“The biggest news in technology this past week had nothing to do with the arrival of Instagram video, or newly discovered features in iOS 7. Rather, it was the launch of HBO GO on the Apple TV,” Bryan M. Wolfe writes for AppAdvice.
“What made this significant had little to do with HBO subscribers finally being able to stream episodes of ‘True Blood’ or ‘Game of Thrones’ on Apple’s hobby product. Rather, it is what happened next that was most noteworthy,” Wolfe writes. “[At launch] not every HBO subscriber was able to take advantage of the new service. DirecTV and other HBO pay TV affiliates with TV Everywhere rights refused to sign-off on the Apple TV… What was surprising was just how quickly DirecTV and nearly everyone else did an about-face.”
Wolfe writes, “Multiple industry sources have told AppAdvice that this has little to do with the public outcry. Rather, after careful reflection, most affiliates had determined that it was best not to upset the Apple cart.”
Read more in the full article here.
Related articles:
HBO built the Apple TV app entirely in-house for the first time ever – June 21, 2013
Apple adds HBO GO, WatchESPN, Sky News, Crunchyroll and Qello streaming content to Apple TV – June 19, 2013
Hollywood studios warm to Apple’s iCloud; HBO agrees to allow Universal, Fox movies on Apple’s iCloud – March 12, 2012
HBO and ESPN, like MLBtv has done, must offer standalone subscriptions via tv. I see it as a market inevitability, people don’t want 10,000 channels of shit for $100 a month.
It’s a variation of the “bundled music CD/album” crap. I want to be able to pick and choose the networks I want to watch to my tastes just as I want to pick and choose the songs I want.
I miss the good ol’ days of Concept Albums. 🙂
Alan Parson Project. Just wonderful.
Then it is your choice to purchase every track…your Parson example is how I feel about Sergeant Pepper.
Sgt. Pepper Reprise segues into A Day In The Life…don’t fuck with that.
I Robot if I remember correctly.
I think SJ realized the same thing a few years ago. I think this was how he planned to “crack” the TV content market. HBO, etc. will soon realize that there are 400 million credit card accounts attached to the iTunes store. Selling their content to the cable and satellite companies at bargain basement rates per subscriber is not going to be attractive forever.
bingo.
I’ve bought every season of “Game of Thrones” so far at $35 each (I also own every episode of “Lost”). That’s a bargain to watch quality programming without commercials, compared to $100 per month for crap with ExtenZe commercials.
DirecTV double-clutches on most streaming content. They still haven’t “signed off on” WatchESPN, which was released at the same time as HBO Go. There goes Wolfe’s brilliant theory.
DirecTV and Comcast are irrelevant. HBO and ESPN will eventually sell directly to the consumer through the iTunes store and cut out the dumb pipes.
Given that a number of networks and studios are owned by cable companies (HBO is owned by Time Warner), I don’t see your direct sale model happening anytime soon.
I offer a primer on the relationships here:
http://themacadvocate.com/2012/06/04/apple-and-the-future-of-television-part-2-content/
And Disney owns ABC, which owns ESPN. It only takes one domino to create a cascade. The cable/satellite model will eventually be as irrelevant as the music album in a world of ala carte offerings. People are defecting in ever increasing numbers from the cable/satellite subscription model and supplementing broadcast OTA TV with iTunes and other ala carte services. At some point the scale tips, even for Comcast and DirecTV from an ever shrinking subscription audience to an ala carte store with 10 or 100 times the customers.
Not DirecTV’s fault. DirecTV already had a contract w/ESPN when WatchESPN came to be. ESPN will not sell outside of full contract negotiation.
Fuck Apple TV. Fuck the networks. Fuck HBO. Fuck paid television.
The Pirate Bay is your friend. http://www.piratebay.sx
The $99 AppleTV just killed the $499 Xbox 180 and the $399 PS/4.
ROFL that’s so absurd it’s hilarious. Those are game consoles and are by far best for playing games vs. anything from Apple. The streaming tv crap is just icing on the consoles. No one buys them for that purpose.
The new Sony 4k would look killer with an Apple on it!
Report back and let us know if the “loading” logo looks any different in 4k!
I realize everything is tied to contracts but there is an obvious comparison. When music had DRM I pirated. As soon as they removed DRM I bought everything from apple. The same holds for video. First they need to provide the video legally and second it needs to be DRM free so I can be assured of watching it in the future. Then I will buy video rather than pirating it. It’s their choice. Make money or lose money.
How dare he tell Apple what to do.