HBO has released updated news on its standalone streaming app, which will begin hitting devices starting April 2015, allowing you to watch the latest shows without having cable (or pirating).
If that date rings any bells, you can be assured that HBO knows what it is doing. April is also when season 5 of Game of Thrones will start airing on the cable channel. As one of the most watched shows ever on HBO and certainly the show that generates the most social buzz, the Game of Thrones premiere is a smart date to release its independent app. It will be a time when a large number of people will be pressured to either borrow passwords from friends or finally break down and purchase the service themselves.
HBO has yet to announce pricing for this standalone streaming service, although reports estimate that it will be around $15 per month – quite a bit more than Netflix, but well within the range of cable cutters who still want to stay current on popular shows like Thrones, True Detective, Veep, and all the other HBO options. Buyers will also get access to all the other HBO content, including their roster of movies and stand-up.
Hopefully, the company will release more information on pricing and availability before the year is out. The app is not being developed in-house: HBO is contracting with MLB Advanced to develop their own version of the app, which may not resemble the current HBO Go (which requires cable and an HBO subscription).
Make no mistake, HBO is choosing to release a standalone streaming because it thinks it can finally make a profit on it – despite losing contracts and deals with irate cable companies as a potential downside. This says a lot about the direction HBO is taking, and the current mood of viewers likely to pay to keep up on their shows. What do you think? Would you pay for a standalone HBO app, or would you stick with filesharing and password borrowing as an alternative?
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