A good friend of mine works for HBO on their Digital Products and Technology team… according to him this will be available early 2015 and can be consumed through a web browser or anything that can run the current HBOgo app. Pricing is still TBD. They are discussing a tiered pricing structure:
$10/mo or less: access to current seasons with a set # of views per month
around $20/mo.: all-access pass – all current and past productions, unlimited views
also maybe an option that falls in between those two… access to everything, limited # of views per month
He did say some stuff (Real Sex, etc.) would probably stay available to cable subscribers only.
We will update this story as we learn more.
Speaking at the Time Warner Inc. Investor Meeting today, Richard Plepler, chairman and CEO, HBO, announced that the company will offer a stand-alone HBO streaming service in 2015. Following a portion of his presentation focused on HBOs domestic business, during which he cited significant growth opportunities inside the pay-TV universe, Plepler then turned to the current ten million broadband-only homes, which is projected to grow.
Plepler then added:
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 stand-alone, 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.
Plepler did not discuss if the web version of HBO would be a stream of the live channel or if this would be a new feed.
This is a huge development for cord cutters as premium channels like HBO and sports have been a major road block for many looking to cancel cable. Now one of the major reasons people pay for cable is available directly to cord cutters.