You will no longer need cable to watch HBO in 2015!
It’s a glorious day for fans of HBO who are joined at the hip to cable companies because that’s the only way to watch the network (legally). HBO has announced that next year, you will no longer need a subscription to a satellite or cable provider, because they will be offering their service to anyone who wants it to expand their reach into more homes. Details of the cost and plans have not yet been revealed, but this is a great first step into bringing in customers galore, while at the same time going up against the likes of Netflix.
“That is a large and growing opportunity that should no longer be left untapped. It is time to remove all barriers to those who want HBO. So, in 2015, we will launch a standalone, over the top, HBO service in the United States. We will work with our current partners. And, we will explore models with new partners all in, there are 80 million homes that do not have HBO and we will use all means at our disposal to go after them.”
The only question is how affordable they will make it to the consumer and if they’ll offer any shows aside from just HBO in their Video On Demand service. Either way, Netflix has to be shook right about now. The game is officially about to change.
UPDATE: According to Fortune, the standalone service is set to launch April of 2015.
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