OK, You Can Cut the Cord Now: HBO Says It Will Offer Stand-Alone Digital Service
Attention Game of Thrones fans: Soon, there will be no more calling the cable guy.
HBO says it will begin selling a digital-only version of its service at some point in 2015, allowing consumers to bypass cable and satellite providers.
When it happens, it will be one small step for HBO and one giant leap for TV on the Internet.
HBO CEO Richard Plepler said as much at an investor event yesterday, and HBO parent company TimeWarner went public with the plan Wednesday morning.
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HBO has only been available as an add-on to cable packages. HBO and other premium channels are an oft-cited reason consumers who would otherwise ditch their cable or satellite service don’t do so. (Sports content tends to be the other reason. That, too, saw a little bit of a shake-up recently when the NBA signed a new TV deal that included some online streaming for non-cable subscribers.)
That said, plenty of people already manage to get HBO without cable, by sharing a log-in with friends or family members to access HBO GO, HBO’s streaming service for subscribers. In the past Plepler has said he doesn’t really care if that’s happening, but making it easier for cord-cutters to just get their own account is probably a wise business decision—even if it rubs Comcast and its fellow cable providers the wrong way. (To which most consumers would probably say: ‘LOL boo hoo.’)
HBO isn’t offering much in the way of details, but the big news is now out in the open. At some point next year, you won’t need cable to catch The Leftovers or True Detective…but you will still need a broadband connection, provided by a cable company.
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