“While continuing to seek subscribers from cable and satellite, HBO will start to sell its service separately via the Internet next year,” Brian Stelter reports for CNNMoney. “‘It is time to remove all barriers to those who want HBO,’ the network’s chief executive Richard Plepler said Wednesday. ‘So, in 2015, we will launch a stand-alone, over-the-top HBO service in the United States.'”
“It’s a monumental change for HBO, which is currently sold only through cable and satellite providers,” Stelter reports. “Selling HBO via the Internet is a second avenue for growth. ‘All in all, there are 80 million homes that do not have HBO, and we will use all means at our disposal to go after them,’ Plepler said.”
“HBO declined to comment on any of the particulars of the Internet service, such as monthly price or launch date. There was immediate speculation that the Internet version of HBO might be differentiated in some way from the service that cable and satellite subscribers receive,” Stelter reports. “In the context of the Internet service, Plepler pointedly did not mention HBO GO, the network’s popular app for cable and satellite subscribers. But he said the network would work with its existing partners and “explore models with new partners… While Plepler’s comments were limited to the U.S., he said the market for a stand-alone version of HBO could be even bigger outside the U.S.”
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