Avaholic03]

I sure hope others follow suit. Namely the sports leagues. I would love to cancel cable altogether and only pay for streaming services, but right now all the local teams are blacked out because of the TV deals.

 

[P-89 Scorpion]

wait so a representative from Time-Warner (who just agreed to a merger with Comcast) said in no certain words 'screw those cable providers we're going to do it ourselves, and not care about them'

so my question is: if this Time-Warner + Comcast merge does happen then how long until this new online service is pulled back to requiring a cable sub.

Time Warner Cable and Time Warner are separate companies and have been since 2009.

 

[Th37thTrump3t]

This is essentially the future of television. I give it another five years before we see the end of television as we have it now. What's most likely going to happen is you'll pay $8-$10 a month for specific networks (Networks can consist of multiple channels) and be able to watch the shows you want, when you want. Netflix has already proven that it can create it's own shows and that they can be pretty damn good. Premium cable is on its death bed. The internet will always win.