HBO finally going standalone, will no longer require cable subscription

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 15 Oct 2014 10:11 User comments (7)

It's finally happened.

Time Warner, parent company of HBO, has confirmed that the popular movie and show channel will offered as a standalone web-only streaming service starting next year, allowing cable cutters to get access without needing a cable/satellite TV subscription.

HBO CEO Richard Plepler said the company is preparing to launch a "standalone, over the top" version of HBO in 2015, but left consumers with little other details.

Reads the press statement: "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."

Currently, HBO Go allows mobile, set-top and computers users to stream the popular original content and movies anywhere but it also requires them to have an HBO channel subscription. Having a premium channel subscription also means having a monthly TV package, which is never cheap.

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings commented on the news, saying that HBO Go going standalone was "inevitable" and will not affect the streaming service's booming content library.

Tags: streaming Time Warner HBO Go HBO

<What is Android 5.0 Lollipop? >Motorola first to announce which devices will get Android 5.0

7 user comments

116.10.2014 10:23

bhetrick

Send private message to this user

AfterDawn Addict

Finally.

When are more of these companies going to get away from their 30 year old "you have to pay for 200 channels even though you only want to watch 5 of them" mentality.

216.10.2014 16:19

dEwMe

Send private message to this user

Senior Member

Still the $8 a month or whatever all these streaming services cost really can add up.

316.10.2014 16:23

SProdigy

Send private message to this user

Senior Member

Originally posted by bhetrick:
Finally.

When are more of these companies going to get away from their 30 year old "you have to pay for 200 channels even though you only want to watch 5 of them" mentality.

The only problem I see is IF I had to pay more than getting want I want a la carte. I pay $15 a month for HBO now. If the streaming service is $10, it would be a great value.

A channel like ESPN would greatly profit from this model versus the $5 they make from a service like DirecTV. But say I wanted access to X amount of channels at $10 each, I'd get nowhere near the value of buying a TV package through DirecTV. It's a Catch-22.

418.10.2014 01:36

pmshah

Send private message to this user

Member

We are so fortunate. Here in India we can get very basic subscription to cable TV service for just around $ 2/- per month. We can then add different combos as per our choice for between $ 1/- and 2/- each per month. Of course we don't have gazillion channels like in the US but for around $ 10/= per month I can get practically all - around 500 - channels.

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 18 Oct 2014 @ 1:43

520.10.2014 02:02

oneguy

Send private message to this user

Member

I agree with bhetrick. I kinda saw this coming awhile ago when the ps3 got the crackle and crunchyroll app. I think all these networks should just release apps. Because I recently cancelled my satellite subscription because I found myself using the youtube app on my ps3 for talkshows and torrents for tv specials like the mtv vma's. There's no need anymore to pay for "packages" for garbage they kick in just to up the channel count.

620.10.2014 06:19

Jemborg

Send private message to this user

Senior Member

Originally posted by pmshah:
We are so fortunate. Here in India we can get very basic subscription to cable TV service for just around $ 2/- per month. We can then add different combos as per our choice for between $ 1/- and 2/- each per month. Of course we don't have gazillion channels like in the US but for around $ 10/= per month I can get practically all - around 500 - channels.

Would that include HBO (e.g. Game of Thrones)?

721.10.2014 18:28

megadunderhead

Send private message to this user

Senior Member

honestly HBO and other companies are learning to stop feeding comcast and there stupid product rigging of services

Comments have been disabled for this article.

	VLC hits milestone: over 5 billion downloads (16 Mar 2024 4:31) VLC Media Player, the versatile video-software powerhouse, has achieved a remarkable feat: it has been downloaded over 5 billion times. 1 user comment
	Sideloading apps to Android gets easier, as Google settles its lawsuit (19 Dec 2023 11:09) Google settled its lawsuit in September 2023, and one of the settlement terms was that the way applications are installed on Android from outside the Google Play Store must become simpler. In the future, installing APK files will be easier. 8 user comments
	Roomba Combo j7+ review - Clever trick allows robot vacuum finally to tackle home with rugs and carpets (06 Jun 2023 9:19) Roomba Combo j7+ is the very first Roomba model to combine robot vacuum with mopping features. And Roomba Combo j7+ does all that with a very clever trick, which tackles the problem with mopping and carpets. But is it any good? We found out.
	Neato, the robot vacuum company, ends its operations (02 May 2023 3:38) Neato Robotics has ceased its operations. American robot vacuum pioneer founded in 2005 has finally called it quits and company will cease its operations and sales. Only a skeleton crew will remain who will keep the servers running until 2028. 5 user comments
	How to Send Messages to Yourself on WhatsApp (20 Mar 2023 1:25) The world's most popular messaging platform, Meta-owned WhatsApp has enabled sending messages to yourself. While at first, this might seem like an odd feature, it can be very useful in a lot of situations. .... 18 user comments

	Guide: Phone battery drains quickly - how to fix (iPhone / Android) In this guide, we go through the most typical reasons for rapid battery drain with phones, and look at potential reasons or solutions.
	HOWTO: Install Netflix App on rooted Android device 'This app is no longer compatible with your device. Contact the developers for more info.' If you are getting this message from Google Play when trying to install Netflix, then maybe this little guide can help you.
	What IP rating for dust and water resistance means An IP classification (such as IP68) is given to mobile phones, Bluetooth speakers, and other devices, but what do these classifications mean? 1 user comment
	Guide: Is Your Wi-Fi Sluggish or Slow? Here's How to Fix Do you have problems with you Wi-Fi? Slow connection or is it cutting off constantly? This guide aims to remedy these problems. 1 user comment
	What happens if you don't update Android? Sometimes it can be tempting to avoid updating to a new Android version. What happens if you decide to delay major updates to the OS?

HBO finally going standalone, will no longer require cable subscription

7 user comments

Latest news

Reviews

Guides

News archive

Subscribe

Sections:

Follow us:

	Roomba Combo j7+ review - Clever trick allows robot vacuum finally to tackle home with rugs and carpets Roomba Combo j7+ is the very first Roomba model to combine robot vacuum with mopping features. And Roomba Combo j7+ does all that with a very clever trick, which tackles the problem with mopping and carpets. But is it any good? We found out.
	Review: Samsung Jet Bot 90 AI+ - a high-end robot vacuum cleaner Samsung's Jet Bot 90 AI+ is a top-class robot vacuum cleaner that can avoid obstacles and empty its own dust container. Here we review the product. 1 user comment
	Samsung Jet Bot 80+ review - excellent robot vacuum cleaner We review Samsung's Jet Bot 80+ robot vacuum cleaner over a period of three months. 1 user comment